It’s not exactly a mystery that Sony are looking to expand their Spider-Man franchise, seemingly inspired by the other major studios looking to branch out comic book properties - Fox with
X-Men: Days of Future Past, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and DC building towards a Justice League movie. At the moment, four films in the
Amazing Spider-Man series have been confirmed with release dates, with the fourth scheduled to hit theaters on May 4, 2018. That’s a
long way away. So what exactly does Sony have in store for us in terms of an expanded universe? Let’s look at what we’ve got so far, what’s arriving next year and where that may take us...
THE UNTOLD STORY
June 2012. Spider-Man is rebooted with a fresh cast, a moodier tone and a different direction. I personally really enjoyed it, but I know the feelings are mixed here on CBM. While we got some new stuff - inspiration from the Ultimate comics, Gwen Stacy as first love, the Lizard as the big bad and less of a focus on action - some felt it just replayed too much from Sam Raimi’s trilogy. The team behind
The Amazing Spider-Man have been critical of the film, perhaps even more so than the audience, and are keen to prove they can deliver the best possible Spidey film. The sequel is one of my most anticipated films of 2014, and expectations are sky-high.
HIS GREATEST BATTLE BEGINS
I wrote an editorial on
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a while back, long before the trailer came out. There, I speculated on character journeys and what it must do right, but here, I’m looking at the villains and how they may connect future films. Admittedly, a lot of the stuff surrounding this movie is
still speculation, but there are now things that are clearer. We know for certain that Sony are looking to assemble the Sinister Six onscreen.
TASM had the Lizard, and in the sequel we’ve got three villains, at the very least - Rhino (rumoured to only appear in the opening sequence), Electro (the big bad) and the Green Goblin (it appears to be Harry, which I find disappointing, but hey, I could be very wrong).
I feel the most important constant of the Sinister Six is the original founder Doctor Octopus, but the trailer for
TASM2 raises some interesting questions about the creation of Spidey villains. Most of you saw that in the preview, a mysterious man walks past Vulture’s wings and Doc Ock’s arms, and heavily hints that the villains are all creations of OsCorp. This is an interesting take on the mythology. We saw that Peter’s powers and Dr. Curt Connor’s transformation are both caused by OsCorp tech and Peter’s curiosity. While I’m not so sure how Rhino got his mechanical suit, I’m willing to bet Max Dillion falls into a vat of electric eels at OsCorp, and Harry becomes the Goblin at, you guessed it, OsCorp.
So it seems they’re setting up the corporation as the big bad of the series. Interesting. However, there’s still the question of Doc Ock and Vulture. OsCorp have got their tech just stashed away, so does this mean they’re just waiting for somebody to have a mishap at the company, or do they have the recipients of the powers in mind? That’s probably something that won’t be answered until May, or perhaps not even until 2016. Presuming the villains survive
TASM2 (it’s been confirmed Norman Osborn and Rhino will return for
TASM3), we have our Sinister Six line-up of the Lizard, Electro, Rhino, Green Goblin, Vulture and Doctor Octopus.
I’d say we’ll see the team in action in the third film, right? That’s a fair assumption. But what about that elusive fourth movie? Andrew Garfield recently revealed he’s not currently contracted past the second sequel and it has “nothing to do with
[him].” People have been coming up with ideas for Spidey spin-offs for years now, and it seems that Sony are taking a step towards one of them. But which character, or characters would suit a full-length film? I’ve got a couple of ideas.
VENOM
First Appearance (as Venom): The Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 (February 2011)
This is one that Sony have been working on for years, and it just hasn’t worked out. I’m sure you remember Venom in
Spider-Man 3, and I know that many people feel he wasn’t done justice. So here’s an idea. You’ve got Flash Thompson (played by Chris Zylka) in this universe - turn him into the anti-hero, rather than rehash Eddie Brock. In the comics, he became a military-style Venom after the loss of his legs in the Iraq War. Seeing Flash struggle to remain in control of the symbiote and partake in black-ops missions would make for a very interesting movie, and gives the opportunity to explore a very modern and different side of the Spider-Man universe.
ULTIMATE
First Appearance: Ultimate Fallout #4 (August 2011)
I’d love to see racially diverse superheroes get a chance at the big screen spotlight, and it appears we’re heading in that direction - with Michael B. Jordan rumoured to be taking up the mantle of Human Torch, a possible
Black Panther film and Warner Bros. apparently considering an African-American Lex Luthor. So it would be great to introduce Miles Morales, the second Spider-Man in the Ultimate universe, a much younger Latino/African-American teenager. It might not be easy to win over the audience with a second, lesser-known Web-Head, but the comics are a treat and there’s plenty of material to look to.
2099
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #365 (August 1992)
I think this one’s a bit of a stretch, but how great would it be to see the Spidey of the future on the big screen? A fan favourite since his '90s debut, Miguel O’Hara was a brilliant New York scientist attempting to recreate Peter Parker’s abilities before having his DNA re-written to spider code. Who’s up for a
Batman Beyond style re-imagining of the Spider-Man universe? I know I am.
MORBIUS
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971)
Hinted at in the trailer for
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony’s managed to hang on to the rights to Marvel’s “Living Vampire”, and with vampires very much still in the public interest, it could be a great success. His look may need a bit of a shake-up, but it’d be great to see an adult CBM done right. Actually, come to think of it, how about
AUNT MAY: THE FILM? She could bake, go to the grocery store and give Peter advice for a whole 120 minutes. Genius. Sony should just hire me right now.
Many are also suggesting the Sinister Six actually get their own film, which I think would be a struggle. I’m not too sure how you’d focus a two-hour movie on a villain team, but stranger things have happened. I also can’t see a Black Cat movie happening, as much as I enjoy the character. I hope she does pop up in the series eventually, but again, a solo film for a feisty and kinky hero-villain-hero-again may not hold up. And for God's sake, keep Superior Spider-Man out of this.
So, guys and girls, what are your thoughts on a potential Spider-Man Cinematic Universe? Has it got potential, or will it become a convoluted mess like
Spider-Man 3 or even the X-Men franchise? And what spin-off films would you love to see?
staypuffed out.