Tahar Rahim brings to life the complex character of Ezekiel Sims in Sony’s latest Spider-Verse movie, Madame Web. Ezekiel has the power of premonition and is determined to stop a group of young women from acquiring their Spider-Women powers. Ezekiel’s origin story in the comics is fascinating, as it connects Spider-Man to his counterparts across dimensions and gives him super strength, agility, durability, stickiness, and premonition.
In the film, Ezekiel is a man with the power of premonition who is bent on stopping a group of young women before they acquire their Spider-Women powers. He is aware of his impending death and seems willing to do whatever it takes to change his fate. In the comics, Ezekiel is a relatively older man who participates in a mysterious ritual that grants him his powers. He becomes aware of the spider-totems, a mystical connection between the spirit of a spider and that of the person wielding its abilities.
Madame Web’s Villain Ezekiel Sims (Via IMDB)
Ezekiel’s powers in the comics are similar to those of Spider-Man, including super strength, agility, durability, and stickiness. He also possesses premonition, rivaling Peter’s Spidey-sense. The film takes inspiration from a different storyline, but its version of Ezekiel aligns with his comic book origins, hinting at a potential live-action arc exploring the spider-totems and broadening Sony’s Spider-Verse.
In the comics, Ezekiel is an ally who uses his wit and fortuned to accomplish impressive feats and uncover knowledge of the supernatural world. He tends to have selfish intentions but rarely causes pain beyond necessity. Ezekiel’s history in the comics is rich, with Ezekiel being a reanimated version of his deceased self or appearing in rebooted storylines.
In the film, Ezekiel works with Cassandra Web’s mother, who was studying spiders and died, which is an element of Sony’s creation. However, the secret tribe aspect of Ezekiel’s origin slightly aligns with his comic book lore. Ezekiel seeks out a secret tribe in Peru who possess inhuman strength and health. These powers allow him to see into the future, including his own death.
