For the Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who have been keeping up with this week's news, then you know that the currently untitled Spider-Man 3 is shaping up to be a massive film. Jamie Foxx had already signed on to reprise his role as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in the movie, but it turns out that was only the beginning. It was also recently confirmed that Alfred Molina would return as Doctor Octopus, a role he first played in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2.
The casting of Jamie Foxx instantly had fans theorizing about the multiverse, something that seemed all but certain to be explored in the film considering that Doctor Strange will also appear in Spider-Man 3. And now, the return of Doctor Octopus seemingly confirms that. In fact, with these two villains part of the film, it looks like Marvel may be assembling a Sinister Six from different realities.
The Sinister Six are a team of half a dozen Spider-Man villains who joined forces to take out their common enemy. The supervillain team, which debuted in 1964's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, was originally comprised of Doctor Octopus, Electro, Vulture, Sandman, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter. Years later, in 2013, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 laid the groundwork for six villains that the studio planned on uniting in a third film. Ultimately, that never came to pass, but now, thanks to its deal with Marvel, Sony could finally get its wish in Spider-Man 3.
If the roster of the original Sinister Six sounds familiar, it's because two of these villains are set to return in Spider-Man 3, while two others have already appeared in the MCU. Michael Keaton's Vulture was the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio fought Peter Parker in Far From Home. Vulture was arrested, meaning he's still around, and as for Mysterio, while he appeared to die at the end of his debut film, given that he is the master of illusion, he could always prove to be secretly alive.
If Mysterio and Vulture join forces with Doc Ock and Electro, then the Sinister Six would nearly be complete. Who knows, Marvel could even seek out to bring back the Sandman from Sam Raimi's third Spider-Man film, which would then leave room for only one final villain that could either come from the MCU's main Earth or another one altogether. In the comics, the roster of the Sinister Six changed multiple times over the years, meaning other villains could always complete the team.
Having the film build a Sinister Six from across the Multiverse would actually tie all the loose pieces of Spider-Man 3 fans currently know about. The inclusion of Doctor Strange could explain the involvement of the multiverse, while the return of Electro and Doctor Octopus would justify the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's respective Spider-Men. If Spider-Man 3 is set to feature three Spider-Men, then these superheroes would need to face a threat worthy of such an epic team-up, and the Sinister Six surely fit that bill.
Directed by Jon Watts, the currently untitled sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina and Benedict Cumberbatch. The film arrives in theaters Dec. 17, 2021.