In a strange twist, Vince and I actually agreed that The Amazing Spider-Man wasn’t just a lousy film, as it was also the same exact story as the original Spider-Man retold and simply filmed with a few different characters. And while I disagree with Vince saying that Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus was the greatest comic book movie villain of all-time (I prefer Heath Ledger’s Joker, Jack Nicholson’s Joker, Ian McKellan’s Magneto and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, to name a few), I can agree that he was by far the best Spider-Man villain. But then, that’s like saying Nick was the best 98 Degrees singer.
I guess that’s why Sony and director Marc Webb are trying to swing for the fences for a villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as Variety reported yesterday that Jamie Foxx is in negotiations to play Electro, the guy with a starfish on his face. And according to Foxx’s Twitter, it’s probably going to happen.
Sources also told Variety that Foxx would play Electro, and Foxx later tweeted, “Dressed up as Electro for Halloween last night. Costume fits well.”
Electro is the alter ego of Max Dillon, an enemy of Spider-Man who gains the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man #9” in February 1964.
Variety also points out that Sony is growing quite accustomed to cutting Foxx checks, as he’s starring in Django Unchained and what will obviously be the greatest action film in history, White House Down. But as for Electro, I agree with my Gamma Squad cousin Dan Seitz that Foxx is definitely an inspired choice for a comic book villain, but I just don’t like the Electro character. And if you’re going to have a character who has been struck by lightning, you won’t do it better than this…