Casting Spider-Man For Marvel's Sinister Six Movie | Screen Rant
Amid rumors of a possible Sinister Six movie, Sony will be faced once again with the arduous task of casting yet another incarnation of Spider-Man. Director Daniel Espinosa has recently discussed the potential for a Sinister Six project following his film, Morbius, which could tie together all of Sony’s upcoming Marvel movies. Although the project has been abandoned in the past, a Sinister Six story could serve to bring a degree of cohesion to the somewhat chaotic Sony Spider-Man Universe, making the budding franchise a real contender in the superhero space.
The Sinister Six film was first teased at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osbourne alluding to the group’s formation in a post-credit scene. The Sinister Six are a team of supervillains united by their mutual hatred of Spider-Man. The group was originally comprised of Dr. Octopus, Mysterio, Vulture, Sandman, Electro, and Kraven the Hunter, although there have been many other villains that have joined in the time since. It is unknown which villains would appear in a Sinister Six movie, but Venom, Morbius, and Kraven are all likely candidates considering their involvement in Sony’s universe.
Although the Sinister Six was nearly formed in the MCU for Spider-Man: No Way Home, it seems more likely that Sony will be the one to make a Sinister Six movie should one ever be made. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe centers around the franchise’s darker and more complex characters, making it a more hospitable environment for such a story than the hero-centric world of the MCU. But given that the formation of the Sinister Six hinges on the existence of Spider-Man, Sony would need to bring a version of the character into its universe in order to make the story work. With that in mind, here is a look at some potential casting choices for a Sony Spider-Man.
Fans of The Amazing Spider-Man have waited nearly a decade for Andrew Garfield’s version of the web-slinger to be given a third movie, and with his recent return in No Way Home, that may soon become a reality. Garfield’s take on Peter Parker was more confident and put-together than his predecessor, which drew a degree of criticism, but his quick-witted and quirky Spider-Man remains a favorite to many. Despite the luke-warm reception of Garfield’s first two movies, bringing him into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe for a third attempt would be a perfect fit for the franchise as it moves into its next phase.
Garfield’s version of Spider-Man is an ideal rival for Tom Hardy’s Venom. Unlike the relatively mild-mannered and clean version of Eddie Brock played by Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3, Hardy’s characterization has been vile and messy, prone to violent outbursts and maintaining a generally unkempt appearance. Garfield’s Spider-Man is effectively the antithesis of Tom Hardy’s Venom, giving them all the more reason to resent each other, and the witty one-liners that the two routinely dole out could make for some rather entertaining encounters. Garfield’s popularity would bring intrigue to the story, and there is very little overlap in characters between The Amazing Spider-Man and Venom movies, so the established universe would remain largely intact. Whether he becomes a mainstay in the franchise or simply appears to pass on the mantle, bringing Andrew Garfield back as Spider-Man would be a smart move for Sony’s universe.
With the recent success of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and the Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game, it seems like a good time to bring Miles Morales into the Spider-Man franchise. Miles has historically been introduced alongside an older, more experienced Spider-Man, meaning it would be years before he could feasibly be brought into the MCU given that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is still high-school-aged. But since Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has been bereft of its web-slinging star as of yet, introducing Miles before the MCU would give Sony the competitive foothold that they’ve been searching for.
Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin seems the obvious casting choice should Sony choose to bring Miles Morales into their cinematic universe. His Stranger Things character shares a similar temperament to Miles, and McLaughlin is an appropriate age and build for the role. After the numerous different incarnations of Peter Parker within the last 20 years, shifting the focus to Miles would offer more to the whole of the franchise, allowing for an origin story without having to contend with previous mainstream versions. Bringing back Andrew Garfield’s slightly older Spider-Man briefly as a means to introduce Miles could help to legitimize McLaughlin in the role, but with Miles’ rising popularity and the wave of attention that is sure to surround the upcoming release of Stranger Things season 4, he could just as easily stand on his own.
Midnight Special and It actor Jaeden Martell would be the youngest Peter Parker in the history of the franchise, which could serve to work in his favor. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were both pushing 30 when they first took on the role, making the already boyish Tom Holland feel all the younger by comparison. Martell being even closer to high-school-aged would bring the same youthful energy to the role as Holland’s incarnation, and his appearance and timid nature in It is not unlike Maguire’s version of Peter Parker, combining the most successful elements of the two actors’ performances into what could be a promising Spider-Man characterization. Martell’s age gives him the ability to grow with the role in ways that Garfield and Maguire couldn’t, as well as allowing him to stay in the franchise for effectively as long as is needed.
On the opposite end of the potential Spider-Man age spectrum, Criminal Minds actor Matthew Gray Gubler would make an excellent older version of the character. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s appearance in No Way Home gave viewers a glimpse at what a full-fledged Spider-Man could look like, but an opportunity to dig deeper into how the hero wears his years could be an exciting development for the franchise. Gubler’s Spider-Man would be nearer in age to Tom Hardy’s Venom, and his intelligence and eloquence could make for a wiser Peter Parker than in previous iterations. Although it would be something of a stylistic shift for the actor, Gubler’s awkward charm and slender physique are a perfect juxtaposition to Sony’s universe of villains and could lead to a very different and more complex version of Spider-Man than the franchise has seen thus far.
Although it would certainly be exciting to see Tobey Maguire suit up for another full-length film, it would be impossible to incorporate him without significant changes to the timeline. Unlike Andrew Garfield, Maguire’s incarnation of Spider-Man has already interacted with several characters from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe throughout the original Spider-Man trilogy—including Topher Grace’s version of Eddie Brock/Venom. Although this could be somewhat easily explained away or simply ignored, bringing back Maguire would undo all of the work that Marvel has done to keep the separate Spider-Man universes intact and distinct from one another. Maguire (46) is certainly closer in age to Hardy (44) than Garfield (38) and Holland (25), but he is, unfortunately, the least likely of the established Spider-Men to appear in Sony’s franchise.
Although his chances are slightly better than Maguire’s, it would still be quite a surprise should Tom Holland become a regular in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Tom Hardy’s appearance in the No Way Home post-credit scene confirms that he and Holland’s Peter Parker are from different dimensions (although the Venom symbiote may appear in future MCU projects), so to bring them together again would require another journey across the multiverse. Although that may technically be possible, the complicated agreement between Sony and Disney regarding the rights to the character would likely be a hindrance to the project. With things as they are now, Sony would be best served either casting a new Spider-Man or using a version that they own for the Sinister Six film, and they certainly have some excellent options to choose from.