Stop us if you may have heard this one before, but reports are making the rounds that a villain who appeared in a previous live-action Spider-Man movie is in talks to reprise their role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s currently shooting third installment. As far as revelations go, this isn’t one of the more shocking ones, especially when various insiders have been touting as many as nine bad guys.
Having survived the events of Homecoming, the door was always open for Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes to return in the future, but it still took a lot of people by surprise when his next appearance came in the first trailer for Sony’s Morbius. Not only did it signal that the MCU and SPUMC exist in the same narrative space, but if the 69 year-old is indeed talking to the team behind Spider-Man 3 about becoming the latest blast from the past to get in on the action, that would also make him the unofficial king of the multiverse.
Tim Burton’s Batman is preparing to suit up for the first time in 30 years when cameras begin rolling on The Flash, and with the Scarlet Speedster’s solo debut set to arrive in November 2022, production is expected to kick off early next year. Of course, this could create a potential scheduling conflict depending on how long Spider-Man 3 plans on filming, but with the majority of the multiversal gang reportedly not getting much in the way of screen time, something could likely be worked out.
That being said, if the cast of Spider-Man 3 swells any more, then it runs the real risk of being a greatest hits album for the web-slinger’s back catalogue rather than a standalone superhero blockbuster in its own right.
