Tom Holland is once again preparing to swing into action as Peter Parker’s lycra-clad alter ego in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Promising a trip around Europe and the return of some familiar faces, the superhero sequel is set to see the junior Spider-Man face off against a whole host of villains (both old and new).
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 struggled under the weight of Sandman, Venom, Harry Osborn’s Green Goblin, and yes, we’ll even include Peter Parker’s emo phase as a villain of the threequel. Jon Watts looks determined to form his own Sinister Six, and hoping it won’t be a case of history repeating itself, here are the rotten rogues rumoured for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
1. Mysterio
Long before Jake Gyllenhaal was linked to playing Mysterio, it was no ‘mystery’ that the ingenious illusionist was rumoured to be the big bad of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man #13, Quentin Beck was a skilled special effects artist who dreamed of a job in the film industry. Mysterio is known for his hypnotic powers, which would make for some visually stunning scenes that blur the lines between fantasy and reality in Far From Home.
Mysterio may have a relatively simple backstory, but as a recurring enemy of Spider-Man and original member of the Sinister Six, the fan favourite is finally heading to the silver screen. With his comical fishbowl headpiece and flowing purple cape, a villain like Mysterio is ripe for some realistic MCU reinvention à la Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
2. Vulture
Speaking of the flying foe, the return of Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes makes him a surprise addition to Watts’ sequel. Debuting a younger version of the character compared to the sometimes laughable old guy from the comics, the MCU turned Vulture into one of its best villains.
Audiences last saw the sympathetic Toomes deciding to keep Peter Parker’s superhero identity a secret and opting to serve time behind bars for his crimes. The story could have easily ended there, but it sounds like Toomes will have something to do with the evil ensemble of Far From Home.
Whether Peter goes to visit his former nemesis in prison or there is a mass breakout of a newly-formed Sinister Six, rest assured that Vulture will fly again.
3. Scorpion
Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan was reduced to little more than a grunting henchman in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but his last-minute inclusion in the movie’s mid-credits scene set him up for an expanded role in Far From Home. With the simple words of “I’ve got some boys on the outside”, Scorpion teased the formation of the malicious mob.
Considering Vulture, Scorpion, and Shocker recently made up one half of the Sinister Six in the PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man, the MCU could soon follow suit. Finally, Scorpion’s comic book introduction in 1964 saw J Jonah Jameson inadvertently push Gargan into his life of crime. Could this link to JB Smoove’s potential casting as the Daily Bugle‘s surly editor-in-chief?
4. Chameleon
Heading back to the very roots of Spider-Man’s comic-book adventures, Far From Home might introduce the first supervillain that Web-Head ever tackled. With the shape-shifting Chameleon’s civilian persona being a Soviet named Dmitri Smerdyakov, the casting of Homeland‘s Numan Acar as “Dimitri” has sent tongues wagging.
A master of disguise, Chameleon notably impersonated Nick Fury in an episode of the ’90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series, meaning Smerdyakov’s abilities might tie into the appearance of Samuel L Jackson’s eye-patched hero.
With Chameleon being the half-brother of fan-favourite Kraven the Hunter, his inclusion could also neatly set up a story arc for a Far From Home sequel. Considering Spider-Man: Homecoming featured an early Spidey foe like Vulture, it makes sense that Watts sticks with the formative years of the friendly neighbourhood hero.
5. Hydro-Man
A recent video from Tom Holland’s Instagram suggests that Peter Parker will be drowning in trouble when he does battle with Hydro-Man in Venice. Morris Bench first appeared in 1981’s The Amazing Spider-Man #212 as a doomed crewman who was knocked overboard and subjected to an experimental generator that was being tested in the ocean – because where else would you test one of those?
Rising in popularity thanks to Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Hydro-Man was an aquatic version of Sandman who was included because Sandman was being reserved for James Cameron’s Spider-Man movie. Thankfully, cartoon Hydro-Man was far more popular than his comic-book counterpart and shared a complicated relationship with Mary Jane Watson – and Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya), who is officially not a Mary-Jane stand-in despite the nickname, is already confirmed to return for Far From Home.
Sure, Hydro-Man may be a lesser-known villain circling the drain of Spider-Man’s C-list, but let’s remember that Thomas Haden Church’s tragic Sandman was a highlight of Spider-Man 3.
6. Molten Man
Adding fuel to the fire of multiple villains, another obscure entity from Spider-Man’s back catalogue is the seldom-used Molten Man. A strange piece of speculation comes from MCU Cosmic with the report that Molten Man was spotted in a lineup of Far From Home toys.
For those who don’t know, Molten Man started life as Mark Raxton, a scientist working alongside (comic book supervillain) Spencer Smythe at Oscorp. Although Raxton gained his powers after an accident with molten alloy, the MCU version would probably lean on some sort of technical enhancement.
Interestingly, Molten Man was later revealed to be the stepbrother of Liz Allan and was forced to attack her when joining Chameleon’s group known as the Exterminators. As well as a Liz Allan/Liz Toomes Homecoming connection, having Hydro-Man and Molten Man at odds with their opposite abilities would make an interesting dynamic for the Sinister Six…
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