Rumors have been swirling that Adam Scott’s role in Madame Web could be a character we know and love. The youngest version of this character we’ve ever seen. Is this just an online conspiracy or rooted in truth? That, we don’t know. But the new trailer is fueling my belief.
Adam Scott, an actor I have loved for many years, being in a Spider-Man property? That feels like a gift to me, a fan of this fictional world and Scott’s work. The rumor that he’s going to play Ben Parker? That is extra special. The speculation that Scott was set to play Ben Parker started in August 2022 after The Cosmic Circus published Madame Web‘s cast list. The site said that their own “trusted” sources told them that the Parker rumor was true, and everyone seems to have run with it ever since. Even IMDb lists Scott’s role as Ben Parker, and no one has said anything to the contrary.
Madame Web‘s first trailer has continued to fuel my belief in the rumor. Why? They don’t ever say Scott’s character’s name. Now, here’s the thing—there are other Spider-Man characters named Ben that he could potentially be, and so, even if someone in this trailer did call him “Ben,” it wouldn’t have instantly meant he was Ben Parker. But it does fascinate me that they don’t say his name at all. To be fair, though, the only name that is said is Cassandra’s, and it’s when Scott’s character yells out “Cassie” when she’s trying to rescue someone.
The idea of Adam Scott playing Ben Parker continues to fascinate me because if anyone could make a role like Ben Parker work without Peter Parker being part of the story, it’s an actor like Adam Scott. He’d make Uncle Ben interesting, even without his inevitable death.
Just hear me out, Adam Scott could make it work.
So many of us Spidey fans have said that we don’t want to see Uncle Ben die again. Mainly because we’ve already seen it. Time and time again, in almost every Spider-Man adaptation, he dies, and Peter has to learn what it means to be a hero while burdened with grief and guilt. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to see Uncle Ben’s stories at all. I think seeing a story with a younger Uncle Ben and Aunt May could work—a story about the Parkers before becoming Peter’s guardians would be fascinating.
I liked the flashbacks we got in The Amazing Spider-Man movies starring Andrew Garfield, where Richard Parker became a bit more than just Peter’s already dead dad. I also would have liked to learn a bit more about Mary Parker at the same time, but hey—at least now, that could hypothetically happen.
Adam Scott potentially playing a young Ben Parker excites me. Yes, I’m excited by the prospect of him playing another beloved character called Ben, but I’m also intrigued because I like the idea of exploring all the Spider-Man characters I love so dearly at different stages in their lives. The fact that they didn’t say the character’s name in this trailer really makes me believe this is a possibility. Everyone’s origins are a little wonky in this movie. It’s even possible he’s playing Richard Parker instead. I’d honestly take that, too.
My point is that Adam Scott’s character being related to Peter Parker, even in the most subtle way, is going to make me emotional.
(featured image: Sony Pictures Releasing)
