Tim White
Nov 17, 2023 - 01:25

Latinas Finally Getting Anya Corazon on Big Screen in Madame Web

Madame Web trailer reveals future Spider Family members. Aña Sofia Corazón's appearance is meaningful to Latina Marvel fans.

The Madame Web trailer dropped by Sony yesterday revealed that Cassandra Webb's titular hero, played by Dakota Johnson, is not the only member of the Spider Family coming to the big screen. The upcoming film also features Madame Web joining forces with three future members of the Spider Family: Julia Carpenter, played by Sydney Sweeney, Mattie Franklin, played by Celeste O'Connor, and Anya Corazon, played by Isabela Merced.

As a Latina Marvel fan, the appearance of Anya on the big screen is particularly meaningful to me. Anya Corazon made her debut in Marvel Comics in 2004, starring in the newly resurrected Amazing Fantasy title and has since appeared in various Marvel properties.

Anya is a Latina teenager born in Brooklyn to a Mexican mom named Sofia and a Puerto Rican dad named Gilberto. Her family moved to Mexico City when she was a child, where her father had a successful career as an investigative journalist. However, tragedy struck when Sofia was killed in a house fire, leading Gilberto to take Anya back to Brooklyn.

Unlike other Spider characters who gained their powers through radioactive spider bites, Anya's powers were inherited as a descendant of the original Spider Society Hunters through her mother's line. She became involved in the battle between the Sisterhood of the Wasp and the Spider Society during her freshman year of high school, leading to her awakening dormant spider powers.

Anya, originally known as Araña, also took on the Spider-Girl mantle, with powers that are more mystical in nature than other members of the Spidey family. She can make organic webs, camouflage herself in shadows, and has a super-flexible skeleton from years of gymnastics training. She was also able to generate a carapace armor when in danger, which she later lost after the Secret Wars arc.

In the upcoming Madame Web film, Anya will be joined by Julia Carpenter and Mattie Franklin, forming a trio of young spider women mentored by Cassandra Webb. This collaboration marks a significant moment for the representation of Latina superheroes on the big screen, and I am excited to see how these characters are brought to life in the film.