Summary
- Madame Web accurately depicts the use of Grand Central Station for train travel to Poughkeepsie, showing attention to NYC details.
- The MCU’s What If series ignores real-life accuracy by depicting a train tunnel from Grand Central Station to New Jersey, which does not exist.
- Sony’s Spider-Man Universe shows dedication to getting small details right, like accurate NYC infrastructure.
The latest entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, Madame Web, gets a very specific detail about New York City infrastructure correct that even the Marvel Cinematic Universe failed to get right. Both the MCU and the SSU have close ties to New York City, since a number of heroes across both franchises live in the metropolis. In the MCU movies, the original Avengers Tower was in the center of Manhattan, and Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Santorum is in the South Village neighborhood, while Tom Holland’s Spider-Man lived in Queens. In The SSU, both Morbius and Madame Web are set in New York City.
However, while New York City appears in many movies across both franchises – and beyond the superhero series – filmmakers don’t always stick to accuracy. In fact, one MCU Phase 4 release features a scene that ignores real-life accuracy when it comes to New York City geography and infrastructure. It may be an incredibly specific detail, but in the case of NYC accuracy, Madame Web gets it more right than the MCU.
Related Madame Web Ending Explained (In Detail) The Madame Web movie ending is key for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, setting up the titular Marvel hero and three versions of Spider-Woman.
How The MCU’s What If Season 1 Failed At NYC Accuracy
There Might Be An Aesthetic Reasoning Behind The Inaccuracy
In Marvel’s What If season 1, episode 5, “What If… Zombies?!”, the team decides to travel to New Jersey from Manhattan, but to do so, they make their way to Grand Central Station in Midtown East Manhattan. However, there are no train tunnels leading from Grand Central Station to New Jersey, since trains out of the terminal lead north into greater New York state. The only train tunnels leading from Manhattan to New Jersey extend from Penn Station or from the PATH stations in Lower Manhattan.
What If…? Cast Samuel L. Jackson , Stanley Tucci , Michael Douglas , Sean Gunn , Mark Ruffalo , Karen Gillan , Tom Hiddleston , Jeffrey Wright , Michael B. Jordan , Toby Jones , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , David Dastmalchian , Natalie Portman , Josh Brolin , Dominic Cooper , Jeff Goldblum , Hayley Atwell , Djimon Hounsou , Chadwick Boseman , Taika Waititi , Chris Hemsworth , Neil McDonaugh , Jeremy Renner , Michael Rooker Seasons 2 Writers Ashley Bradley , Matthew Chauncey Directors Bryan Andrews
While it’s not known why What If chose to ignore real-life accuracy, it likely has to do with the iconic and beautiful appearance of Grand Central Station. The terminal is used in many movies and TV shows, and is a great example of some of the gorgeous architecture that can be found in New York City. Conversely, though Penn Station has since received a more eye-catching update to its terminal, both the station itself and the PATH stations are a far cry from the beauty of Grand Central. As such, What If likely chose to use Grand Central for its iconic appearance rather than its accuracy.
Madame Web’s Grand Central Scene Maintains Real-Life NYC Accuracy
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Gets New York City Right
In the first half of Madame Web, Dakota Johnson’s Cassandra Webb decides to attend the funeral of Mike Epps’ O’Neil, which takes place in Poughkeepsie, NY, and she goes to Grand Central Station to get there. This is accurate because Cassie would need to take the Metro-North Railroad to get to Poughkeepsie, which she can do from only Grand Central. As such, Madame Web proves to be more accurate to New York City than the MCU. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe may not be as successful as the MCU, but movies like Madame Web at least show a dedication to getting small details like these right.
Madame Web Release Date February 14, 2024 Director S.J. Clarkson Runtime 114 Minutes Writers Burk Sharpless , Matt Sazama , Kerem Sanga
