Back to the Bubble!!!
Hollywood is all aflutter over news that Jake Gyllenhaal will don supervillain duds as Mysterio in MCU’s next SPIDER-MAN feature. Personally, I’m just happy to see the Academy Award-nominated actor return to his bubble roots, but I understand that is a narrow view.
There is of course some trepidation heading in: rumors insist that the groundwork will be laid for the appearance of the Sinister Six in this installment. As appetizing as that is, my palate is turned sour by memories of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, which attempted the same fan service to tragic results. The picture, although breathtakingly colorful, was ultimately unwatchable. Whether it was the morose Peter Parker foiled off the playful Spider-Man jostling your emotional attention or Dane Dehaan’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it transformation to villain juxtaposed by Jamie Foxx’s feature-length metamorphosis, the brief cameos of OSCORP tech were not enough to deliver on the lofty promise the film had made. Sony can capture color like few else can but attention demands more than a flash and a puff and of smoke.
The MCU has bolstered excitement, however, by delivering an exceptional villain in Michael Keaton’s Vulture, who will be expected to return in the next installment. The previous film’s Scorpion and Shocker are also expected to appear in the sequel, hence the Sinister Six rumors. Add to that the plot hints that Mysterio will be a hired thief attempting to steal Stark tech for another “major villain” and it seems a no-brainer to bring the Anti-Spidey-Avengers together.
But that brings us back to fearing the worst: a bloated, over-indulgent mess of fan service that usurps itself trying to be too much for too many. Kevin Feige and Marvel had been pretty smart about their approach with HOMECOMING, but they threw the wall-crawler up against Thanos, the biggest of the Big Bads, in his very next appearance. Does this mean that the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman is a thing of the past? Let’s hope not.
Regardless, Gyllenhaal’s addition to the cast of MCU’s next Spider-Man feature is a bit of good news, and I hold faith that the filmmakers will continue to wow us with their treatment of one of the imprint’s most beloved characters. As far as the villain’s design, that remains to be seen. Some fans are left to worry that having such a recognizable actor underneath the dome could negate its presence on screen. One such fan created a piece of art as encouragement towards how fans of comics and the actor could be appeased.
Check it out here: https://screenrant.com/
Now let’s just hope that Marvel can translate a domed villain to the screen a bit more elegantly than DC; history has not been kind to Mr. Freeze.
MCU’s next SPIDER-MAN feature is currently expecting a July 5, 2019 release date.
See you at the movies!
-McEric-
