Who is Ezekiel Sims? Madame Web villain explained

Madame Web’s first trailer reveals villain Ezekiel Sims, a somewhat forgotten and incredibly bizarre character who once started off a whole new era of Spider-Man stories. 

The anticipated release of Sony’s latest Marvel-adjacent film, Madame Web, is imminent, bringing with it a slew of brand-new Spider-Man characters. Perhaps the most unusual of the bunch is the mysterious Ezekiel Sims. 

Ezekiel is a character many Spider-Man fans may not be familiar with, but he was genuinely striking for the time. His debut in Amazing Spider-Man #30 heralded a new era of Spider-Man comics, as Peter’s spider powers became less of a random accident and more about a mystical fate.

While the appearance of a middle-aged man walking barefoot through New York is weird enough on its own, the character brings some uniquely bizarre Marvel Comics ideas to the big screen, including some ideas that connect it to the Spider-Verse. 

Madame Web villain Ezekiel Sims explained

In the trailer, Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) is stalking a trio of women – Julia Carpenter (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor), but they’re saved by the titular Madame Web (Dakota Johnson). 

Ezekiel’s powers are all over the place in the trailer, but there is clearly something going on with his age. Multiple shots show a much older-looking Ezekiel, akin to his comic look – a normal, middle-aged man with white hair and, occasionally, a white beard. 

Between his fluctuating age and being shown interacting with Madame Web’s mother in the past, it may be that the movie version has some degree of immortality or the ability to siphon someone’s youth. Regardless, he still demonstrates some Spider-Man-like abilities, such as sticking to walls. 

Who is Spider-Man villain Ezekiel Sims? 

In Marvel Comics, Ezekiel is a mysterious figure connected to the Spider-Totem. Though the concept of the Spider-Totem and the Web of Life are all tied to the modern Spider-Verse storyline, they got their start in 2004 with Ezekiel’s arrival. 

Ezekiel was bonded to the Spider-Totem through a mysterious ritual, which brought him the attention of Morlun, a multiversal vampire who fed on the blood of Spider-Totems. Aware of Morlun’s existence, Ezekiel began working behind the scenes to protect those who would be connected to the Web of Life but stopped just shy of becoming a hero himself, instead focusing on wealth and survival. 

After Peter Parker and Cindy Moon are bitten by a radioactive spider, Ezekiel decides to secure Cindy in a bunker where Morlun cannot find her while he watches Peter’s growth into Spider-Man. 

Ezekiel and Spider-Man come into conflict multiple times through the ‘00s, with Ezekiel acting as something of an unwelcome mentor to Peter at a time when his connection to the Spider-Totem was becoming more prominent.

The two never really get along, though, as Ezekiel had eschewed much of the responsibility Peter shouldered. He would realize the error of his ways in his final moments, sacrificing himself to save Peter from a mystical being known as the Gatekeeper. 

Ezekiel Sims’ powers in Marvel Comics

Though he was not bitten by a spider, Ezekiel’s connection to the Spider-Totem gave him many of the same powers. He had wall-crawling, enhanced strength and speed, and possessed his own spider-sense. 

This also meant Ezekiel was immune to the Spider-Sense of others. In his first interaction with Spider-Man, he surprises him by sneaking up behind him, not triggering his Spider-Sense.

Thanks to his experience with the Spider-Totem, Ezekiel was also knowledgeable about mystical arts. However, he lacked the scientific or technological knowledge most other Spider characters have and did not use any kind of web shooter. 

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