6 Potential Spider-Man Movie Spin-Offs
Spider-Man has one of the best casts in comics, including everyone from the skinflint publisher J. Jonah Jameson to diabolical masterminds like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin and Aunt May (keep an eye on that one). Which is probably why executives at Sony Pictures said recently that they want to make a ton of spin-off movies starring other characters. And who can blame them?
Adorable but deadly
Of course, me being the plucky young geek that I am, I have a few ideas that could help them out. If there’s one thing I know in this world, it’s Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. So why don’t you fun folks join me after the jump to hear some of my ideas. And I would love to hear some of yours in the comments!
6. Phil Urich
He’s had handsomer days
Who is He: Phil Urich started out as a plucky young intern working for The Daily Bugle, the newspaper of record in the Spider-Man universe. In the 90s, he starred in his own short-lived comic book, where he found some of Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin gear and tried to make it as a superhero. Mostly recently, Phil turned bad guy and started cruising around as the new Hobgoblin. He’s like an evil mirror image of Peter Parker, working at the Bugle and secretly selling stories about himself as the Hobgoblin. It’s a good gig.
My Pitch: When Green Goblin shows up in Amazing Spider-Man 2, he’ll be the only villain to appear so far in both Spidey franchises. I think it’s a safe bet people will know who Green Goblin is at that point, and what he can do. He’s villainous, he’s got that wicked glider, and he likes to throw exploding pumpkins. For a spin-off, just use Phil as a stand-in Peter Parker and tell the story of an awkward, shy kid who stumbles upon the goblin gear in the new Spidey movieverse and tries, unsuccessfully, to be his own superhero.
5. Ultimate Spider-Woman
Yep, it’s coming out of her fingers…
Who is She: In the Ultimate Universe, an alternate take on a young Peter Parker, Spider-Woman is a clone of Peter created through evil science (the worst kind of science). She has all of his powers and all of his memories, with the addition of lady bits. After helping Peter defeat a bunch of other, evil clones, Spider-Woman went on to start her own life and joined the Ultimate Avengers.
My Pitch: If Amazing Spider-Man 3 is the Sinister Six, then perhaps Amazing Spider-Man 4 could be the Clone Saga. There’s your introduction to Spider-Woman, as well as guys like Kaine, Tarantula, the six-armed Spidey and maybe even Ultimate Scorpion. The Ultimate Clone Saga was very well done, and I could easily see it making for a good movie. It’s got plenty of neat characters, and a lot of drama for Spider-Man and his love life. And if Sony gets a good enough actress to play Spider-Woman, she could easily spin off into her own film having Spidey adventures with lady bits!
4. Prowler
Inventing stuff is hard enough
Who is He: Hobie Brown is one of Spider-Man’s rare friends in the superhero world, at least one who doesn’t already belong to the Avengers or some other superhero team. Prowler has only ever been a part of the Spideyverse. He’s also Spidey’s black friend, so he’s got that going for him. Hobie is one smart cookie, and designed a bunch of crime-fighting gizmos to be the Prowler. Though why he chose green and purple for his colors is anyone’s guess.
My Pitch: Prowler doesn’t even need to be introduced in a Spider-Man film. He’s a pretty solid stand-alone hero. He used to work for a big corporation, but when they tried to steal his inventions, Prowler used those same inventions to stop the evil corporation. Sounds like a pretty solid plot to me. Sony could also get out a movie starring a black superhero before Marvel manages to bring Luke Cage or Black Panther to the screen. I bet they’d love that. And a Spider-Man cameo couldn’t hurt.
3. Superior Foes of Spider-Man
Nobody’s done a super-villain movie yet
Who are They: Spider-Man has a metric ton of super-villains in the back catalog of his Rogue’s Gallery. But not everyone is as cinematic as Doc Ock, Green Goblin or Electro. Some of those villains are total schlubs like Shocker, the Spot, Boomerang or Kangaroo (lots of Australia going around, it seems). There are a ton of these guys, and if handled the right way, like maybe in a caper comedy, they could make for one great film.
My Pitch: Not every super-villain is a megalomaniacal monster trying to take over the world, kill everyone in Manhattan or turn everybody into lizards. Some of them are working stiffs just trying to make some money by dressing up in costume and knocking over a bank or two. I’m picturing The Office crossed with an Adam Sandler buddy comedy featuring some of Spidey’s less famous super-foes. Though I wouldn’t actually hire Sandler or his buddies. Their time has passed. We should all agree to that.
2. Black Cat
Va Va Voom!
Who is She: Just look at that picture. Need I say more?
My Pitch: Just make that picture into a movie. But I suppose if you need a little more elaboration…Felicia Hardy is a sexier version of Catwoman with some very looser morals. She’s a thief, she’s an anti-hero, she’s a sexpot, she’s a movie star in the making. And for the love of god, don’t try to give her super-powers through some kind of cat totem. She’s just a sexy thief in black leather who is sometimes willing to be a good guy, from time to time. Simple as that.
1. Venom
He eats Topher Graces for breakfast
Who is He: It’s Venom! Come on! An evil alien suit that mimics the powers of Spider-Man, but adds sharp teeth, toxic drool, slimy tentacles and the sort of tongue that can give you nightmares. They pulled him off pretty well in Spider-Man 3, and a Venom solo film has always been in the works, so why not just go ahead and make it already?
My Pitch: I don’t necessarily agree that Topher Grace was a poor choice for Venom in Spider-Man 3, but they can definitely do better. Make Venom into a bigger, stronger, tougher superhero than Spider-Man. Vicious and on the edge of evil, a Venom movie could really embrace the idea of an anti-hero. The movies could even take inspiration from the current Agent Venom comic and have Venom working for the government as a secret agent, using his monstrous powers to kill terrorists. Not enough superheroes fight terrorists these days.
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Those are my ideas, what are some of yours? I know I can’t be the only Spider-Man geek who’s put some thought into some other franchise films. Please share some of your ideas in the comments!
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Posted on December 11, 2013, in Lists of Six!, Marvel, Movies, Spider-Man and tagged Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man 2. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
Henchman-4-Hire 
They should do a film of Kraven’s Last Hunt. Along with Days of Future Past, it was the best comic storyline of the 1980s. Kraven is also a well-thought out character with interesting motivations. It could raise all sorts of issues too about endangered species and the trade in rare animal parts.
Has the Hunter appeared in any of the Spidey films so far? I’m a bit out of touch to be honest.
I wonder who could play him?
Nope, no Kraven appearances in any of the Spidey films, but he would be a great choice! Kraven’s Last Hunt would be a great Spider-Man film. Though Hollywood would probably change the ending, and instead of Kraven killing himself, Spider-Man finds him and they have a big superhero fight.
I think Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo/Conan) would be an awesome Kraven.
I’d love to see Venom lead a movie, but I don’t know who I’d want to play him (it would have to be a bigger dude than Topher Grace).
Right on. I wasn’t sure Kraven would be cool enough to headline a movie. But Jason Momoa would be amazing.
Good call! Jason Momoa could do it. He has the pecs, if not the ‘tache … yet!
I did not like how Venom referred to himself as “I” instead of “We”, I didn’t like the costume’s design (I prefer the sleek black look), the lack of a good fight, and just the lack of Venom in general………….BUT………….that doesn’t mean I oppose him being in another Spider-Man film or even his own after being introduced. I would love to see the whole animal within struggle that both Parker and Eddie suffered through.
I’m under the assumption, and this could just be me, that director Sam Raimi so hated the idea of having Venom thrust upon him by the studio that he tanked Spider-Man 3 on purpose. Emo Peter, the dancing, the horrible scenes with Harry and MJ, that freakin’ butler, and the general crumminess of Venom, were all done on purpose by a man out for vengeance.
Honestly….none of your ideas sound all that appealing. As I stated the other day, I don’t want Sony to make more super hero movies. But I do really like Paul Giamatti, so if his Rhino led your Superior Foes of Spider-Man movie, then that’d be nice. Throw in Black Cat and Prowler and I could really go for a Superhero/Heist genre mash-up movie.
Or I would kind alike to see a movie where the military hires these super villains to go to war. Like I’m assuming that the Rhino Tank-thing and the Goblin getup are being developed by Oscorp for military purposes (like the first one). What if that actually happened? What if a bunch of Rhino Tank-things started rampaging through the streets of Terrorist Town with US armed forces and Goblin air force right behind them? It is certainly a neat visual. But I think Giamatti’s Rhino thug turned Rhino soldier would be a compelling enough story for a full movie.
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