A Look into the Scrapped Spider-Man 4
Minds exploded when Tom Holland joined the MCU as the latest incarnation of Peter Parker. His version of Spider-Man was funny, heroic, and a perfect addition to the rest of the MCU. With an upcoming solo Spidey movie being released next summer, it’s amazing to think about what the future holds for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Still, it’s hard to think about what “could have been.” It’s hard to believe, but it’s been nine years since our last Sam Rami Spider-Man film; the blockbuster trio of films gave us a superhero we could be proud of. Toby Maguire was perfect as Parker, and despite the animosity towards the third film, fans would have been happy if the Rami Spider-Man movies went on forever… and they almost did. Yep, there was a point where Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 was a distinct possibility.
Rami talked about plans for a Spider-Man 4, but everything was nixed after the reception to Part 3. We knew the Vulture (and possibly a Vultress) would be the main villain, with John Malkovich rumored for the role. Now we’re getting our first look at early renderings for the scrapped Spider-Man 4.
These renderings come from Illustrator Jeffrey Henderson, who dumped a plethora of concept art onto the masses. The images are filled with eye-catching scenes that will galvanize every Spidey fan’s imagination. Many of them include aerial battles between the webslinger and the high-flying Adrian Toomes.
Henderson posted these as fan service, but didn’t get into the details of Spider-Man 4 out of respect to Rami. However, he did mention on his website how a fourth outing would have brought fans back on board following the disappointment with Spider-Man 3.
“It would’ve been one absolutely kick ass movie. Seriously. We were working on some crazy- cool stuff, because everyone, from top to bottom, felt that Spidey 3 was a bit of a ‘missed opportunity’, and we all really wanted to help Sam take SM4 to another level so he could end the series on a high note.“
IO9 reached out to Henderson, to get any details out of him. While he didn’t spill the beans on exact story details, he did mention one montage that would have stolen the show: a collection of villains being taken down by Parker, one-by-one.
The beginning of the film would feature “a montage of C and D- list villains that we knew would never be used as main antagonists: Mysterio, the Shocker, the Prowler, the old school-onesie-wearing version of the Rhino, maybe even the Stilt Man.”
Also included in Henderson’s renderings is Mysterio being led into a cheering police station by Spider-Man. Notice the little pooch in the gut. Then, once Mysterio’s iconic helmet comes tumbling down, the man behind the mask is revealed.
Looks a lot like Rami’s old pal – and member of all three Spider-Man movies – Bruce Campbell. The rumor’s always said Campbell would leave the wrestling, theater, and restaurant jobs behind for a life in crime, and it looks like this is where his surprise cameo would happen. Not gonna lie, I still want to see this. Marvel should enlist Campbell for a similar cameo in Homecoming. In fact, Marvel should feel free to include the entire D-List villain montage.
While it’s fun to reminisce about the past, the future for the webslinger looks very bright. Michael Keaton is still rumored to become the Vulture in next year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which means these aerial battle renderings could still be put to good use. Plus, while a Bruce Campbell cameo may not manifest, we are still getting a Tony Stark appearance (and if Chris Evans gets his way… a Cap one too!!!). Just don’t toss in any Peter Parker dance scenes and we should have ourselves a winner.