Brandon Sanderson ‘Felt Cheated’ His Wife Watched Marvel’s Most Mocked Movie of the Decade Without Him

Brandon Sanderson is a huge fan of Marvel movies, but he’s also not afraid to criticize them if he doesn’t think they’re brilliantly made. In a recent episode of the Intentionally Blank podcast, the famed fantasy author roasted a critically panned Marvel movie while sharing a bit of an anecdote involving his wife:

We watched Madame Web. Yeah. That’s my fault. Emily had told me how bad it was. And I felt that I had been cheated that she had seen such a terrible movie without me.

Starring Dakota Johnson, Madame Web was released in theaters in 2024, earning overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and was even considered one of the worst comic book films ever made. Sanderson also noted in the same conversation: “Madame Web, it was a special kind of bad.”

The movie was the fourth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and depicts the origin story of Cassie Webb. It earned an embarrassing 10% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and only grossed over $100 million against a budget of $80 million.

Brandon Sanderson Was Impressed by Dakota Johnson In Madame Web

Even with how terrible he thought of the film, Sanderson praised Johnson’s performance. He believed the actress was eminently watchable, noting that she brought a quality to the role that felt genuinely interesting, something he hadn’t quite seen before.

His co-host, Dan Wells, highlighted the irony that Johnson herself openly disliked the film. She didn’t shy away from criticizing Madame Web, and Wells suggested that her feelings toward the project seemed to bleed into her performance.

Sanderson agreed, interpreting Johnson’s apparent detachment as a kind of unintentional commentary on the film itself. He also added that this part elevates it to the level of a “must-watch bad movie.”

What makes this especially interesting is how Johnson’s performance walks a fine line between indifference and subtle subversion. It doesn’t feel like she’s simply phoning it in; instead, there’s an odd tension that she’s aware of the film’s shortcomings and quietly pushing back against them.

What Went Wrong In Madame Web? Dakota Johnson Won’t Take the Fall

If there’s anything that would bring down Johnson, it’s definitely not this movie. The actress has offered a candid and thoughtful perspective on the failure of Madame Web, sharing in an interview with The Los Angeles Times what she believes went wrong during the process, and how she ultimately came to terms with it.

It wasn’t my fault. There’s this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who don’t have a creative bone in their body. And it’s really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. And I think unfortunately with Madame Web it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.

Because of the film’s poor box-office performance, Marvel and Sony are no longer developing future films for the Madame Web franchise. This doesn’t seem to affect Johnson, as she chooses not to dwell on the past and better look to the future instead.

What are your thoughts on the Madame Web film? Let us know in the comments!

Madame Web is currently available to watch on Disney+.