I’ve got a dislike for superhero movies which throw one too many villains at the protagonist. One is great, two is fine and unless you’re at a party directed by Stanley Kubrick that has Tom Cruise in the mix, six is a bit much. On the other hand, having a spare villain to play around with who isn’t the focus of the movie creates a different atmosphere.
Even though The Amazing Spider-Man was a terrible, terrible no really I can’t emphasise this enough it seriously was spectacular only in its failings and…where was I? Oh right, even though the previous Spidey film was utter trash, it still had the distinction of Paul Giamatti running around New York like the most stereotypical Russian gangster of all time. And that accent. That gloriously cheesy accent.
Point is, Giamatti served the plot as a perfect distraction. A role that Bokeem Woodbine looks set to carry the torch for in Spider-Man: Homecoming as another familiar villain in the Spidey rogues gallery. Until now, we’ve had no idea just who Woodbine would be playing in the Jon Watt’s film. Until some leakage via Marvel News on Twitter that is. Spoilers after the image buffer:
Yep, that certainly looks like the Shocker.
New Spider-Man Homecoming set photos show Bokeem Woodbine’s Shocker!!!! pic.twitter.com/6RQmAV98Ow
— Marvel__News (@Marvel__News) September 5, 2016
Never the biggest of threats, the Shocker has always been a petty thief whose padded costume doubles as insulation from the effects of his gauntlets and the eventual fists of Spider-Man. Those gauntlets are pretty swanky gear however. In the comics, Herman Schultz (Oh man, no wonder he prefers Shocker) built them within a prison workshop after he was busted for cracking safes.
The gauntlets are capable of emitting concentrated blasts of compressed air at an intense frequency, effectively creating long-range punches which are powerful enough to demolish concrete with ease. But outside of the comics where he upgraded his suit significantly? The Shocker has always been a bit of a joke. It’ll be interesting to see how Spider-Man: Homecoming handles the character then.
But I dig the outfit! The photos are a bit blurry, but the basic look is there, with a modern New York attitude thrown in for good measure. Spider-Man: Homecoming is out next year, and stars Tom Holland as the latest incarnation of the spectacluar webhead. Although I’m genuinely hoping that JK Simmons returns to yell at him as J Jonah Jameson.
PARKER!
Last Updated: September 6, 2016
