5 More Spider-Man Villains We Want In The Homecoming Trilogy

Sony’s Spider-Man film franchise is about to undergo its third reboot in less than 15 years. There’s one big difference with the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming, and that’s Marvel Studios.

Sony and Marvel Studios came to an agreement that will allow Spider-Man, now played by young star Tom Holland, to appear as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Marvel’s Studios films. Holland’s web-slinger debuted in just such fashion as part of Captain America: Civil War and Robert Downey Jr. will return the favor as Iron Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Spider-Man: Homecoming will be the first in a planned trilogy of films that will follow young Peter Parker through his high school years as he tries to balance his superhero life with his personal life, schoolwork, and other typical teen issues.

But any superhero movie needs good supervillain, and a trilogy needs three times as many. Michael Keaton has already been confirmed as the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and there are rumors that Shocker and the Hobgoblin may be in the planning for appearances as well.

But with at least three movies in the works, there’s still plenty of room for more villains to appear. Here are five more Spider-Man foes we hope to see through the Spider-Man: Homecoming series.

Spider-Man: Homecoming opens in theaters on July 7, 2017.

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Scorpion

The Scorpion is a classic Spider-Man villain who would have been at home in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy.

Mac Gargan was originally a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to discover how Peter Parker was able to take such great photographs of Spider-Man. When that failed, Jameson decided to have Gargan undergo an experimental process that would give him animal-based enhanced abilities so that he could challenge Spider-Man directly.

The result of the experiment was that Gargan was bonded to an exoskeleton with a  scorpion-like tail. The downside was that it was irreversible and permanent. Gargan blamed this misfortune on both Spider-Man and Jameson and tried to kill them both. Spider-Man was forced into the tough situation of protecting Jameson from the very villain Jameson had helped created in order to take out Spider-Man.

There’s been no casting news concerning J. Jonah Jameson for Spider-Man: Homecoming, which makes a certain amount of sense since Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming isn’t old enough to be working for The Daily Bugle just yet. Still, here’s hoping Jameson has a future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If that proves to be true, introducing the Scorpion would make for a solid conflict triangle between Gargan, Jameson, and Spidey.

Morbius, the Living Vampire

Morbius is one of the most tragic villains in Spider-Man’s history. Michael Morbius was a brilliant, Nobel Prize-winning, Greek biochemist inflicted with a rare blood disease. An experimental attempt to cure his own affliction left with a case off “pseudo-vampirism,” a condition that mimicked mystical curse of the vampires.

After conducting the experiment, Morbius turned pale and his facial features became bat-like. He also became averse to light and began needing to consume blood to survive. Pseudo-vampirism has some perks too, including flight, enhanced strength and speed, and regenerative abilities.

We imagine Morbius’ storyline in a Spider-Man: Homecoming movie would go something like this: Michael Morbius is a Greek exchange student who bonds with Peter Parker over their shared love of science. When Peter discovers his new friend is afflicted with a rare disease, he helps Michael develop the experimental procedure that transforms him into the living vampire. Feeling guilty and responsible, Spider-Man must then protect others from the now mad Morbius’ assaults while also trying to reverse the experiment’s effects and save his friend.

Morbius eventually reformed and became a dark hero and ally to Spider-Man and others, meaning there would be plenty of potential for future appearances in other Spider-Man and Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

Kraven the Hunter

It can be easy to dismiss Kraven the Hunter as a goofy villain based on appearance. He’s a guy walking around in a vest with a lion’s mane trim and what appear to be spandex capri pants with a paw print pattern.

Fans of classic Spider-Man stories know better. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” is one of the greatest Spider-Man stories ever told, and Spider-Man is mostly a supporting character for the entire tragic tale.

Kraven’s original concept is pretty simple. He’s a Russian expatriate aristocrat and the world’s greatest hunter. Looking for a challenge, Kraven decided to take on “the most dangerous game” by hunting Spider-Man in New York City.

After failing to capture or kill Spider-Man time and again, even after joining the Sinister Six, Kraven grew weary. It was at this point that Kraven gained some depth, revealing an honorable soul unable to come to terms with his own mortality.

Spider-Man: Homecoming would offer an opportunity to magnify both sides of Kraven’s character, doubling his frustration and his shame upon learning that his prey was a mere teenager.

The Ultimate Spider-Slayer

Spider-Slayers were robots designed to hunt Spider-Man that were originally created by Spencer Smythe and paid for by J. Jonah Jameson. When Spencer died from radiation involved with developing the Spider-Slayers, the project was inherited by his son, Alistair.

Alistair worked with the Kingpin for a time but eventually struck out on his own. He was no more successful in defeating Spider-Man though. Eventually, he took drastic measures by experimenting on himself and turning himself into the Ultimate Spider-Slayer. He was still unsuccessful in defeating Spider-Man and eventually turned his ire towards to Jameson, whom he blamed for the death of Spencer and for setting him down this path to begin.

With the militarization of police forces being an issue for debate in many areas, there’s a lot of thematic potential in exploring the use of technology and advanced weaponry to hunt a vigilante in New York City, especially in the hands of a talented screenwriter.

The Kingpin

Wilson Fisk is typically thought of as a Daredevil villain these days, a role that has been solidified thanks to featured roles in the Daredevil movie and Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix. But the Kingpin was actually first introduced as a Spider-Man villain, and only later was he redirected into Daredevil’s orbit.

Of course, the Kingpin already exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as played by Vincent D’Onofrio. He’s also currently incarcerated. Wilson Fisk always has a plant, though, so it’s only a matter of time before he’s free.Once free, why not leave Hell’s Kitchen and move into Spider-Man’s territory as well?

The Kingpin was used to particularly nefarious effect in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. A savvy businessman in addition to being a criminal, Wilson Fisk had the foresight to claim the copyright on Spider-Man. The only way Peter Parker Could challenge him would be to reveal his secret identity and claim to be the “creator” of Spider-Man. Peter had to continue fighting the good fight knowing that every time his popularity grew he was putting more merchandising money into the Kingpin’s pockets.