Amazing Spider-Man 2 Viral Site Teases Alistair Smythe

Just a few days ago, director Marc Webb finally revealed that B.J. Novak would be playing Alistair Smythe – a.k.a. the Ultimate Spider-Slayer – in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Now, The Daily Bugle – a viral Tumblr blog related to the film – has updated with a story about Smythe and his father, Spencer. Here's the story:

Within a week of the announcement that the NYPD and the District Attorney's Office had opened an investigation into illegal activities and questionable medical practices at Manhattan's Oscorp Industries, sources indicate several of their top scientists have been asked to leave. Reports cite the recent forced resignation of Dr. Spencer Smythe, the Director of Robotics, amongst others. He was seen leaving Oscorp Tower yesterday with a box of his personal belongings. When asked to comment on the current employment situation of Dr. Smythe, Oscorp spokesman Donald Menken had no comment. Later in the day, Oscorp sent out a press release congratulating Alistair Smythe on his promotion to the Director of Robotics formerly held by his father. How Mrs. Smythe expects this will impact holiday dinners remains unknown.

In Spider-Man comics, Spencer Smythe is tasked with building a series of robots, called Spider-Slayers, to kill Spider-Man. When he fails, he is fired, dies and is replaced by his vengeful son Alistair, who blames Spider-Man. Could this chain of events be what's hinted at by the story? Alistair eventually turns to biological experiments, turning himself into the Ultimate Spider-Slayer in order to take on Spider-Man. In the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, many of Peter Parker's villains are created by Oscorp. Could the film by tying the two threads together? Are the Sinister Six created by Oscorp and Alistair Smythe as part of the Spider-Slayer project? That's all inference and conjecture at this point, but it sounds reasonable to me. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hits theaters May 2, 2014.