By: Scott Johnson on November 4, 2012
The recent news that Jamie Foxx was in early negotiations to play Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been met with mixed reaction among fans. The biggest complaint seems to be that Electro has been traditionally portrayed as white in the comic books. Some see Jamie Foxx playing Electro as just the latest in a trend of African-American actors playing traditionally white comic book characters. Some would rather see brand new African-American characters introduced rather than existing characters transformed for the sake of diversity. However, we see a lot of positive reasons for casting Jamie Foxx as Electro.
5. Because Marc Webb Wants Him – When Fandango asked Marc Webb about rumors Jamie Foxx would play Electro, Webb said, “Look, Jamie Foxx is a genius actor, and I think he’s electrifying. That’s my standard quote right now. But I think he’s a brilliant actor. From his work back in In Living Color to Ray to what he did in Ali, he’s just one of the great character actors of our generation.” It’s important for directors to get the cast that they want, and it sounds like Webb wants Foxx.
4. He Adds More Diversity To The Cast – The first Amazing Spider-Man movie had pretty much an all Caucasian cast. Diversity is a good thing, and Jamie Foxx would be the first African-American in a major role in a Spider-Man movie. (We’re counting Robbie Robertson as more of a supporting role than a major role). Sure, we get the argument that it would be great to see brand new characters, but a movie studio investing a lot of money into a picture is going to want to go with an established character. Sometimes it makes more financial sense to transform an existing character than to try to introduce someone new. Plus, it’s not really the movie studio making the change, as Marvel Comics already introduced an African-American Electro as part of their Ultimate Universe.
3. Because It’s Too Soon For Green Goblin Again – With the Spider-Man franchise going through a reboot so soon, we at least want to see some new villains. Green Goblin played such a major role in the original Spider-Man franchise that it would be too soon to introduce him as the main villain again. Having Jamie Foxx as Electro gives us a new villain we haven’t seen in a Spider-Man movie before.
2. Electro From Ultimate Universe Has Better Costume Than 616 Universe Electro – While the 616 Universe Electro was white, the Ultimate Universe Electro is African-American. If Marvel Studios is considering casting Jamie Foxx in the role, then it’s likely that Marvel Studios plans to use the Ultimate universe version of Electro. Let’s face it, the 616 Universe Electro has a ridiculous costume. Could you really see a green and yellow supervillain costume working on the big screen? The Ultimate Universe Electro would work better in a movie.
1. Jamie Foxx Won An Oscar – In any comic book movie, fans should want to see good actors brought onboard. Jamie Foxx is an excellent actor, who really dives into his roles. He’s already won an Oscar for Ray, and he might win another one for Django Unchained if it turns out to be as good as it looks. Jamie Foxx should make for a mesmerizing villain, and his presence elevates the quality of the cast, which should make critics take the film seriously.
