Was Madame Web failing really all that bad? Isabela Merced gives her mixed thoughts on Marvel’s biggest flop in recent memory.
While most of the media attention around Isabela Merced has been focused on her upcoming role in Superman, it’s easy to forget that she was in one of Marvel’s worst-received projects less than a year ago with Madame Web. Yet it seems Merced doesn’t see the situation as all bad, saying that the memes to come out of the project helped soften the blow.
“I’d say…I feel like every actor I know and admire has that one movie where it’s so camp. It’s so camp.” Merced explained on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “The group chat was fun after. All the Tweets that would come out and the memes we would see made the group chat very fun.”
It’s a relief to hear that Isabela Merced is taking the flop in stride. The failure of Madame Web left a lot of Sony executives in a gloomy state, potentially changing the course of their Marvel projects forever. So as long as someone got a laugh or two out of the project, it’s at least a bigger win than fans expected when the film first hit theaters.
The Dark Side Of Madame Web’s Massive Flop
Yet, even Isabela Merced admits that the failure of Madame Web wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. While the memes were fun, the actress admits that she feels bad for all the people negatively affected by the film’s poor reception, and cherishes how lucky she is to have other opportunities to shine while others potentially had their careers cut short by the Marvel flop.
“But at the same time, it does [leave] a sad taste in my mouth because there were people that worked on it who worked really hard. Maybe this was their opportunity to have a big break and I can’t help but think about the people who put in the work. I’m lucky enough to have other opportunities right now.”
“That’s what I feel really blessed about but I do feel bad for the other people who put their all into this. There [were] so many cooks in the kitchen. Even though you might mean well, someone else might not understand the assignment.”
“I do have a soft spot in my heart [for it]. Honestly, I love The Room. I love Flubber. I love Catwoman. Those are my favourites. I’m a little proud of it in that sense. I’m really glad we had each other.”
Even though Isabela Merced had enough cred to keep a healthy career after Madame Web, other members of the cast and crew likely weren’t so lucky. Any Marvel project, even the bad ones, have a lot of cooks in the kitchen to keep things running. It’s entirely possible for a film to flop outside of any given person’s control, making the truth behind the memes a bit darker than many would expect.
Madame Web is now streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Sony Universe of Marvel Characters and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
