Jamie Foxx is unexpectedly reprising the role of Electro in Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 - hinting at a live-action Spider-Verse plot!
Marvel's upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 could be the MCU's version of "Spider-Verse," a classic comic book story that united the Spider-Man of different dimensions. The coronavirus pandemic brought Hollywood screeching to a halt, even affecting Marvel Studios. Still, things seem to be getting going again, with Marvel beginning production on a number of movies and TV shows, and with several major casting announcements.
The latest news regarding Spider-Man's final solo movie in the MCU is the most surprising. Jamie Foxx is returning as Electro in the Spider-Man franchise, reprising the role from Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. While Marvel is hardly opposed to playing the nostalgia card, this is a film precious few look back on fondly; in fact, its poor reviews and poor box office performance literally led Sony to reboot the universe. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were effective, but the plot was over-cluttered, and Foxx was hardly given a chance to shine as the classic comic book villain.
Naturally, there's intense speculation about just what this could mean for those past Spider-Man movies, the character's future in the MCU, and Sony's own Marvel universe. The most intriguing possibility is that it could indicate Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 will launch the Spider-Verse in live-action.
MCU's Spider-Man Movies Bring Back Past Actors:-
This isn't the first time one of Marvel's casting decisions has given a nod to past Spider-Man movies. Spider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits scenes featured the return of J.K. Simmons as a new version of J. Jonah Jameson, a role he had played in the classic Sam Raimi movies. The MCU's J. Jonah Jameson is an older man who works on the Daily Bugle.net, an InfoWars-style website that clearly excels at conspiracy theories. True to his classic portrayal as an antagonist for the wall-crawler, he had been tricked into believing Mysterio was a hero, and Spider-Man the villain responsible for his murder. Worse still, Jameson had learned Spider-Man's true identity, and he revealed to the world that Spider-Man is really Peter Parker.
The casting of J.K. Simmons sets a clear precedent for actors to return to the MCU, playing new iterations of characters they have previously portrayed. Granted, Simmons was a lot more of a fan-favorite than Jamie Foxx's Electro, but it is possible Marvel has simply chosen to have the same actor play the part in two different universes. But another possibility is that Foxx is the same version of Electro - and that it's all getting a bit Multiversal.
The MCU's Phase 4 Is All About The Multiverse
The concept of the Multiverse - which was subtly set up in the Thor movies - is clearly central to the MCU's Phase 4. The Loki Disney+ series features the Trickster God created in Avengers: Endgame, part of a branch of reality that was never closed off by the Avengers, and he's explored to use the Tesseract to travel throughout the Multiverse. Scarlet Witch's powerset appears to be changing to match up to her comic book counterpart, with the first WandaVision trailer suggesting she will - likely unwittingly - create a reality bubble over the town of Westview. Elizabeth Olsen is confirmed to subsequently appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and given her expanding powers it's possible she is herself the cause of it all.
The trailers for Spider-Man: Far From Home suggested that movie was exploring the Multiverse as well, but it all turned out to be misdirection courtesy of Mysterio. It's possible, however, that the threequel will fit in with Phase 4's overarching themes by featuring the real deal. Jamie Foxx could be returning as Electro precisely because he is the same character, having somehow survived The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and been transported into another universe.
t's easy to forget that, for all Peter Parker describes himself as "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man," Peter Parker is one of Marvel's multiversal character. He is connected to the Web of Life and Destiny, a cosmic force that binds all time and space together. The chosen protectors of the Web of Life and Destiny are the Spider-Totems, and every reality has its own Totem, whether bitten by radioactive spiders, empowered by mystical forces, or implanted in cybernetic exo-armors. In 2014, comic book writer Dan Slott came up with the unforgettable "Spider-Verse" plot, in which all the various iterations of Spider-Man teamed up to defeat a group called the Inheritors, who sought to feast on the Spider-Totems and gain control of the Web. This formed the loose inspiration for 2018's Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which saw a handful of different Spider-Totems work together against the Kingpin.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 could well be the live-action "Spider-Verse," establishing Peter Parker's ties to the Multiverse. This would actually flow organically from Spider-Man: Far From Home, which saw Peter gain control of his spider-sense (or "Peter Tingle," as Aunt May calls it). In the comics, the spider-sense is Spider-Man's bond to the Web of Life and Destiny, granting him an innate sense of the world around him and a slight degree of precognition. It's technically called an "arachnofrequency," and some Spider-Men have even been able to communicate with one another across the Multiverse. Peter's experiments with the spider-sense could well have amplified his connection with the Web of Life and Destiny, preparing the way for a "Spider-Verse" plot.
It's important to note that Electro is a villain who is tied to the Multiverse. One version of Electro saw his world's Spider-Man killed during the events of "Spider-Verse," and he was close by when interdimensional technology was used. He was able to sense and reproduce the electromagnetic signatures associated with dimension-jumping, and launched an ambitious scheme to hope between the timelines, trying to find a world he could rule. To Electro's delight, he eventually stumbled upon one where he had already done just that, a timeline ruled by a genius version of himself. Intelligence and experience combined, and soon an army of Electros was sweeping through the Multiverse. The news about Jamie Foxx may well make a "Spider-Verse" style event all the more likely, perhaps with these Electros seeking out Spider-Men as potential threats.
Spider-Verse Could Set Up The Web Warriors For Sony's Marvel Future:-
In the comics, "Spider-Verse" left the Web of Life and Destiny vulnerable, and many realities without their own Spider-Totem to defend them. A handful of spiders teamed together as the so-called "Web Warriors," using interdimensional tech to jump across the Multiverse and protect all of reality. Interestingly, a comment from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige last year suggested this may well become true of the MCU's Peter Parker, allowing Tom Holland's Spider-Man to be used by both Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. "[Spider-Man] also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes," Feige observed, "so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold."
This may explain Spider-Man's role in Sony's Spider-Man spinoffs. The Morbius trailer confirmed a version of Spider-Man existed in this reality, but has been branded a murderer. Interestingly, further set photos have suggested this Spider-Man has subsequently disappeared. These films could therefore be set in a world that exists in the same Multiverse as the MCU, one that requires protection by the Web Warriors because it has lost its Spider-Totem. If Tom Holland's Spider-Man joined the Web Warriors, then he would become available to both Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, jumping between the two cinematic universes with ease.
