For those who need a refresher, Foxx portrayed Maxwell Dillon, a.k.a. Electro, in Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The Andrew Garfield era of the wall-crawling hero may be a largely forgotten chapter of Peter Parker’s cinematic history, but now, there’s the jaw-dropping news Foxx is coming back as Electro for the currently untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel.
Which could make the upcoming threequel one of the MCU’s most important movies to date.
When news of Foxx’s potential return first broke, everyone was rightly confused about what in the multiverse was going on.
After The Hollywood Reporter first delivered the scoop, we were unsure whether Foxx would be playing his Amazing Spider-Man version or going full Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool with a fresh take on the character.
Foxx seemingly confirmed it will be the same Electro from 2014 when he shared fan art of the blue brute taking on Garfield’s Spider-Man, Tom Holland’s version from the MCU, and Tobey Maguire’s classic portrayal from the Sam Raimi trilogy.
https://twitter.com/DanielRPK/status/1312139410696146944?s=20
The caption read: “Tell Spidey let’s run it back! Super excited to [be] part of the new Marvel Spider-Man new installment... can’t wait for y’all to check the new one.
"And I won’t be blue in this one!! But a thousand percent badass!!! #swipeleft."
Given that Foxx quickly deleted the post, it looks like there’s more than just Hollywood whispers to this one.
It’s important to remember that Spider-Man: Far From Home already teased the potential of the multiverse thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio claiming he came from an alternate reality.
Even though this was debunked as part of the villain’s nefarious scheming, theorists think there was some truth to the story and a multiverse version of the character could return further down the line.
Foxx reprising his role opens the door for literally anyone and everyone from all iterations of Spidey to make a welcome return. From Bryce Dallas Howard’s Gwen Stacy, to Felicity Jones' Felicia Hardy, Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman, to Dane DeHaan’s Green Goblin, there’s a literal universe of characters out there.
Despite the fan-favourite status of Holland as Spidey, both Maguire and Garfield have a loyal fanbase that would love to see them suit up once again.
Elsewhere, the return of Electro adds further fuel to the fire Disney and Sony are working on an outing for the Sinister Six.
The end of Spider-Man: Homecoming teased a team-up was on the cards when Michael Mando’s Scorpion spoke about his “friends on the outside”.
While fans have spent the past three years musing their own dream roster of a Sinister Six ensemble, Sony made the first move with the trailer for Morbius.
Following in the footsteps of Venom, the Jared Leto vampire flick put the “bat” among the pigeons when the footage included the shock return of Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, from Homecoming.
Now that the studios’ symbiotic Spider-Man relationship is back on track, the Spider-Verse is expanding at an exponential rate.
When it comes to the Sinister Six, the potential candidates include Keaton’s Vulture, Leto’s Morbius, and Mando’s Scorpion. Planned movies for Kraven The Hunter and other entries like the Madame Webb standalone offer up even more characters.
Added to this, there’s the potential of Tom Hardy’s anti-heroic Venom being team Spidey, or going up against Web-Head in a Sinister Six movie.
Now that Electro is also in the mix, who else could fill the final slots?
An undoubtedly popular choice would be Alfred Molina flexing his robotic arms once more as Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man 2 was a jewel in Raimi’s crown and is largely held as the “best” Spidey movie of all time.
Just like Insomniac Games gathered the great and the good of the Sinister Six for Marvel’s Spider-Man, Doc Ock is usually a cornerstone of the team.
Willem Dafoe also turned out an acclaimed performance as Norman Osborn in the OG Spider-Man from all the way back in 2002, but when it comes to the immoral industrialist, maybe his presumed role in the future of the MCU requires a recast?
Osborn is about as big as they come in terms of Marvel villains, and although he isn’t up there with Thanos or Galactus with abilities, his brainpower makes him the Lex Luthor of this world.
Having crossed paths with everyone from the Fantastic Four to the Avengers, Osborn is also known for forming the Dark Avengers - which is one of the rumoured spin-off movies the MCU might be working on.
Dafoe was undeniably brilliant, but when fan castings include big names like Damian Lewis, Oscar Isaac, and Bryan Cranston, it could be time to give someone else a shot.
While everyone is expecting Disney+’s Loki and Raimi’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness to make the first steps into the multiverse, the return of Foxx for the Far From Home sequel is where the idea can really make a leap forward.
Also, is it just a coincidence Raimi is swapping Spider-Man for the Master Of The Mystic Arts? In fact, recently it was confirmed Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange will also appear in Spider-Man 3 as a mentor-like figure for Peter, replacing Tony Stark of course.
There are already calls for Maguire to cameo in Multiverse Of Madness, which would also neatly line up with J.K. Simmons’ hyped return as J. Jonah Jameson (again).
As it stands, the MCU has cleverly gone out of its way not to use Spider-Man villains that have previously appeared in the Maguire and Garfield eras.
This could’ve been the plan all along, leaving the door open for the old gang to return to their legendary roles.
Of course, this leaves questions over how/if Topher Grace’s maligned portrayal of Eddie Brock/Venom would fit into things.
Perhaps the only thing going against the idea of a live-action Spider-Verse is the fact Foxx said Electro wouldn’t be blue in this one.
In the grand scheme of things, it is a relatively small wrinkle in time when it comes to the light of the multiverse.
With the untitled Spider-Man 3 due to hit cinemas in December 2021 (COVID-19 permitting), it won’t be long until Holland swings back into action and Sony’s plans for the future of the franchise are set to become clearer.
Either way, prepare for some “electrifying” possibilities with Foxx now back on board.
Spider-Man 3 is due to hit cinemas December 2021For all things pop culture and the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
