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With the news that Sam Raimi is officially on board to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s a wonder what doors will be opened across the cosmos into new worlds…or worlds that are already familiar. It is also no coincidence that the MCU will be exploding with new content next year, stories that will alter the fabric the universe. The next Spider-Man film is one whose web is both sporadic and intricate all at once. Regardless, with all of this on the horizon, I thought it would be cool to look back on my three favorite characters and their respective actors/actresses (that aren’t Spider-Man) from each live-action iteration of Spider-Man.
Harry Osborn (James Franco) of Raimi’s Spider-Man Films
The last time we saw this version of Harry Osborn, he sacrificed himself to save his friends a the end of Raimi’s trilogy. The relationship between he and Peter is a throughline that was distorted by the excess characters and plot threads that clouded the third film. Despite a decently solid conclusion to his narrative, Harry was cheated out of a hypothetically more robust and consequently fulfilling arc as the sole antagonist. This is by no fault of Raimi’s, but overall studio involvement. I’m not saying the character could be resurrected or pulled from any moment in his lifetime, but maybe a parallel universe not too different from the one we know. In his relation to all the other characters, it would be nice to at least bring Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker back to bridge any possible gap of understanding and create a new sort of arc between the two in a live-action Spider-Verse.
Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) of Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man Films
The character of Gwen Stacy since her appearances in The Amazing Spider-Man films has transcended reality into the animated Spider-Verse. If that Spider-Verse were to ever make its way into the realm of live-action, I’d prefer we stick with the voice actors playing their live action roles, such as Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman and Shameik Moore as Miles Morales/Spider-Man. However, Emma Stone is a stellar actress whose talent needs to return beyond the role of a love interest. Although she did have moments in which she shined on her own, he presence as a character needs to be better felt. If we look at the comics, there is one way that could remain true to them by which she could come back: as a clone, powered or otherwise. She could be lost in the Spider-Verse, trying to get an understanding of who she is and who she is meant to be, instead of ‘The Clone Saga’ narrative that many comic readers were critical of.
Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) of the MCU Spider-Man Films
Beck was the first to explicitly speak of a multiverse that was hinted at in Doctor Strange (2016). Of course, knowing the path of this character because of his role in the comics, we come to find he weaved a web of lies with his illusions and deceit. When the credits reach their end in Far From Home, though, it seems Beck has orchestrated a plan that goes beyond his defeat. Is he still alive? I’m leaning more towards yes. I see him being a potential leader of The Sinister Six, but at the same time, I believe there needs to be a presence that supersedes him and takes the helm for themselves. They should also pose an overall pose a greater, lasting threat to the MCU and its future. Norman Osborn or Otto Octavius are the two that come to mind, but definitely not the only ones. If a live-action Spider-Verse film were to happen, though, it could take a page out of the video game Shattered Dimensions, where Mysterio can become more powerful than we’ve ever seen him.
What do you think of these characters? Which characters would you like to see return in your own amazing fantasies? Let us know! Follow us on Twitter @thecinemaspot and Instagram @thecinemaspot_!
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