Yesterday we ran down the four Spidey villains whose names had surfaced in connection with the next Spider-Man movie, although none of them have been confirmed. And while all of them --Carnage excepted -- are classic characters, Sam Raimi could do much better. After raiding our comic-book archive (and the occasionally brilliant comments on yesterday's article), we came up with four Spidey foes who would stand alongside the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the Sandman and Venom as iconic and optically exciting antagonists. Read on, true believers!
Mysterio, Master of Illusion
Detractors aside, not only is Mysterio one of the cooler-looking villains in Spider-Man's stable of rogues (that smoke-filled dome is creepy, which is why they used it for Johann Kraus in Hellboy 2), he also has some of the most visually interesting powers. As the Master of Illusion, he can make Spidey see anything he wants, thanks to mirrors, projectors, hypnosis and even the occasional hallucinogen. So if Raimi wants to show a 6-inch Spidey fleeing from giants or a dragon winging through Manhattan, or even if he just wants to use images of dead loved ones to put Peter Parker thorough the wringer, emotionally, Mysterio is his man. Sure, he's really only interested in robbing banks, but the Mad Maple had a great idea for how your standard revenge plot could be included. Plus, it involves Bruce Campbell, which is always a winner.
The Scorpion
On the one hand, the Scorpion is just another strength-and-stamina-enhanced Spidey foe with animal powers, but he has a unique connection to Spider-Man's supporting cast. Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson actually hired private investigator Mac Gargan to undergo the treatment in order to capture Spider-Man; when the process drove Gargan mad, he decided to blame Jameson for his newfound abilities and tried to kill him. Spider-Man stopped him, but the Scorpion has gone after both men repeatedly, in his scorpion-themed battle suit, complete with electrified, acid-shooting stinger. Making Scorpion the bad guy would not only bring the Spidey/Jameson rivalry to a head (bad PR has always been Spidey's greatest enemy, and JJJ's gotta be getting frustrated at Spidey's growing popularity), it would also mean more screen time for J.K. Simmons.
The Kingpin
We know, we know, the Kingpin appeared in the Daredevil movie, but we don't think we're going to see another one of those any time soon. So why not pit him against the hero in whose comic he first appeared? Spidey has clashed with the Kingpin just as many times as Daredevil has -- which makes sense, since the Kingpin controls crime in New York. The massive crime boss is unnaturally strong, but he's not above using freelance super-villains (like Bullseye in DD) to do his dirty work. We see Spidey crossing the Kingpin's path once too many times, and KP unleashing a series of powered goons after him, like Hydro-Man and Electro. Or, as Jason suggests, use New York's various crime bosses as Kingpin's army: the masked Rose, the steel-skulled Hammerhead, albino powerhouse Tombstone and master of disguise the Chameleon.
The Jackal
That's right, the Jackal! Half of you are shaking your heads in horror, and the other half have no idea who the heck we're talking about. Genetic scientist Miles Warren was one of Spidey's professors who blamed Spider-Man for the death of student Gwen Stacy, whom he had fallen in love with. Warren discovered that Peter Parker was Spider-Man and cloned him; the clone, grown to full size, had all of Peter's memories, and believed himself to be the real Peter, fighting crime as Spider-Man and ultimately doing battle with the original. Spidey vs. Spidey would be a great hook for the film, and the addition of mercenary-for-hire the Tarantula as one of Warren's henchman would kick things up a notch (no pun intended). Heck, even Warren wears an elaborate gremlin costume in the story, but maybe that would work best as a final-act bit of genetic tampering. Fanboys may demand that Raimi shy away from anything that reminds them of the mid-'90s Clone Saga, but as long as they stick to the original 1970s story, everything should be okay. Although we're not averse to having the clone dress up in a hoodie...
Out of kindness, we won't torture you all with our brilliant idea for a Kraven the Hunter-centric movie. What do you think? Would you see a movie starring any of these villains?
Am I the only person that likes Shocker? He's the villain I want to see.
No. Shocker rules.
Oh my God, the clone saga. A brilliant story in theory, a disaster in practice. It's the communism of comic book storylines. I don't think Sam Raimi would be ballsy enough to attempt it, which is likely a very good thing.
What we really need is a Spider-Man live-action series. Then we wouldn't have to wait three years to see how they do each foe, and they could tell more serialized stories with more of Spidey's endless supporting cast. I'd prefer a plot involving Lizard and Kraven the Hunter; they've already got Dylan Baker as Doc Conners, so they can just do something where Kraven shows up to hunt the Lizard, and Spidey has to protect the Doc while fighting both of them.
Mysterio sounds nice, but Spider-Man 4. Hollywood's made enough sequels already. The Spider-Man producers should end on a high note before the charm of the Spider-Man franchise is no more.
Tombstone.
Crystal, if they wanted to end on a high note they should have stopped with Spider Man 2. They might as well make a 4th movie to at least try and redeem themselves.
Although I highly doubt it, I hope Carnage is one of Spidey's foes in #4. I also think Mysterio, The Lizard, or Morbius would be very good choices. All in all I think it will be a great movie with Raimi and Maguire... so long as they don't have three of Spiderman's enemies in one movie again!
I... wouldn't necessarily advertise liking the Shocker. Never know who's reading.
I'd cast my vote for Mysterio, thanks to the potential for great special effects. The Lizard would be fun, but if they want to give Spidey a little sexual tension, throw in the Black Cat instead for a little love triangle (square?).
Oooooooh, my first shout-out! :)
After the Lizard (who I figure is a lock for the next one) and Mysterio, Scorpion would definitely be my next choice, followed closely by Kraven, with the Black Cat thrown in as a romantic foil.
(And I'm a fan of the Shocker, too, but I really don't see him as carrying the movie. Maybe as a secondary villain, but not the main one.)
Honestly, I'd like to see a full-out Sinister Six. Any six, I'm not picky.
The Beyonder.
If they did the Lizard and Kraven and maybe the Rhino or Vulture (both of whom suck) or Vermin (who's not too bad), that might be interesting. I like the Shocker.
Oh and Electro.
it shud soooooooooo b the jackal. that wud b an AWESOME spiderman movie!!
It will be the Lizard as Dr. Connors has already appeared in 2 of the 3 movies
I am amazed with it. It is a good thing for my research. Thanks
I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too...
hmm idk because it sounds exactly like the third movie with the good vs. evil spidey
The villain in Spider Man 4 should have been Venom. That would've been a better move than shoving him into a crappy 15 minutes of number 3. SP3 should've introduced the black costume and then numer 4 should've been about Eddie Brock becoming Venom. What a waste. Venom is not evil spider man. Venom is his own entity. The only thing Brock and Peter have in common is they both wore the alien costume.