The first half of 2024 has been dominated by Sydney Sweeney. Even though her romance comedy Anyone but You debuted at the end of 2023, it was mostly successful in January and February of 2024 at the box office. Madame Web in February and Immaculate in March were her next two appearances. In addition to hosting Saturday Night Live and making numerous appearances on talk shows, Sydney Sweeney appeared to be everywhere and had become one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Because of her immense star power, she was able to overcome the negative feedback she received about Madame Web and emerge from it undamaged.
Madame Web, directed by Sony, was an attempt to make a spin-off Spider-Man movie without Spider-Man. Although Dakota Johnson played the title role, the marketing of the movie highlighted the presence of three different Spider-Women characters: Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor), and Julia Cornwell (Sydney Sweeney). Madame Web is recognized as one of the worst superhero films ever created, failing miserably both critically and commercially. Many people were still in favor of Sweeney playing her own version of Spider-Woman in the film, even if it didn't work out that she might even end up entering the MCU through multiverse travel.
Sydney Sweeney may yet make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a new character, according to a recent rumor. Given her growing popularity, Marvel ought to take this into account. Sydney Sweeney could feature in the following MCU films, which is why she should be cast in them.
The Epic Box Office Bomb of Madame Web
Madame Web was predicted to be a box office hit even before it was published, and it finally launched in theaters on February 14, 2024. It was evident that no one trusted Madame Web, from the remarks made by the film's cast prior to its premiere to the negative reception the trailer garnered, which included much ridiculed speech. Over the course of the four-day President's Day weekend, the film's opening weekend gross was a depressing $26 million, and Bob Marley: One Love took the top spot. With a $80 million budget that does not account for marketing, it has made $43 million locally as of this writing and just $100 million worldwide. It was a much publicized box office letdown.
Madame Web received a dismal review, worse than Sony's derided Morbius film from two years before. In the weeks that followed, the movie was made fun of by many, including Sweeney herself when she hosted Saturday Night Live a few weeks later and at the 96th Academy Awards. Fans did, however, appear to be drawn to Sydney Sweeney and her persona in spite of all the negative feedback.The short glimpses of her in the traditional Spider-Woman outfit looked good, and many were wondering if Sony would stick to their original plans to cast Sweeney's Spider-Woman and the other two costumed heroes as the traditional superheroes facing off against the likes of Venom, Morbius, and Kraven the Hunter. Sweeny's character Julia Cornwell, who can bounce between multiple universes in the MCU or Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, was another well-liked fan idea. Sweeney has said that she would be interested in playing the same role again.
Stars from Other Critically Panned Superhero Films Have Been Cast by Marvel Studios
Although there are those who contend that Sweeney's portrayal in the highly criticized Marvel adaption Madame Web would hinder her chances of being included in the MCU, in reality, she would be among excellent company. Chris Evans' choice to play Captain America was among the best casting choices made for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Evans previously portrayed The Human Torch, Johnny Storm, in the Fantastic Four films from 2005 and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer from 2007. Fans viewed both of those films as huge disappointments, and even though Evans' performance as Captain America was one of the few aspects of those films that they liked, they were initially against him taking the role. They were swiftly won over by him, and now Captain America is the iconic figure of Chris Evan.
Another actor that underwent rehabilitation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Michael B. Jordan, who portrayed the Human Torch. Jordan portrayed Johnny Storm in the critically and commercially unsuccessful Fantastic Four (2015). Despite this, Marvel Studios did not let it stop Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther and a former collaborator on Fruitvale Station and Creed, from hiring Jordan as the antagonist Erik Killmonger. Jordan is seen as one of the best villains in the MCU and his performance was praised by many.
Josh Brolin and Ryan Reynolds are two such actors who were given another shot at a significant superhero role. Before enduring one of the worst setbacks of his career with Green Lantern, Reynolds starred in the critically panned Blade: Trinity and X-Men Origins: Wolverine as a Wade Wilson precursor. In the 2016 solo picture, Reynolds would finally have his chance to establish himself as Deadpool. It went on to become the highest-grossing X-Men movie ever, and it has since led to Deadpool's official entry into the MCU with the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.
In the meanwhile, Brolin starred in the DC Comics character Jonah Hex, a movie that was critically panned and did poorly at the box office. Later, Brolin was cast as Guardians of the Galaxy's Thanos, preparing him for appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He was also cast as Cable, playing alongside Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2. Three weeks after Avengers: Infinity War debuted in theaters, Deadpool 2 allowed fans to witness Josh Brolin in two distinct Marvel Comics adaptations.It's obvious that Marvel is open to give an actor a second shot in a superhero film, even whether the actor is a box office or critics' darling. It would be absurd to rule Sydney Sweeney out for a part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe merely because Madame Web flopped, given how well-known she has become in recent years. Sweeney might move on as well; her co-star from Madame Web, Isabela Merced, has already moved on to play Hawkgirl in the DCU's Superman.
Sydney Sweeney's Potential MCU Roles
According to Forbes, there have been rumors that Marvel Studios is trying to cast Sweeney in one of their movies after Sony Pictures was unable to capitalize on her popularity. Many people immediately speculated about Felica Hardy, better known as Black Cat, appearing in the next MCU Spider-Man 4. Black Cat is a Sony character as well as a Marvel character, so it would be a decent compromise between the two studios and allow Sony to have Sweeney play a significant role.For a while now, there has been an effort to bring Black Cat to the big screen. She was first supposed to appear in Spider-Man 2, but that project was canceled. Anne Hathaway was then cast in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4, and Felicity Jones was chosen to play the role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with the intention of developing the character further into her own movie. Sony tried for years to develop a Black Cat movie in a team-up feature featuring Silver Sable before Madame Web.
Sam Raimi, speaking of whom, is apparently in the lead to helm Spider-Man 4. Uncertainty surrounds whether this would be a rebirth of Raimi's Spider-Man 4 project, produced by Sony and resurrected as part of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, or the Spider-Man 4 of the MCU starring Tom Holland. Given that Raimi helmed the MCU picture Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and that Tobey Maguire had returned for Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans had hoped Raimi would direct his own Spider-Man 4. However, Raimi himself ruled it out. It is possible that Sweeney is being considered for the part of Black Cat in Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4.
Marvel could cast Sweeney in The Fantastic Four if they really wanted to keep her away from the Spider-Man IP following Madame Web. The Silver Surfer's casting has already been confirmed for the movie, and comic book suggestions virtually guarantee Galactus will play the primary antagonist. In addition to playing Johnny Storm's romantic interest Frankie Raye in the Fantastic Four, Sweeney may also take on the role of Nova, another Herald of Galactus. It would be amazing to have Sweeney join the Fantastic Four cast, one of Marvel's most anticipated films, as another cosmic superhero.
And of course there are the X-Men. With the recent success of X-Men '97, it is only a matter of time until major preparations are made about the mutants in the future of the franchise, even though the X-Men have not yet been formally confirmed for an MCU film. Sweeney may portray a number of well-known female characters from the X-Men, including villains like Mystique and Emma Frost as well as heroes like Jean Grey and Rogue. Sweeney might play a variety of parts in a number of additional Marvel productions, ranging from streaming shows like Wonder Man or Daredevil: Born Again to motion pictures like Armor Wars or Blade.
Marvel Could Make Use Of Sydney Sweeney's Star Power
A lot of writing has been done on the "death of the movie star" and how part of the problem is the industry's shift toward IP-driven films, which includes Marvel Studios. The character now takes center stage, not the actor. This is Chris Hemsworth's role in the wildly popular Thor and Avengers films; nevertheless, the box office did not support his more adult-oriented pictures, Rush, Blackhat, and In the Heart of the Sea. This is definitely oversimplifying things, as many of the greatest stars in the MCU are also well-known performers who receive a lot of work and are either Oscar winners or nominations, like Brie Larson and Robert Downey Jr., or Mark Rufallo.
It is difficult to dispute, however, that a new generation of gifted performers is emerging. These artists have successfully juggled smaller ventures with IP, developed fervent fan bases, and become well-liked throughout the world. Celebrities including Florence Pugh, Jenna Ortega, Glen Powell, Anya-Taylor Joy, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Timothee Chalamet, and, of course, Sydney Sweeney. Marvel is putting Florence Pugh front and center for Thunderbolts* after helping to establish Tom Holland and Zendaya as superstars. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would benefit greatly from acquiring a celebrity such as Sydney Sweeney, as she possesses a sizable fan base that would eagerly attend her most recent release.
One of the most in-demand celebrities right now is Sweeney. She is now working on a version of Barbarella, and she has been fan-cast as the DC superhero Power Girl by DC fans. In addition, she is now producing films and will probably soon have a full schedule. At this rate, she'll have an extremely busy calendar, so Marvel Studios should start looking for a space for her in their cinematic world soon, whether it's a new character for the franchise or her Spider-Woman persona from Madame Web appearing in a multiverse movie. While the MCU film series is accessible for streaming onDisney+, Madame Web is available for rent on AppleTV, Google Play, and Prime Video.
