Madame Web Just Made Uncle Ben’s Death Even Darker Than Every Spider-Man Movie

There was some excitement when it was revealed that Madame Web would be including Ben Parker, but now that the movie is out, it has actually made his eventual death even more tragic. Marvel and Sony have shown Uncle Ben’s death a few times, and it is always sad. While it’s sad, his death also serves as a powerful lesson for Peter Parker, who realizes at that moment that he needs to be more responsible about how he uses his powers. However, revelations in Madame Web have painted Ben’s death in a new light.

Madame Web revealed that Ben Parker and Cassie Webb were actually good friends around the time Peter was born. They were partners at work, and Ben seemed like one of the few people Cassie really connected with before meeting Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin. Given Madame Web’s specific powers, it raises the question of why Cassie couldn’t have done anything to save Uncle Ben.

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Madame Web’s Visions Explained

Cassie Webb, aka Madame Web, has the ability to see the future. She uses this power throughout the course of the film to protect Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin from Ezekiel Sims. Sims has seen a vision of the future as well, telling him that the three girls will one day kill him. While the film makes it initially seem like Cassie can only see the immediate future, she does begin to hone her powers more near the end of the movie.

Cassie eventually gets to a point where she can see as far back in time as to see her own mom when she was pregnant with Cassie. She also reveals that she can see some years into the future when Julia, Anya, and Mattie gain their spider powers. With such powerful control over her clairvoyance, it’s hard to believe that there isn’t anything that Madame Web couldn’t see coming, especially when it involves those who are closest to her.

Madame Web Must Have Seen Uncle Ben’s Death

Near the end of Madame Web, Peter Parker is born. Cassie is in the hospital at the same time, having been injured in an accident after defeating Ezekiel. When discussing the baby, someone mentions that Ben is excited to be an uncle because it is “all the fun, no responsibility.” Cassie gives a knowing smile and says “that’s what he thinks,” implying that she knows Richard and Mary Parker are going to die and that Ben will have to take Peter in as his own.

Disregarding how dark it is that Madame Web is going to simply let Richard and Mary die and even makes a quip about it, this would also imply that she is also keeping tabs on Peter Parker’s future. Even if Cassie doesn’t know now, she will likely know ahead of time that Uncle Ben is going to be killed. This begs the question: why didn’t she do anything to stop it? After all, it seems easier to prevent Ben’s death than it was to defeat Ezekiel.

Why Madame Web Would Let Uncle Ben Die

The truth is, Madame Web likely let Uncle Ben die despite knowing ahead of time it would happen. This seems pretty heartless at first, especially since she and Ben were friends, but it was likely the result of some difficult moral calculus. If Madame Web knows all the good Anya, Mattie, and Julia are going to do as spider heroes, she probably has seen visions of what Peter will accomplish as well. This means she knows that allowing Uncle Ben to die will set Peter on the path of being a hero, and she has seen how many people he saves.

Madame Web’s decision to let Uncle Ben die might also imply that Peter was much worse off without learning to responsibly use his powers. Perhaps he would have continued using them selfishly, which led to even more people inadvertently getting hurt. Still, even if Madame Web was acting on what she thinks is the best course of action, this makes Uncle Ben’s death much darker. It means that his close personal friend made the decision to sacrifice him for the greater good. Perhaps Madame Web can explore this moral dilemma more on the off chance a Madame Web 2 happens.