Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web sustained a lot of negative reviews and underwhelming ratings which a lot of people think the blame would immediately fall on the director. Still, many fans believe it was not SJ Clarkson’s fault that the material was not up to par or did not entirely capture the story of Cassandra Webb.
Her earlier works with Marvel lore such as Netflix’s The Defenders and Jessica Jones are a testament that Clarkson could do wonders if only she was given a proper material to translate onto screen. Her works on television were lauded by critics, so why would her big-screen projects won’t be?
SJ Clarkson Worked On Marvel TV Before Joining Madame Web
Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web premiered on Valentine’s Day, but even the holiday was not enough to save the movie from heavily tanking at the box office. It emerged as the worst opening for any Sony’s Spider-Man Universe film with only $17.6 million in its weekend debut and $25.8 million for its six-day opening.
Director SJ Clarkson insisted that Madame Web is an origin story and a standalone. It was supposed to launch a new Sony franchise but given the cold reception, any plans they had for it were completely scrapped. It was indeed a shame because, as part of the Spider-Man world, the character has so much potential.
Having worked on previous Marvel installments already gave Clarkson the foundation on how to helm a comic book adaptation as she mentioned in her interview with Above the Line. She famously directed a few episodes of Netflix’s The Defenders and Jessica Jones.
“Without a doubt, working in the Marvel universe before was really invaluable and gave me a platform with which to leap. I’d been in that world, I understood it, and I’d really come to respect and admire the kind of incredible storytelling that is in the comics.”
Both shows were highly acclaimed by fans, so there’s no wonder why many believe she is not to blame for Madame Web’s disastrous fate. The writers and the cast have particular contributions as well.
Fans Show Appreciation For Madame Web Director
A post from Twitter remarked how SJ Clarkson wonderfully helmed Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock scene in The Defenders. Many fans agreed she is “innocent” and has nothing to do with the unenthusiastic storyline of the ill-fated Sony franchise.
This episode from The Defenders saw Murdock in an intense cross-examination scene which Clarkson made even more dramatic using various camera movements. Fans were indeed impressed. Check out their reactions below:
It’s wild what she can do when she’s working off a good script and good writing. I don’t think Madame Web’s problem was the direction to a degree, it was the acting and especially the writing they had to work with
— Mac Hodgdon (@MacHodgdon) February 21, 2024
Had the script actually been good perhaps the movie could’ve been saved.
— Cameron (@cam_ross0828) February 21, 2024
She is innocent
— 𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍 (@wolverineofxmen) February 21, 2024
she also directed the first Jessica Jones episode at the very least and it was solid tbh
— Bernard Tap-in 🔫 (@BaptisteFett) February 21, 2024
SJ Clarkson is a good director. There is no problem on here. Only problem is Sony.
— Erman (@ermnkeser) February 22, 2024
These fans have faith that Clarkson will still be able to get future Marvel projects with better writing because she has so much to offer with her creative direction and knowledge of Marvel characters.
Fans are also hoping that the cast of Madame Web would find a more fitting project than the ones they have been offered. For instance, many suggested Sydney Sweeney would have been a better Black Cat than Julia Carpenter.
Madame Web is now showing in theaters worldwide.
