Unlike fellow returning foes Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Jamie Foxx’s Electro isn’t thought of as one of the great movie supervillains, so for his big comeback in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel and Sony are correcting some elements of his characterization in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Most notably, he’s no longer blue anymore, with Max Dillon appearing much closer to his classic comic book design this time around.
Though the blue skin was drawn from the Ultimate comics, it looked kind of goofy in live-action, so fans have reacted positively to the change. And it turns out it was something Foxx was adamant about in this second go-around with the character. In a chat with ComicBook.com, producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal were asked if the in-story reason for his alteration is because Electro’s got himself an arc reactor, as glimpsed in the trailers.
Feige responded in his typically cagey way to the theory, remarking, “I won’t say that you’re wrong. I also won’t say that you’re right.” Pascal, meanwhile, revealed the real-world reason. “We promised him he wouldn’t be blue,” she admitted.
When news first arrived that Foxx was back in 2020, the Django Unchained actor took to social media to confirm his return, excitedly revealing he wouldn’t be blue this time. He probably got in trouble with Marvel for his announcement, as he swiftly deleted his post, but now it makes sense why he was so eager to tell fans about the development. Because it was a huge reason why he agreed to sign on in the first place.
While Sandman and Lizard appear unchanged, Otto Octavius and Norman Osborn will also be given visual makeovers as they crossover into the MCU, with Doc Ock upgrading his mechanical arms with Stark tech and Gobbie getting rid of his mask. We’ll get to see the de-blued Electro in action in just a matter of days when Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters this Friday in the U.S.
