[Andrew999]

Sony are about to inject shedloads of money into Madame Web to create a Marvel rival to Wonder Woman. Can someone explain to me why? Don't they already have Captain Marvel (though admittedly she's not the real Captain Marvel as we all know)

I can see the Japanese influence in the Madame Web character - tentacular extensions, trans-species arachnid moral ambiguity - zen - she could quite easily have been an anime figure.

Or will they re-invent her as an all-action dynamic Spiderwoman - and if so, why not just use Spiderwoman? Come to think of it, wasn't Madame Web supposed to be the grandmother of Spiderwoman?

Call me confused.com

[Andrew999]

Hot on the heels of yesterday's announcement comes news that Marc Guggenheim has been commissioned to write a script based on Jackpot - the super-strength Marvel heroine.

So now we have two Marvel heroines lining up against Wonder Woman (three if you count Captain Marvel). What's going on - and will DC retaliate by upping the investment in Batgirl or something?

[Mr. Magnificent]

Marvel already has its own Wonder Woman counterpart in Captain Marvel. Throwing money in any other direction is a waste, if catching up with Diana is the intent.

[The Australian Panther]

So now we have two Marvel heroines lining up against Wonder Woman (three if you count Captain Marvel)

I don't think it has anything to do with, 'going up against Wonder Woman' - More like Political Correctness gone mad.
The first 'Madame Web' I remember [In Spiderman] was an old crone. Neither character has much of a fan base, so both are doomed to failure. Used to be, before you put out a movie or TV show, you looked at the data and found out what the audience wanted to see. Now, you tell the audience what they want to see.
And when they stay away in droves, you lose money. Both the recent 'Charlies Angels' and 'Suicide Squad' were not just feminist, but actually anti-men. They both failed in theater showings, despite what you might read on the internet.
I note that the recent 'Bloodshot' movie, which was Variant's hope for a universe launcher, has already gone to video. The timing was all wrong, the launch was timed for right in the middle of lockdown. I will probably get that.
Not sure if 'Black Widow' has been released as yet. What I have seem of it, is mostly movie cliches but I will still try to see it at some stage.
Really, most of the Marvel Women have featured on the screen in some way or other.
Scarlet Witch, Wasp, Black Widow,Rescue in the Avengers. Mockingbird in Agent of Shield. Phoenix, Storm, Shadowcat, Rogue and a few more in the X-men. Mostly badly. Marvel's Black cat still hasn't been seen. There may be copyright isssues there.     
If I was making decisions at DC I would make a new Catwoman Movie. There is also Madame Masque for Marvel.   
Actually,. What would be your choice for a Golden Age female heroine in a movie?
Lady Luck, Miss Fury, Namora, Venus, Miss Masque, Phantom Lady? All of these have potential.

I would go with Miss Masque or The Lady in Red. Do I have to say why?
       

[Andrew999]

Good point, Mr Magnificent. It does seem odd to diversify unless the strategy is a doomed attempt to 'crowd-out' Wonder Woman from the screens.

The strength of Captain Marvel is that she brought in $1.1bn at the box office compared to Wonder Woman's $820m. Captain Marvel 2 has just been announced for 2022.

Part of Wonder Woman's weakness IMHO is that Gal Gadot is not such a great actress - though of course she looks the part. Brie Larson has more range.

[paw broon]

As I've watched very few modern superhero films, I don't feel qualified to comment.  I have watched Wonder Woman and quite enjoyed it, I suppose.  Never heard of Madame Web, sorry.
I've enjoyed some of the DC animations, particularly New Frontier - the book is even better, and I wonder if the cartoon treatment would work with Lady Luck.  Always been a fan.

[Mr. Magnificent]

As far as Golden Agers on the silver screen, I'm fond of Namora, but that's just because I like Namor. Phantom Lady and Venus would work for eye candy, but their powers don't have much bang. If you gave Lady Luck the Scarlet Witch's hex power, that might be interesting. Otherwise, Miss Fury is probably the favorite as a kind of cross between Black Widow and Batman.

[Captain Audio]

The few male viewers who are in favor of so many female heroes and villains coming forth in recent years are the same bunch who slaver over HLA wrestling.
Of the females they run about half and half as dedicated feminists and those lipstick lesbians who also slaver over HLA wrestling matches.

Don't get me wrong , I also enjoy a girl on girl cat fight, and too much of the male super hero fanbase seem a bit misogynist.
I'd just prefer the girls were fighting over me, which hasn't happened much in the last few decades.

Captain Marvel seems to be catering to the transgender crowd, by symbolically transforming a male character into a female, just as Captain America has catered to the non white fans.
Though I think they made a good choice in the character that takes up the shield regardless of the motivation.
He still does not have the gravitas of the original.

As for my choice , Phantom Lady all the way.

[paw broon]

I had to look it up - HLA wrestling. New one on me but then I can't stand wrestling, despite being a fan of British wrestling when I was young.  Jackie Pallo, Mick McManus et al.  But HLA? Have we reached the nadir of entertainment?

[Andrew999]

I had to look it up too. Good grief - I think I'll stick with the urbane Kent Walton and the delights of Giant Haystacks and the Wild Man of Borneo

[paw broon]

Don't forget Kendo Nagasaki.   
Kent Walton did  a pop music show as well, didn't he?
On topic again, a DC cartoon with the original Batwoman, Kathy Kane and her niece, Betty, in the original costumes and bringing back that silliness that permeated Bat comics at the time.  I'd watch it, but I might be the only one.

[Andrew999]

Nah, I'd be there watching it too!

[The Australian Panther]

there would be at least 3 of us!
I've been rereading the original Batwoman stories. They are actually better than we remember.
Cheers!   

[Andrew999]

Panther predicted it back in May, 2020:

If I was making decisions at DC I would make a new Catwoman Movie.

Now the news is out......HBO are planning a new Catwoman movie to be produced in 2021. I hope it's Carmen Bicondova. She's the best since Lee Meriwether in my opinion - but I did like the Halle Berry movie, which was unfairly steam-rollered at the time IMO by any passing press hack jumping on the bandwagon.

[The Australian Panther]

but I did like the Halle Berry movie, which was unfairly steam-rollered at the time IMO by any passing press hack jumping on the bandwagon.

There are two ways to judge a movie. First, just judge it as a movie with no expectations or previous assumptions. On that basis the Halle Berry Catwoman wasn't a bad movie.
If your expectations were to see DC's Catwoman on the screen, you would have been disappointed. The costume was ridiculous and nothing else had much to do with the Catwoman of the comics. So it had to be judged as a lousy movie.
In retrospect, I wonder if unconscious racism wasn't a factor in the general judgement on the film.
I also wonder if Batman will be in the movie and if so, how the relationship between them will be presented.
That would really be the way to do a Catwoman movie. Catwoman makes less sense without Batman.

Cheers!