Tag Archives: Marc Webb

5 Amazing Spiderman villain possibilities for potential film sequels

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With The Amazing Spiderman’s success set in stone during the summer, and the Blu-Ray on its way, let’s take a look at some villains that I heavily consider to be great villains for the potential sequel(s).

1. Maxwell Dillon, a.k.a. “Electro”

Electro made his first appearence in The Amazing Spiderman #9 (Feb. 1964) comic, and created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Maxwell Dillon, while repairing a power line still connected to its spool, was struck by lightning. Instead of being killed, the freak accident caused a mutagenic change in his nervous system, allowing him to generate and control vast amounts of electricity. After creating a colorful costume, Max turned to a life of crime as Electro.

Electro is already being considered as a main villain for the first sequel to Amazing Spiderman, and I think he would make for an excellent villain. News has been coming in fast on this topic, as Shailene Woodley of Secret Life fame has already been cast as love interest Mary Jane Watson.

According to Variety, actor Jamie Foxx is in talks to don the electric attire, but what will fans think of an African-American Electro? Well how did they feel about an African-American Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), or a black Heimdall in Thor (Idris Elba). Race shouldn’t play as a factor for these characters, as they are being given a more modernized coat of paint. Foxx is an excellent actor, and I really enjoy Electro as a character because of how much of a powerhouse he is. If casted, I think Electro would make for an “electrifyingly” powerful villain.

2. Adrian Toomes a.k.a. “Vulture”

Vulture made his first appearence in The Amazing Spiderman #2 (May1963), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Adrian Toomes is a former electronics engineer who employs a special harness of his own design that allows him to fly and endows him with enhanced strength. Toomes is quite old, though spry, and is a virtually remorseless killer.

Oh poor old Vulture, he’s so close to getting his screen time that he can almost taste it. Entertainment Weekly reported on how veteran actor Ben Kingsley was set to dress in the green get-up alongside Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) in Spiderman 3, before Sony scrapped the villain in replacement of Venom (Topher Grace). The film ended up being the worst in the series, according to this writer’s opinion, but one wonders what might have been.

Vulture was nearly given a second chance to take the spotlight in the cancelled Spiderman 4 project, played by another big-name actor, John Malkovich. But as soon as news of a secondary new villain, known as Vulturess (Anne Hathaway) was brought to light, a backlash started, and the film was eventually scrapped. A reboot would soon follow in the form of Marc Webb’s Amazing Spiderman.

So not only do I feel Vulture deserves a chance as a secondary villain at most, I feel that he’s gained enough popularity because of his early days in the comics and appearences throughout the centuries. He could very well be played by an older actor, or perhaps take the Blackie Drago approach and make him young. My one suggestion would be a heavily modernized costume change. Perhaps metallic vulture outfit. Something that strays away from an old-man-in-a-tight-green-bird-costume look. It’s just not appealing to the big screen.

3. Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio

Mysterio’s first appearence was in Amazing Spiderman #13 (June 1964)

Quentin Beck was a special effects wizard and stunt man working 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 special effects as a dead-end job, but realized that his expertise in illusions could make him an effective supervillain. Thus, Mysterio was born.

With the release of the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy and countless appearances by Dr. Jonathon Crane, a.k.a. Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), a somewhat new found element to getting the jump on a superhero was discovered. Not saying that Nolan started it all through playing with a character’s mind, but he made it amazing to watch. Scarecrow is one of my all time favorite Batman villains, because he is about to mess with Bruce Wayne’s mind and make him question what’s reality and what’s an illusion.

Mysterio is all about illusiveness. Utilizing special effects and stunt experience from his former job, he can make anything seem like a reality.  He knew basic psychiatry and could employ hypnotism successfully. He also learned a great deal of applied chemistry, especially the use of hallucinogens, and electronics. Beck was a meticulous planner and organizer, and a skilled actor who kept himself in top physical form. The fishbowl helmet, purple cape and smoke are trademarks that have carried well into the 21st century, and could easily be translated into a modern-day Spiderman film. I feel Webb could definitely borrow a little extra Nolan inspiration if he ever decided to place Mysterio in a film, who could very well work as the primary antagonist, as he already plays one in Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions, Friend or Foe and Mysterio’s Menace. 

4. MacDonald “Mac” Gargan a.k.a. “Scorpion”

Gargan first appeared as Scorpion in The Amazing Spiderman #20 (July 1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Former private investigator Mac Gargan was hired by J. Jonah Jameson to find out how Peter Parker is able to get incredible pictures of Spider-Man. Gargan’s efforts to locate Peter in order to find out the truth triggered Parkers’s spider sense, making him easily avoidable. Frustrated, Jameson decided to pay $10,000 to Gargan as the subject of an experiment. An experiment created by Dr. Farley Stillwell, a researcher in animal mutation which endowed the subject with the characteristic of another animal. Unfortunately the process resulted in the loss of Gargan’s sanity, and the creation of the super-powered criminal menace known as the Scorpion.

I remember a quote from the 1990′s Fox television Spiderman show, in which the Dr. Farley Stillwell character explains how he chose the Scorpion because “it was a natural predator to the spider”. It’s surprising that the character didn’t become as big of a villain as he should’ve been, but was more a demotion to another petty criminal who took orders from higher thugs like the Kingpin and Doctor Octopus.

But there’s definitely potential for a modernization in the Scorpion’s character. It may be tricky, but could work in a way that pits Scorpion as a much larger, more threat-inducing villain. Of course, its also another character that needs an easy tweak of the costume, much like Vulture, but its a very do-able villain. Potential for primary and secondary villain.

5.  Dmitri Anatoly Smerdyakov Kravinoff a.k.a. Chameleon

The Chameleon made his first appearence in Amazing Spiderman #1 (March 1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

The Chameleon was born a Soviet citizen named Dmitri Smerdyakov. In his youth, he was a servant and half-brother to Kraven the Hunter, Sergei Kravinoff, and eventually became a minor associate to one Gustav Fiers. As the Chameleon, he can instantly change his appearance and imitate others so convincingly that practically no one can tell the Chameleon and his victim apart. His natural talents are now augmented with a face-changing serum.

Chameleon is a villain who was definitely swept behind the bookshelf, in my opinion. And its not fair, because he made his first appearence in the very first Spiderman comic ever published. Sadly, Chameleon is living in the shadow of his half-brother, Kraven the Hunter, who became a much larger villain in the series. I definitely feel that like Mysterio, Chameleon could do some major damage to Spiderman’s perception of what’s real and what’s not, and some real trust issues and second-guessing could happen throughout the film, as Chameleon could literally be posing as anyone at anytime.

He’s much deadlier than we give him credit for. Sadly, with a lack of real superpowers other than face-changing, Chameleon may not make a film appearence. But he should be given more or less a secondary villain role, at least if Kraven the Hunter is considered before Chameleon.

So there you have it, folks. Agree with me or not, I feel I’ve given good enough context as to what constitutes the reasons behind why I’d love to see any of these villains on the big-screen. There are some villains that didn’t make this list that you may feel should’ve been, and by all means, feel free to leave a comment below. The one villain I refused to promote was “Rhino”, because I just don’t feel he would make an interesting villain. And I could go into deeper detail as to why I feel this, but this article is long enough.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Movie Review: The Amazing Spiderman

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Superhero flicks are facing stiff competition, both in movies and in videogames. When you read reviews of films like The Avengers, or even now with Amazing Spiderman, you’d be blind if you didn’t come across the name “Batman” in certain aspects. With The Amazing Spiderman in particular, both the game and the film have been judged rather harshly. On the game end, Spidey was judged for sporting a very similar combat system and stealth patterns to the Caped Crusader. What about the film? The film is being judged for carrying much darker overtones; something that one would easily compare to the Batman series. So I understand its a tough life for superhero movies of today. Rocksteady did it best with the Batman Arkham games, and Christopher Nolan has delivered the Batman trilogy that will be talked about and remembered for years to come. So why compare everything we see to Batman? I think that’s a topic for another piece, but today, I’m not going to be making any comparisons to the Caped Crusader, because this review was meant only for The Amazing Spiderman.

Now this is a reboot flick, so Sam Raimi and crew have nothing to add to this film. We have ourselves an entirely new cast, right down to the key grip. The Amazing Spiderman is directed by Marc Webb, most familiar for his film (500) Days of Summer, a romantic comedy. This film is also Webb’s first shot at a summer blockbuster, so not only did he have really big shoes to fill in directing the reboot to one of the most popular superhero characters of all time, but its also his first shot at a summer blockbuster. The film also brings in a new face to don the Spidey mask: Andrew Garfield, who is probably best known for his portrayal of Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. Emma Stone plays blondie Gwen Stacy, the love interest of Peter Parker/Spiderman in this film. Uncle Ben and Aunt May are portrayed by Martin Sheen and Sally Field respectively. Denis Leary plays Captain George Stacy of the NYPD, and Gwen’s father. And finally to round out the ensemble cast we have Rhys Ifans, who takes the role of Dr. Curtis Connors, aka the Lizard.

Andrew Garfield takes the ropes as the new Peter Parker/Spiderman in this reboot.

The Amazing Spiderman is told as an origin story, bearing similar traits to Raimi’s first Spiderman film, but told in a more down-to-earth, contemporary style, with a new twist. We are introduced to Peter Parker’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker (Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz) in a flashback scene, who abandon their son Peter one night after his father’s study has been broken into. Peter’s father gathers up scattered documents and with his wife, drop their son off with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, where the story then picks up. Desperate to find out the truth behind the disappearence of his parents, Peter searches for Curt Connors, a man who may know what happened to his parents, and also worked with Richard as a scientist at Oscorp Industries. After sneaking into Oscorp labs faking as a high-school intern, Peter uncovers a room full of biocables and spiders, where he is ultimately bitten and slowly begins to develop spider-like abilities. Peter reveals himself to Curt Connors as “Richard Parker’s son”, and from there, the two characters develop a strong bond, with Peter even helping to finish a difficult equation to a cross-species experiment that has baffled Connors for a long time. Pressured by his superior, Dr. Ratha (Irrfan Khan), Connors injects himself with the cross-species serum, and is able to grow back his missing arm, but not only that, is transformed into a Lizard creature that threatens to terrorize Manhattan.

Now of course I have to stop myself because I feel I may start to give too much of the story away, but that is the just of the synopsis, and any more information, one shall have to discover for themselves.

So what did I think of the movie? Before I go ahead, I have to mention that Spiderman is a superhero I hold near and dear to my heart, and anyone who knows me personally would agree. I carry around a Spidey keychain, and have the most collectible items from just Spiderman….even an actual Halloween costume. But seriously…

Well as one is before any important information is unveiled about the film, I was a little nervous when I found out Marc Webb was chosen as director. He’s had no prior experience with action films and was to fill big shoes (like I mentioned earlier). But I have to say he did a fantastic job of telling the origin story in a way that we’ve never seen before. This stellar cast of characters really brings life to this story in a way I wasn’t expecting, and to be honest, I have a newfound love for this darker, more modern-contemporary Peter Parker. He’s so relatable; most of the characters in this movie are relatable. The performances by Martin Sheen and Sally Field were magnificent. They bickered like an old married couple and they cared so deeply for Peter, and I could even see traits of my own grandparents in them which made me smile. I was a little upset that the Uncle Ben character didn’t say his famous “great power, great responsibility” line; it was re-worded, and fans knew it too. But whatever.

Peter and Gwen’s chemistry was definitely one of the high points in this movie.

The chemistry between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy was a little awkward at first, and of course it still was by the end, but you could tell it had “Marc Webb – (500) Days of Summer” written all over it. This film captured the essence of heart that the original Spiderman trilogy was lacking. Though told in a similar fashion with subtle changes to the origin story, these characters were so relatable that it made this film even more enjoyable to watch. To see Peter and Gwen try to hold a proper conversation while studdering over their words was adorable, and to listen to Uncle Ben and Aunt May talk about little things like not liking May’s meatloaf, or asking Peter where he goes out to every night, or even to apologize for not picking up Aunt May like he was told, Peter Parker’s character was treated like a normal teenager living a not-so-normal teenage life. The dialogue and the heartwarming performances were definitely much better in this film than in Raimi’s original trilogy (at times).

Now how about those fight scenes, and the Lizard? Off the bat, I have to say that I’ve been routing for the Lizard to make it to the big-screen for a really, really long time. If Raimi had put out a Spiderman 4, Lizard should have been their top choice. In fact, Dr. Curt Connors had been around since Spiderman 2, played by Dylan Baker. And the character had a missing arm, so when the 4th film got cancelled, and a reboot was called, I felt as though I’d received a strip tease from the character and been strung along way too long. But now, I feel that Dr. Connors and the Lizard were the perfect choice for a first villain in a new series of Spidey films. I have to say sadly that the interactive chemistry between Peter and Curt Connors wasn’t as strong as I was expecting. In the comics and even the original Raimi trilogy, Peter Parker was Dr. Connors’ top student, and Parker looked to Connors as a mentor and father figure. Sadly in this portrayal I didn’t feel that chemistry at all, in fact they treated each other like mere acquaintances, and when Connors finally became the Lizard, there was no real tension coming from Peter when fighting the Lizard. That being said, it made it a lot easier to enjoy the fight scenes, which for a first time summer blockbuster director, Marc Webb did a really good job. There was just enough to satisfy my tastes, and in a variety of locales including the sewers, Peter’s high school, and Oscorp tower.

I also really enjoyed (well not enjoyed, but admired) how intense the death of Uncle Ben scene was. This was the first time we had seen Uncle Ben’s character die in real-time, and right in front of Peter’s eyes. It was gripping and quite emotional, given how much Peter felt responsible for his death. Spoiler alert: I also thought it was great that they didn’t tie up the loose ends with Uncle Ben’s killer, as he is not caught by the end of the movie, hinting at a future encounter with him in a later film. So not only does Peter live with feeling guilty over the death of his uncle, but also continues to seek out his parents and find out why they disappeared.

Rhys Ifans (in my opinion) delivered a really chilling portrayal of Lizard, but a less memorable performance as Dr. Curt Connors.

So in the end, what are my complaints on this film? Well like I’ve already mentioned, the chemistry between Peter and Connors wasn’t really there, and if it was, I just couldn’t feel it. To be honest, I really didn’t care much for Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors, but I much rather enjoyed him as his Lizard counterpart (as weird as that sounds). It must’ve been the accent, it felt out of place for me. No I’m kidding. But I did feel his descent into madness was a little too quick, as it didn’t even appear like he was struggling to cope with his changes at all. I really enjoyed the scene when his arm grows back, because I was excited to see him try to fight the change into the Lizard, but instead he gives chase to Dr. Ratha to stop him, and the anger seems to come out of him at a much quicker rate. I also didn’t care much for Dr. Ratha’s character, especially since he has no connections to the comics and was just created as a fuel to light the fire in Connors, so to speak. I was also expecting a lot more spontaneous, witty humor from Spiderman, but there wasn’t a lot of it. I guess because it wasn’t the right time and place, but a lot of reviewers and news sites have been discussing a more humor-filled, full-of-witty-comments Spiderman. The only scene where that remains true is during the carjacking scene where he pins a carjacker with a knife to a wall with webs.

So what else can be said about this reboot to my favorite superhero character of all time? It was a fantastic start. Not a lot of plotholes, more-so a problem in certain characters’ developments. But I feel we definitely are going to be seeing a lot more from this franchise, which has definitely made a name for itself as an outstanding opening film. Will people still be comparing this film and its game to Batman? Of course. But in the end, they really shouldn’t be, because then that way they wouldn’t really be drawing their own conclusions and opinions to the film. Love it or hate it, Amazing Spiderman is here to stay, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Peter’s character continues to find himself, and hopefully discover what really happened to his parents.

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10