The new Sony's Spider-Man Universe film Madame Web has finally arrived in theaters. However, it's been receiving negative reviews from critics and it is on track to have a disappointing box office performance.
One of the criticisms that the film has been receiving is the portrayal of Ezekiel Sims as the villain and his jarring death through the Pepsi logo near the end.
While the film has a promotional tie-in with the soda company, some fans and critics felt that the product placement was too on-the-nose due to the lack of subtlety in how it was used, especially since it happened at a very pivotal moment.
Also Read: Madame Web Star Dakota Johnson Is Open to Return in Potential Sequel
How Did Ezekiel Sims Die in Madame Web?
The entire climactic battle took place in an abandoned factory that had a lot of fireworks inside and, for some reason, a giant old Pepsi-Cola neon logo on the rooftop.
After a long fight between Cassandra Webb, Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin against Ezekiel Sims on the rooftop of the factory, the villain was killed off after he fell and was pinned down by the letter "P" in the Pepsi logo.
Some fans have also speculated that the choice of having the letter "P" being the cause of Ezekiel's death could be an easter egg related to Peter Parker.
This is not the only moment in the film that has a prominent Pepsi product placement. Earlier, we saw Cassandra holding a Pepsi can for a brief moment while attending Mary Parker's baby shower party and the logo was visible on the screen.
Fans React to Pepsi Product Placement on Madame Web
A lot of fans shared their sentiments on Madame Web's Pepsi product placement on X in which they ridiculed its obviousness and how the film felt like a commercial for the soda product.
They are wondering whether Sony and Pepsi did make a deal to have the company feature prominently in the film, which ended up being a distraction for them.
You can check some of the posts here:
While product placements in a film are not new, it is not a good look if a lot of fans notice its obviousness and poke fun at it since it means that they felt that were being pandered rather than seeing it as a natural inclusion.
It doesn't help that it happened to coincide with the villain's death and fans are now ridiculing the idea that the product caused his demise, rather than the heroes themselves.
Madame Web is now showing in theaters everywhere.
Read Next: Why Is Cassie in A Wheelchair at the End of Madame Web?
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