Madame Web ending explained: Is Spider-Man in the new Sony film?

The superhero flick also boasts other iconic talent in the form of Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney, American Horror Story's Emma Roberts and The Good Place's Adam Scott, and also sets up the possibility of an exciting future for Sony's Spider-Man universe.

If you chose to take all the negative reviews with a pinch of salt and are desperate to unpack the ending of Madame Web, read on for our full breakdown. But be warned, for there are major spoilers ahead.

Madame Web ending explained

After saving the lives of teenage trio Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Anya (Isabela Merced) and Mattie (Celeste O'Connor) multiple times from the future-obsessed Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim), Cassie travels to the Peruvian rainforest where she was born, in an attempt to find out the truth about her mother and her relationship with the antagonist.

There, she learns that the reason her mother went exploring in the rainforest despite being heavily pregnant was because she discovered that the unborn Cassie had a disease that she believed a miraculous Peruvian spider could cure. When the spider bit Cassie's mother (shown in a scene at the beginning of the movie), it cured the unborn Cassie of her disease.

Cassie also learns the truth about her mother's death – that Ezekiel, her mother's Amazon guide, betrayed and murdered her, wanting the spider's abilities for himself.

With the help of one of the Las Arañas elders, Cassie then discovers the full potential of her psychic powers. "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come," the elder tells her. (Sound familiar?)

Upon returning to New York, Cassie finds that Julia, Anya and Mattie are missing, having been discovered by Ezekiel while trying to rush Ben Parker's (Adam Scott) heavily pregnant sister Mary (Emma Roberts) to the hospital (to give birth to the beloved Peter Parker, no less).

Using her powers, Cassie tracks them down to the middle of the city, where the team manage to momentarily fight him off (using an ambulance, of all things) and flee to the abandoned warehouse shown earlier in the film.

Cassie and the girls quickly forge a plan of action before Ezekiel catches up to them, and soon, the five are battling it out on the rooftop. Ezekiel quickly disarms the three unpowered teens, leaving only Cassie to save the day.

"You can't save them all," Ezekiel says – but Cassie knows better. Finally unlocking her full potential, Cassie splits her mind into four, first saving Julia, Anya and Mattie, then using her clairvoyance to place Ezekiel in the position she knows will get rid of him for good.

"The girls were never your future, I was," says Cassie just before Ezekiel falls to his presumed death. But in a moment unpredicted by our protagonist, she falls too – right into the water below her.

As she sinks, some debris hits her in the eyes and for a moment, all is silent.

But, of course, Cassie's time is not over. Just as she saved the girls, the girls save her – Julia, Anya and Mattie drag Cassie out of the water and perform CPR on her, exactly as she taught them earlier on in the movie, and Cassie eventually opens her now obviously changed blue eyes.

Fast forward to the hospital. Mary has given birth to a healthy baby boy (or should we say spiderling?) and Cassie is alive, though as a result of her injuries, is now blind. Julia, Anya and Mattie keep her company, and it seems as though Cassie has finally found the family she was so desperately lacking in the form of three chaotic teenage girls.

Some time later, Cassie uses a wheelchair and wears sunglasses (clear references to the comic book version of her character). She appears relatively unbothered by her new condition as she jokes around with Julia, Anya and Mattie and smiles over New York City, knowing far more than she is letting on.

The final scene of the film alludes to a prophetic future for our web-slinging quartet, and though we don't find out exactly how Julia, Anya and Mattie become Spider-Women, and there are currently no plans for a sequel, the door is certainly left open for their futures.

Does Madame Web have a post-credits scene?

Diehard superhero fans may be disappointed to learn that Madame Web does not have a mid-credits or post-credits scene. Instead, the film ends on a prophetic note for our four heroes that, hopefully, sets up the future for Sony's Spider-Man universe.

On the reason why there is no post-credits scene in Madame Web, director SJ Clarkson explained: "My father always used to say, 'If you have to say something, stand up, speak up and then shut up.'

"So when I got to the end credits, I felt that we'd said everything we needed to say in the film. It's up to whatever is next to take on the [baton]."

Is Spider-Man in Madame Web?

Spider-Man does technically appear in Madame Web – but not in the way you might think.

Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is born at the end of Madame Web to Emma Roberts's character Mary Parker, the sister of Ben Parker (aka Uncle Ben).

Though Peter's name is never actually mentioned, we can safely assume that the character will eventually become our favourite web-slinging hero, though we can't be sure which cinematic version of him he'll grow up to be.

Madame Web is now available to watch in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.