Sony Pictures Entertainment was in the process of revamping their Spider-Man franchise when the cyber attack happened, and they aren't the first Marvel studio-subsidiary to acknowledge a decline in quality and try to correct course, as 20th Century Fox did so well with their
First Class,
Wolverine, and
DoFP triple-threat. But after reading through Sony's private e-mails - or rather, reading what other news sites reported on the hacking incident - it turns out there've been some high-level discussions to integrate a Spider-Man cameo in
Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, which might have sparked another trilogy to fill some of the empty spaces in their Phase 4, but would've also meant dismantling Sony's own set of spin-offs and sequels, and replacing the entire cast.
The Wall Street Journal then came out with a report saying these talks "eventually broke down" over creative disputes, with neither studio willing to relinquish creative control to the other, and no clear strategy for how to share the character during their shoulder-to-shoulder 2016-2019/Phase 3 slate of movies. As of now, Sony has decided to drop the scenario altogether, and plans to move forward with their own slate of films, that includes Drew Goddard's
The Sinister Six™ (2016) Marc Webb's trilogy finale
The Amazing Spider-Man 3™ (2017-18) and Alex Kurtzman's
Venom/Carnage™ (2019-20) all of which were announced in an official press release from last December:
"
In a move to forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen, the five writers [Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard] along with the two producers and Marc Webb, have formed a franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand, and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films.
We are thrilled with the creative team we have assembled to delve more deeply into the world. We believe that Marc, Alex, and Drew have uniquely exciting visions for how to expand the Spider-Man universe in each of these upcoming films." -Sony Entertainment Pictures, December 13, 2013
The press release is somewhat outdated in its release dates and production schedules, with Sinister Six going into production in 2015 instead of a 6th
Spider-Man, due to departed writer Roberto Orci's commitment to
Star Trek. But other than that its pretty concurrent, and you won't hear anything else as official until the '
Spidey Summit' this January, which is either an agreement between Marvel's Kevin Feige and Sony's Amy Pascal to crack out a new deal, or a meeting between minds in their "franchise brain trust" to "forge a new legacy" or whatever. Its still unknown how all-inclusive the Summit is, but a
Sony/Marvel deal might fit the new webslinger into one of the
Avengers: Infinity War(
s) rather than force studio rewrites and a hastily-recast Peter Parker into their
Civil War. That seems to be the better alternative to cancelling the series amidts an ongoing storyline, would be to hold off selling the rights to Marvel Studios, and save the second reboot for the MCU's 2020-and-beyond slate (
Phase 4). Now doesn't that sound reasonable? Finish what you guys started.
"
With more than fifty years' wealth of stories in the comic books to draw upon for inspiration, the Spider-Man universe is truly boundless; in addition, the Spider-Man comics have the greatest rogues gallery of any series, and to have the chance to explore that on film is truly thrilling."
THE SINISTER SIX: is an upcoming film by Drew Goddard, where six of mankind's greatest enemies form an alliance to destroy New York City and Spider-Man after being corralled into a team by an elusive business partner of the late Norman Osborn. This ominous '
Man in the Shadows' was using Norman's company to unlock the secrets to his resurrection, forcing Oscorp to renew their research in cross-species genetics, and pushing the latest tissue-regrowth antigens onto human test subjects. To counteract the possibility of widespread mutagenic chaos, the equipment from their '
Special Projects' chamber has been given back to their rightful inventors, under the condition that they form a special task force in the event of an outbreak.
SO WHAT'S THE MOVIE REALLY ABOUT? Of course the above synopsis is all conjecture at this point, but prevalent above all other scenarios for the Sinister Six movie, is the theory that Oscorp's cross-species genetics experiments will run amok as 'The Chitauri to their Avengers,' and given that
Drew Goddard and
Joss Whedon are old friends they, quote: "
have a very similar aesthetic" so their works are bound to have similar elements. This particular movie-to-movie comparison isn't without its exact parallels, the mysterious after-credits man will be the sort of 'Nick Fury' organizer who deals the cards, but rarely steps out of the shadows. Doctor Octopus is sort of their charismatic leader and tech giant (Iron Man) while Kraven is their Russian assassin (Black Widow) so on and so forth...
"
The man in the hat is now, we think of him as The Gentleman who is a benefactor of the Sinister Six. They all emerge from Oscorp and they are corralled by The Gentleman… they are sort of the mercenaries of Oscorp and the most unruly, beastly set of characters.” -Marc Webb
Marc Webb remains on board as a creative consultant overseeing the two announced spin-offs, the prolific music video director knows how to put a clever spin on romantic comedies, but he could never pull off the practical stunts and wirework action that
Sam Raimi already mastered 10 years ago with
Spider-Man 2. While the majority of Webb's action scenes had to take place in digital environments, Goddard is a director with a bit more experience in rendering densely-layered SFX shots with several distinct villain characters on screen at once. (see:
The Cabin in the Woods) With a résumé that boasts an impressive mix of
disaster,
horror,
science fiction, and
zombies, Drew withdrew from showrunning
Marvel's Daredevil series and directing Ridley Scott's
The Martian, instead taking an opportunity to bend those four genres around the Spider-Man franchise to create something truly unique, and possibly make ammends for the series' shortcomings in the eyes of the fans.
(SEE ABOVE: Unused concept art for an Oscorp exo-suit, an alternative to Stark's 'Iron Spider' armor)
Badass Digest's plot details were accurate, but it was misconstrued by the negative outlook held by detractors of the series, including their own Devin Faraci: "
Sony is going to soft reboot Spider-Man with The Sinister Six, having a new actor playing a Spidey who works with the villains The Dirty Dozen style to take down a larger threat." This will only be a soft reboot as far as the franchise has so far consisted of 5 films where Pete learns about great power/responsibility and attends a funeral at the end, the sixth movie won't be weighed down by that, telling a story from the antagonists' perspective abandons every tried-and-true formula and reboots the film franchise as a whole. "
Having a new actor playing Spidey" refers to the fact that Andrew Garfield's involvement is, as he put it: "
immaterial" to a movie without Peter Parker, so expect his in-costume double William Spencer to take over from here. Spencer does all the physical stunts from behind the red mask, plus having him in the role means Andrew only has to do voice-overs during post production.
Michael Massee,
Chris Cooper, and
Jaime Foxx are set to return, no surprises there, but among other actors expected to return, Paul Giamatti and Dane Dehaan apparently
won't reprise their roles until
Amazing 3 based on Giamatti's earlier claim that he's only in the 3rd one, and both names being on one imdb page but not the other. It doesn't mean those two won't be referenced in some capacity, but honestly, that seems to be the best scenario for those particular characters, and with the whole "
Oscorp gone wild!" approach for the spin-off, there's more cause for someone like BJ Novak's Alistair Smythe to return, characters who represents the corrupt elite at Oscorp, sort of like the ritual technicians from Goddard's directorial debut...
The Cabin in the Woods was fantastic. It had its moments of gore, suspense, and horror parody, but it also had moments that were visually reminiscient of recent Spider-Man films. For instance: the cabin's underground Facility brings to mind the cold chrome interiors of Oscorp Tower, and its security forces resemble the Ravencroft SWAT team. Certain set designs, such as the Rubik's cube of glass elevators with a different monster imprisoned in each one (the CostCo of Death) give off a distinct impression of what
The Sinister Six is shaping up to be. So much work went into crafting that chaos, the amount of concept artists needed to design each monster and build this self-contained universe around one film is just astounding. Some of his monsters were reminiscient of actual Spider-Man villains - a Jack O'Lantern, Reptilius, Vampire Man, and Man-Wolf all appeared. There haven't been any clues as to which
human-animal hybrids might provide "a Chitauri to their Avengers," but one would bet on the likes of Vermin, Scorpion, and more giant Lizards as Oscorp searches for the right combination of genetic traits. And who knows, maybe the same concept art design team from
Woods might follow its director onto his next project, and whip up an entirely new batch of monsters!
"
We worked for years on those monsters. It was really just digging in and designing the creatures with this team. They just did an incredible job of giving me hundreds and hundreds of monsters with no budget. So no one's thinking we're gonna get by using CG as a crutch. CG is only a last resort, and that was the rule everyone stuck to and I think the movie really benefited from that." -Drew Goddard via ScreenCrush
WHICH ROGUES MADE THE TEAM? Ock, Vulture, Kraven and Electro are all confirmed at this point, but does that mean the other two are Rhino and Goblin? Not necessarily, we think the answer lies in a report by the ever-reliable
TheGuardian: "
The Sinister Six has comprised various of Spider-Man's enemies over the years, but a classic lineup might include DOCTOR OCTOPUS, SANDMAN, ELECTRO, THE VULTURE, MYSTERIO and KRAVEN THE HUNTER." Absent from their list are Harry and Rhino, neither was met with positive fan reception for their lack of development and poor design choices. Electro was technically supposed to be the main baddie of
Rise of Electro, which is why the last movie spent a noticable amount of time setting him up, but never truly attained his fullest potential as a supervillain. But now audiences know where he's coming from, and he comprises the half of the team whose origins have already unfolded on screen before. Now if you're a fan of HypeMusheen's custom character guides, or just wanna know even more about Marvel comics' best rogues gallery, enjoy this extensive character guide to
The Sinister Six: (Most of this info was shamelessly lifted from various Marvel Databases.)
Dr. OTTO OCTAVIUS a once-respected nuclear physicist, atomic research consultant, inventor, and lecturer who developed a set of AI mechanical arms in order to perform a sustained fusion experiment. Inspiration for the device came from a famous pencil sketch by Leonardo da Vinci -- four tentacle-like arms attached to a waist harness, made capable of great strength and highly precise movement, impervious to heat and magnetism, and could strike with the force of a jackhammer. Otto's refusal to follow operational procedure led to a power spike in the fusion reactor, and even while the experiment overloads and becomes unstable, Octavius refuses to hault it and his wife is killed in the ensuing blast.
The neural inhibitor chip, which prevented the advanced AI of the arms from influencing his own mind, is destroyed; and the mechanical appendages were fused into his spine. His team of specialists saw fit to remove the harness, but long after it was dettached from him, Otto found he could control his severed arms remotely from a great distance. Using this newfound skill, he summoned them back to him and escaped from the facility. But by then the tentacles had developed their own power of will, and they began to corrupt Octavius' mind, playing on his vanity and ego. He recognized that this gave him immense power, transforming the charismatic scientist into a megalomaniacal superhuman criminal known as,
Doctor Octopus!
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QUADRATUS: Four electronically-powered, telescoping, prehensile titanium-steel tentacles attached to a stainless steel harness encircling his body from lower chest to waist. Each of these tentacles can lift approximately 8 tons, one arm can lift an automobile, two arms can throw an automobile ten feet in the air and lift a city bus. The pincers can grip with a force of 175 pounds per square inch, sufficient to deform any object less durable than steel, but they could also crush a handgun or tear doors off bank vaults. |
MACHINATION: Each tentacle segment contains four high-efficiency electric motors equipped with a clutched, helical-gear train, mounted on frictionless gimbals and housed in four thin, overlapping layers of titanium-niobium steel. The titanium-steel alloy is light, has high-tensile strength, a high melting point, and high thin-wall rigidity. The motors get their power from a small nuclear-powered thermo-electric generator, which can provide several hundred watts per hour for up to five years before needing to replace its U-239 core. |
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LOCOMOTIVE: With the combined intrinsic strength of both tentacle and pincer, Doc Ock can scale stone, brick, or concrete walls by rending handholds into the surface of the wall. Octopus can traverse horizontal distances just as well as vertical, at full-extension he can travel high above the ground as if on stilts, either using two tentacles, or for maximum speed, running on all fours. |
PHANTOM LIMB: Ock can control the actions of his artificial arms psionically, even after being severed from his body and separated from him by vast distances (a distance of 900 miles has been recorded). In the event that Ock is knocked out unconscious, the individual micro-circuit control module of each arm has enough pre-programmed conditional responses in its memory chip to enable it to perform a relatively complex sequence of actions, such as saving his life. The tentacles have been modified to include high-efficiency battery packs (enabling quicker movements when cut off from the central power source). |
the robotics division engineer at Oscorp whose two decades worth of research in developing an electromagnetic anti-gravity flight harness would allow him to combat white collar crime and corporate corruption in New York City. Toomes discovered his associates had secretly been embezzling funds under his name, meaning he'd lost his job and had no legal recourse. In another unexpected setback, Oscorp Industries failed to secure a contract for a flying suit with the US military, but Adrian set out on his own aerial reconnaissance and infiltration missions as
The Vulture!
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FLIGHT: The Vulture can fly as if by natural winged flight by wearing an electromagnetic harness with bird-like wings attached beneath the arms. This consists of an anti-graviton generator, enabling him to glide silently with highly precise maneuverability, and voice-activated radio-linked controls integrated into the Vulture's goggles. Adrian is academically brilliant in the fields of electronics and mechanics, with a great talent for invention, and he has a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering. |
OR FIGHT: Athough advanced in age, Toomes is a strong fighter and a remorseless killer, but he depends on the flight harness to augment his strength, vitality, and athletic prowess. His own personal military-grade flying device is outfitted with machine-guns, heat-seeking missiles, and a set of retractable projectile wing-blades, although he needs these blades to maneuver when airborne. The harness also increases his resistance to injury to the point that he can survive blows from Spider-Man's superstrength. |
the disgruntled Oscorp employee whose workplace accident, involving a disconnected powerline above a tank full of genetically-altered eels, turned him into a living electrical capacitor. This lead to his subsequent attacks against the NYPD at Times Square, the Ravencroft Institute For the Criminally Insane, and his later attempt to control the Manhattan Power Grid and become an electrostatic god to the citizens of Lower East Side.
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OLD POWERS: An unusually configured magnetic field was created when Dillon was electrocuted while holding live, high-tension wires. As Electro he can generate massive quantities of electricity, theoretically up to one million volts. He could employ this electrostatic energy as lightning arcs from his fingertips, and his maximum charge is more than enough to kill a normal human. Electro can travel through electrical appliances such as going through a light bulb socket and exiting through any other electronic device connected to the power source. Using this trick he can charge himself up to become more powerful, and also absorb the energy of electrical equipment from power plants to increase his powers further. |
NEW POWERS: An experimental procedure heightened his powers, allowing Electro to store and absorb a seemingly limitless amount of energy. He also seemed to gain the power over magnetism to a certain degree, allowing him to manipulate magnetic fields and could overcome his prior weakness to water by using the electromagnetic fields around him to vaporize water before it could touch him. When his body is charged to higher levels, he becomes superhumanly strong and fast, he can also glide over power lines by using the electricity contained therein for propulsion. During a stint in prison, Doctor Octopus gave him the ideas of ionizing metals and sparking the petroleum in fuel tanks of vehicles to generate explosions. |
Eric Marlon Bishop (Jamie Foxx) has expressed interest in giving a second performance as Electro, and confirmed in an interview with TotalFilm that those talks started long ago: “
electricity never dies, it just goes to a different place, so…” The implication being that if Electro can dematerialize so easily and live inside electronic components, then his conscious mind is probably still out there somewhere, he's probably having a difficult time trying to re-materialize. It would take a couple of geniuses like Otto Octavius and Adrian Toomes to bring him back to solid form, possibly with a brand new look.
SERGEI KRAVINOFF an aristocratic Russian big-game huntsman who sought to defeat Spider-Man to prove that he's the greatest hunter in the world. Years ago, '
Kraven the Hunter' pioneered a martial art called 'the barehanded halieutic method,' and today he's a battle scarred veteran from a long career of fighting wild, vicious animals in unarmed combat. He always hunted by a code of honor of sorts, without the use of guns, bows or arrows, his preferred method of taking down large and dangerous animals was with a series of nets, tranq darts, and the rudimentary weapons found in nature. Although the Czarist Huntsman is best known for his brilliant tactical mind, predatory instincts, and bestial power, he more often deploys elaborate traps to surprise his foes.
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HUNTER/TRACKER: Sergei Kravinoff was and still is one of the world's best hunters, his astonishing tracking skills allow him to track Spider-Man across rooftops, he can pickup on his prey's trail from meager details in the area. He has vast knowledge of special hunting methods and animal-specific habits, he recently developed techniques to track and hunt supernatural individuals without their notice. He can see clearly over vast distances and in darkness, his sense of hearing is also sensitive, but smell is his strongest and most trained sense, in that he can track his prey by scent alone. |
MARKSMAN: Kraven also has knowledge of pressure points, both in human and animal anatomies. He can strike at nerve clusters with pinpoint accuracy, allowing him to incapacitate more-powerful opponents or animals. Kraven is also an expert knife fighter who'd mastered the use of melee weapons, swords, axes, staves and spears early on. However, due to his hunting experience the blade would also double as ranged weaponry, and his special insignia-engraved set of spearheads carry a good luck charm for unreal precision. |
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BEAST TAMER: Kraven can subdue and train all manner of wild animal, to show fearless loyality and follow his every command in unison and with flawless synchronization. He makes excellent use of his taming skills by incorporating the deadliest predators into his schemes, and then has his enemies believe he uses some sort of mind control. |
JUNGLE ELIXIR: Sergei Kravinoff is familiar with exotic medicines, poisons, drugs, plants, tranquilizers and their effect on both animal and human anatomy. He's amassed a great knowledge of the occult during his travels throughout the world, interacting with numerous tribes and civilizations after finding employment in Africa. Upon meeting a witch doctor, Kraven took an herbal potion which enhanced his physical strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes to make him a physical threat to Spider-Man. |
QUENTIN BECK a special effects wizard and stunt man who worked for a major Hollywood studio with dreams of making a name for himself in the film industry. However, he came to see his career in SFX as a dead-end job, and his attempts to become an actor were poorly received, but he realized that his expertise in illusions could make him an effective supervillain. Quentin is self-educated in the use of mechanical/visual special effects and illusions, but his '
Mysterio' costume also includes offensive weaponry, such as lasers or knockout gas nozzles in eye emblems on his shoulders, or electric coils within his cape to electrocute those who touch it. He also employs many different weapons, such as hand-held hypnotic aids or robotic drones, to further his aims in battle. His costume is made up of several mechanical smoke ejectors that produce a concealing mist, and gloves which emit a web-dissolving acid spray useful against Oscorp's bio-cable.
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SMOKE: His most distinctive and persistent trademark however is his smokescreen cloak. Mysterio's costume releases a constant stream of smoke, to shield his movements as well as enhance his mystique. He can mix various other chemicals into this smokescreen for various effects, including a gas that dulls and inhibits Spider-Man's spider-sense, hypnogens that make those around him more susceptible to his will and cause vivid hallucinations in those who experience it. A combination of the hypnogens and hallucinogens along with his holographic projectors are how Mysterio achieves most of his illusions. |
MIRRORS: Quentin is an expert on special effects devices and stage illusions, a master hypnotist and magician, and an amateur chemist and roboticist, as a former stuntman he has extensive knowledge of hand-to-hand combat techniques. His most striking feature, his helmet, is made of a one way plexiglass material, meaning he can see out but no one can see in. The helmet also includes an air supply to protect him from his own gases, a Sonar to navigate within his own mist cloak and a holographic projector to aid in 3D illusions that can be used to fool the weak-willed. His boots contain magnetic coil springs which allow him to cling to surfaces, as well as perform impressive leaps. |
a shapeshifter and bankrobber imbued with the power to turn himself into sand. New York native William Baker, who called himself Flint, was once a common criminal who'd spent most of his life drifting in and out of street gangs and correctional facilities. While on the run from the FBI, the prison escapee fell into an experimental particle accelerator that fused his body with surrounding sand, the molecular bond was permenant but somehow his core-self remained intact.
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MORTAR FIST: The Sandman can mold his arms and hands into weapons such as a medeival mace or sledgehammer, and can then will his particles to states of hardened, compacted, dispersed or a combination of those qualities. More often than not in combat, this ability enables him to absorb blows while sustaining little to no damage after reforming himself. |
DISINTEGRATE: Marko can turn into a sandstorm, which enables him to fly great distances and suffocate his foes. His mass, strength and shapeshifting corresponds to the number of sand and rock particles that comprise him. The more he incorporates (nearby) sand grains and rock granules into his body, the stronger he becomes. Even as a giant sand monster he retains a fully clothed appearance, his striped shirt and cargo pants are actually colored sand. |
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QUICKSAND: Although invulnerable to most physical attacks, even projectiles pass through him, water is a different story. The amount of sand removed abruptly leaves his mass in contortion, crippled beyond immediate repair. Sandman begins to dissolve into the nearest drain or body of water, giving the impression that he'd met his end, only to later reappear having washed up onto (and into) a beach. |
ACHILLES HEEL: It's been revealed that, while Sandman can absorb and lose sand, his body must retain one key particle of sand that contains his conscious mind, and he could be defeated if Spider-Man were to isolate that one grain from the rest. If the ingredients in cement were mixed into Sandman, he's rendered immobile when it dries. His body turns to glass at temperatures above 3,400 Fahrenheit, albeit a form of glass he can control. |
WHY THIS LINEUP WORKS: What's great about the classic lineup - the original incarnation of the group that first appeared in 1964's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 - is
there is no weakest link. None of these guys are replacable, two of them can de-materialize, one can rob bank vaults while the other can hack into ATMs, they're both nigh undefeatable in combat but easily defeated by water. Mysterio might only be an illusionist, but he inspires fear and mass panic in the form of a purple smoke monster, drawing close comparisons to DC comic's Scarecrow, who similarly used airborne toxins to wage psychological warfare on the hero. The Vulture's wings can go a million times faster than a goblin glider, Kraven combines Olympic-level athleticism with psychotic determination, and Ock's serpentine arms and sardonic sense of humor rounds out the team as their charismatic leader.
"
There's no such thing as "just a villain" - there are villains by virtue of choices that people made/make, but they always begin as humans, as characters, as flawed/tragic people. Great movies have been made about a bunch "bad guys" who get together to do something. There's a huge tradition of it, those are sometimes the greatest characters to watch." -Matt Tolmach
THE VISUAL EXECUTION for this lethal unit is vital to maintaining a consistent tone with the previous films, so expect most of the familiar animal-themed costumes to be majorly toned down - but in a good way.
The mercenaries of Oscorp start out looking like just that, a lawless band of mercs who haven't yet adopted their own pieces of flair. Gone are the fish-bowl heads, capes, and leopard skin-pants, even though the creative team doesn't like to stray too far from the source, having them in matching black jumpsuits would seem a bit too far, even for the same design team behind Electro's toned down, helmet-less Vader look. Mysterio's helmet however, is his trademark, and to maintain an otherworldly persona he speaks and emotes using the projected image of a theatre mask. And if you look at all the advanced holograph computers present in the first two films, Quentin Beck probably
invented the holograms used at Oscorp! Now "
they all emerge from Oscorp" is starting to make sense isn't it?
WHY YOU NO GREEN GOBLIN? Dane Dehaan's character is out of commission this time around, stuck at Ravencroft for the unmotivated murder of one of his employees. Of course he's had a hand at forming the team, since he is the sole proprietor of Norman's legacy, and scion to the Osborn fortune. So behind-the-scenes he and Gustav deal the cards, but on the field of battle I guess a terminally ill, hundred pound weakling on a glider doesn't pose much of a threat, even his ability to fly and throw bombs isn't exactly a unique skillset. Plus, he has a personal vendetta against Peter Parker, who isn't even in the movie, and knowing his secret identity would only muck up the team's motivations.
WHY YOU NO PAUL GIAMATTI? Of course the Aleksei Sytsevich character is out of commission - did you really think
the R.H.I.N.O. made it out of that first fight? Let's say, on the off-chance Spider-Man were defeated during the TASM2 credits - where could Rhino have possibly escaped to after that? The Man in the Shadows tasked Sytsevich with a suicide mission, trapped him inside a mech-suit in the middle of Manhattan - which by all means was a ploy to pull Spidey out of hiding, and it worked. That's about all the good Rhino can do for the Oscorp agenda, he's been sent back to prison to continue serving his life-sentence, and The Gentleman has to continue searching for better candidates.
WHY YOU NO THE LIZARD? Yet another example of an incarcerated foe who hasn't proven useful enough to be let out, but on the other hand (pun intended) Dr. Connors' research from the first movie, in cross-species genetics, comes back in a big way. The genetic biologist who uncovered the secrets of reptilian limb regeneration, needed the decay-rate algorithm to regrow limbs and human tissue, but it had to be provided by by his old lab partner's son, making Peter indirectly to blame for the outbreaks. Back when Oscorp exec Rajit Ratha tried giving the lizard serum to war veterans under the guise of a flu shot, all such widespread panic was successfully averted thanks to anti-heroics of Connors alter-ego, so it'd be cool to see this character return in some other non-villain capacity, but I wouldn't place any bets on it. Heck, with the possibility for a whole army of Lizard-men, (something the 2012 reboot only scratched the surface of) we might even get to see 'the MacFarlane snout' fans clamored for.
Even though the wallcrawler's traditional arch-nemesis was "pronounced" dead, we all know that's not how movies work (think how Colonel Quaritch is returning in the
Avatar sequels - how the hell is that even possible?) What we learned from leaked images of their pulled-at-the-last-minute after credits scene is that Osborn's head is being kept on ice, until Oscorp discovers a way to bring him back to the land of the living. Human trials are an essential part of this scientific endeavour, a process that mostly produces mutant freaks, with Spider-Man so far being the
only exception, making him their prime target. Something along the lines of a "Spider Island"-style citywide catastrophe can't be avoided for too long, and if the Gentleman decides that a bunch of VA hospital amputees with PTSD should be subjected to serums that morph them into savage animal hybrids, nothing can stop him, his sinister syndicate then acts as a recon team to isolate the situation.
IN CONCLUSION: Despite the narratively rocky start I think his franchise was built on pretty epic foundations. I didn't have room here to discuss
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (which would focus on the systematic crackdown of a pre-existing criminal underworld in New York) and
Venom/Carnage (a continuation of the tonally darker Sinister Six plot, which focuses on other unused villain characters) but those discussions will be the subject of {
PART 2} of this article. Did any of this change your opinions on the new direction for this franchise? Let me know!