How Did Electro Show Up in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’? (SPOILERS WITHIN)

 

IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, STOP READING!!!

Spider-Man: No Way Home is among the most exhilarating, satisfying and emotionally exhausting films I have ever experienced. The highs are incredibly high in Spidey’s eighth live-action solo outing, which not only elevates the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker (Tom Holland’s best MCU performance to date), but also wraps a bow around 20 years of The Wall-Crawler on the silver screen.

But no film is perfect, especially one as ambitious as this one. Director Jon Watts and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers spun a tale that brings different cinematic universes together in a bombastically satisfying way, but there’s one detail that continues to captivate and confuse moviegoers, sparking much debate on social media.

Here’s a refresher. To undo Mysterio’s Far from Home revelation that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, our hero enlists the aid of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make the world forget The Web-Slinger’s identity. Peter tries to change the parameters of the spell a few times during its casting, drawing people who know Peter’s identity from other universes into his. Prior Sony Spidey villains Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) against their will, united in the fact that they all know Peter Parker is Spider-Man (albeit versions played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the Marc Webb Amazing Spider-Man films, respectively).

But there’s just one problem: Electro never knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man.

This issue has been on my mind since a friend brought it to my attention a mere two days after the film’s release, and based on the collective complaining of the internet, I’m not alone. But there are several explanations for the apparent inconsistency – two being that we’re overthinking it and that any way to get Foxx back to knock it out of the park as Electro is worth it whether or not it really makes sense. 

Rational thinking aside, though, let’s dive into three theories as to how Electro could have known Spidey’s identity, even though he had never seen The Wall-Crawler with his mask off (as evidenced via dialog near the end of the film) or heard his full name.

FIRST-NAME BASIS
Near the conclusion of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, moments before Spidey defeats Electro, Gwen calls our hero “Peter” out loud as they are devising a plan to defeat the super-charged villain. The exact rules for Doctor Strange’s spell aren’t exactly clear, and he himself states that the Multiverse is still something no one fully understands. Assuming Electro heard Gwen, was that knowledge enough to cross over?

IDENTITY THEFT
Moments before his apparent “death,” Electro was absorbing an immense amount of data from the grid, which would presumably give him access to all kinds of information stored on the internet and digital devices. Could Electro have perhaps gained access to text messages, Oscorp files or other encrypted information that would grant him knowledge of who his “best friend” Spidey truly is?

VARIANT EDITION
The Multiverse is host to a seemingly limitless number of realities, many of which could be like ones we’ve seen but with slight differences. What if this Electro is from an adjacent reality from the one we witnessed in The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

In any event, until we get an official answer from the director, writers or Sony itself, theories will continue to abound. Until then, I guess I’ll keep crawling up the walls … metaphorically, of course.

Norman Osborn Cast in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Sequel

Despite not being entirely disappointed by Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man, I don’t really find myself craving the sequel. Perhaps it’s because my interest in Spider-Man as a character just isn’t there anymore — see the Superior Spider-Man comic book series to see why — but it’s more likely that Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, the forthcoming Avengers sequel and Guardians of the Galaxy are more promising films in the oh-so-capable hands of Marvel Studios. Nevertheless, the film rights to Spidey apparently remain in Sony’s hands as long as they keep cranking out sequels, so The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is on the way. Introduced this time around are Jamie Foxx as Electro, relative unknown Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson and — apparently — Paul Giamatti as Spidey’s massive horned nemesis Rhino.

Because nothing bad ever happens when you introduce too many villains in a superhero narrative, Sony will be adding Norman Osborn into the mix as Baddie #3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation, The Muppets) will play the nefarious executive-turned-criminal mastermind in the 2014 sequel. For those keeping score, all three villains in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have earned Academy Awards, so kudos to director Marc Webb and his team for aiming high. That being said, one wonders whether Cooper — talented though he may be — will be able to top Willem Dafoe’s performance as Osborn/The Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy.

In other Amazing Spider-Man news, Marvel has released a first look (pictured) at Peter Parker’s new threads in the sequel. As you can see, the design is far more traditional than the suit sported by actor Andrew Garfield in the first film, and it actually bears a stark resemblance to Tobey Maguire’s suit in the Raimi flicks. It’s definitely a step in the right direction, but it’s also a reminder that the Amazing Spider-Man series represents the most needless reboot in the history of cinema. Oh well.

New 'Spider-Man' Set Photo Reveals Mask, Web-Shooters

Sony recently unveiled a first look at Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man garb for the forthcoming reboot of the popular superhero franchise, but the unmasked photo that circulated online earlier this month raised more questions than answers. What will Spidey’s mask look like? Are those things on his wrists mechanical web-shooters?

Well, MTV’s Splash Page posted a nice, clear shot of the Wallcrawler in action, and here it is (click to enlarge):
Now, keep in mind this is likely a version of the costume used for stunts and wide shots, so the redness of the eye lenses and the bizarre metallic sneakers he seems to be wearing aren’t necessarily representative of what we’ll be seeing in Marc Webb’s 2012 film. That said, check out Spidey’s wrist. It looks like Sam Raimi’s controversial organic web-shooters are a thing of the past.

I reacted pretty favorably to the official image of Garfield in the suit, but this photo raises some major issues regarding the suit’s color scheme, particularly the stripe down the leg and the bizarre pattern on the gloves. This suit looks too Spider-Man 2099 for my taste. But what do you think?

Spider-Man Looks Like Spider-Man!

Marvel has unveiled our first look at Andrew Garfield suited up as Spider-Man for Marc Webb’s as-yet-unnamed 3D reboot of the superhero franchise, set to hit theaters in 2012.
You know what? I have no problem with the new suit. The textured design is pretty faithful to the traditional look of the character, and it actually resembles something a high school-aged Peter Parker might put together in his spare time. Here’s hoping Spidey’s mask measures up as well.

Some Spider-Man Reboot Tidbits Hit the Web

Apologies in advance for the limited updates lately. Between a busy work schedule and a social calendar packed with end-of-summer activities, I’ve been a tad estranged from the blogosphere, for better or for worse. I’m hoping to blog a bit more often moving forward, but if I stick to posting once a week for a while, I’m sure you’ll get over it.

Speaking of getting over things, I’m actually starting to get optimistic about Sony’s ill-conceived and unnecessary reboot to its ridiculously lucrative Spider-Man movie franchise. No, I’m still not keen on seeing Peter Parker in high school again, but I was also unsure about Warner Bros. retelling Batman’s origin story a few years back. In that case, returning to the well brought us Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, so at least there’s evidence that rebooting comic book movie franchises can work if done correctly by the right people. Here’s hoping Marc Webb—the director behind the surprisingly good (500) Days of Summer—is up to the task when he takes the helm of the 2012 web-slinging superhero flick.

I recently came across a Hollywood Reporter interview with Andrew Garfield, the 27-year-old actor playing the title role in Sony’s as-yet-unnamed Spidey reboot (fingers crossed for The Amazing Spider-Man, but that would make too much sense). In the interview, Garfield—who stars in the upcoming Facebook movie The Social Network—gushed that he’s a lifelong Marvel Comics fan, which is always a good sign.

“I have been waiting for this phone call for 24 years,” Garfield said in reference to his casting. “It’s a true f**king honor to be a part of this symbol that I actually think is a very important symbol and it’s meant a great deal to me, and it continues to mean something to people. So yeah, I feel like I’ve been preparing for it for a while. Ever since Halloween when I was four years old and I wore my first Spider-Man costume.”

The Hollywood Reporter piece notes that the film starts shooting in December.

In other Spider-Man movie news, it’s rumored that actress/singer Hilary Duff could be up for a role in the 3D franchise reboot. The Globe and Mail casually mentions in a profile on the former Disney child star and her hockey player husband, Mike Comrie, that what appeared to be a script for the film was seen on the couple’s kitchen table. Highlighted lines in the script were vaguely marked “girl.”

It’s easy to scoff at the idea of “Lizzie Maguire” starring in a big-budget comic book movie, but I could totally see her as Peter Parker’s pre-Mary Jane sweetheart, Gwen Stacy. Just sayin’.

Sony Chooses its New Spider-Man

When Sony Pictures’ fourth Sam Raimi Spider-Man flick faced some production difficulties earlier this year, the studio did the most reasonable thing by Hollywood logic: They fired their veteran director and announced a total reboot for its insanely lucrative superhero franchise. Helmed by Marc Webb and based on a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, this film would take the character back to his high school roots, which is pretty lame considering the fact that we just saw teenage Peter Parker in 2002’s Spider-Man eight years ago. But since Twilight is making all kinds of money these days, the studio likely thought that more high school angst was just what this franchise needed. Hell, put him up against Morbius and you’ve practically got Twilight with web-shooters.

One of the big questions on most comic book geeks’ minds over the past few months was who would be playing the new wall-crawler. Late last week, Sony confirmed that relative unknown British actor Andrew Garfield will be donning the tights for this film and any foreseeable sequels. Because, and here’s that Hollywood logic again, if you’re going to take a character back to his teenage years, casting a 26-year-old makes perfect sense.

“I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield,” said producer Avi Arad in a statement. “In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.”

Fun fact: Tobey Maguire was roughly the same age in 2001 when he was cast in the original Spider-Man, and if you recall, he really didn’t spend all that much time in high school in that first film. If Sony plans on keeping these new films rooted in high school, and since they didn’t cast a teenager as they should have done, things might get complicated down the line. Garfield will be in his 30s by the time the sequels roll around, and guys that age tend to make senior prom security personnel pretty nervous.

If you’re looking for examples of Garfield’s work, he appeared in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and stars in the upcoming film The Social Network. Yes, he’s in the Facebook movie.

The new Spider-Man film (in, ugh, “eye-popping 3D”) hits theaters in 2012.