From the Ditko-inspired threads, to the apropos high school setting, to the clumsy way in which Tom Holland spouts off jibes at the goons he over-eagerly apprehends, comic book fans finally have a definitive live-action Spider-Man with the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming. The story is a relatively inconsequential one, decidedly bereft of the emotional stakes commonly associated with the character, and serves as an exhilarating, light-hearted jumping off point for the iconic stories and rogues gallery I’m sure are to come. Until then, here are five characters from the Spider-Man comics I hope to see make an appearance in Tom Holland’s new Spidey franchise as well as the actors that I think should play them.
5. J. Jonah Jameson
Jk Simmons’ turn at the role, in my eyes, is just as insurmountable as Christopher Reeve’s Superman. Unfortunately, J. Jonah Jameson is pretty integral to a lot of the melodrama that drives Peter’s mythos and therefore has to be recast at some point. Why not let one of the greatest character-actors alive today take a swing at it? I mean between Malcolm in the Middle, Trumbo and Breaking Bad , it sort of feels like the ingredients have been there all along for a laughably intense narcissist that lets his goals get the best of him, but ultimately has a heart of gold.
In accordance with the contemporary approach Marvel has decided to take with Spider-Man: Homecoming , I’d have Bryan Cranston play it more akin a Harvey Levine. The essence of JJ would remain, just with more Flash and less cigars.
4. Norman Osborn
Normon Osborn might be just as tough a nut to crack on screen as the impossibly impractical mask he dons in the Earth-616 comics. Willem Dafoe did a bang up job conveying the whole cooky tortured fall from grace Jekyll and’ Hyde dynamic in Raimi’s trilogy, but what about adapting the Normon Osborn of the more recent comics? You know, the Lex Luthor of the Marvel Universe. He’s cold, he’s calculating, he’s just a little unhinged – he’s the kind of character Kevin Spacey could play in his sleep.
3. Kraven The Hunter
Sergei Kravinoff is one of my all-time favorite villians. A 6 feet tall Russian psychopath that parades around in a lion themed open vest, complete with eyes and a god damn mane, he’s unabashedly menacing and ridiculous, a shoe-in for the chirpy irreverent tone established by the MCU. Intimidating, nutcase, with the facial hair to boot? Travis Fimmel’s got this. Got watch Vikings .
2. Felicia Hardy/Black Cat
Felicia Hardy’s duality works as a great foil to Pete’s. You’ve seen this before: a traumatic event informs the masked personas of two individuals in analogous, but ultimately opposing ways, inciting the fun, ‘we each learn a little from the each other's methods,’ narrative that’s so prevalent in the comics. A good Black Cat is at once a femme fatale bombshell, a genuinely funny quiper on par with Spider-Man, and a tortured, well meaning petty criminal fighting her inner vigilante. Kelly Rohrbach was one of the few highlights of the ill-fated Baywatch reboot. She’s sexy, she’s athletic, and she’s got the kind of blockbuster comedic chops perfect for a live action Black Cat.
1. Miles Morales
Okay this one is probably a long shot, right? I mean, the kid gets mentioned by his uncle Aaron Davis in Homecoming so fleetingly, it could have just as plausibly been a bit of legitimate foreshadowing or a mere perfunctory Easter egg. Either way, a story like Ultimate Fallout is a major franchise building Studio’s wet dream. Actor wants out? Kill him off after a good run and usher in a new edgy answer to the status quo, then cash in. Tyler Jackson WIlliams is pretty young. He’s spirited, funny, and the right kind of name that castings like these are built on.
Whoever they cast, wherever they go, I’m raptured. Spider-Man: Homecoming gets enough right to keep me at ease. Who do you want to see in the upcoming entries in the franchise? Comment below.
