In surprising news, Jamie Foxx has confirmed that he has signed on to return to the Spider-Man franchise. This is surprising since Foxx appeared as Electro in Amazing Spider-Man 2. However, that franchise, starring Andrew Garfield and produced by Sony, ended with that movie. The new franchise, which started with Spider-Man: Homecoming, has become part of the MCU, co-produced by Sony and Disney.
This causes fans to have several questions about the MCU's yet to be subtitled Spider-Man 3. This also leaves many questions about the villains' place in the MCU and the future Spider-Man universe movies at Sony. Whatever the case, Jamie Foxx is coming back as Electro, which means good and bad things for the franchise.
Good - Conclude Amazing Spider-Man
If there is one thing that Sony owes fans, it is the culmination of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. While it had problems, and the second movie was far from perfect, it set up some intriguing storylines that never saw the light of day. What happened to Peter Parker's parents? What was up with the post-credit scene that hinted at the Sinister Six?
There were so many good ideas that Electro returning could mean the MCU or a future Sony movie could now swing back and deliver one or two of the promised reveals.
Bad - Looking To The Past
One thing that made Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies so great was that they took the character and let Marvel take over much of the creative direction. They changed what they needed to take Spidey in a fresh direction and created the best movies for him since Sam Raimi's first two.
They also moved forward with new villains (Vulture and Mysterio) and new supporting characters. With J. Jonah Jameson already back from the Raimi movies and now Electro back from Marc Webb's movies, Spider-Man is looking into its past instead of pushing on with more new stories.
Good - Tying All Movies Together
The Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies have a lot of fans, with many still calling Spider-Man 2 one of the best comic book superhero movies ever made. The Amazing Spider-Man franchise was not as beloved, but Andrew Garfield was good, and the first movie was decent enough. However, they exist and have some good things that came out of them. Combining the good from those, such as J Jonah Jameson, and pulling it together into the new Spider-Man movies could make all fans happy.
Bad - Memories Of Failure
The first Amazing Spider-Man movie had two main characters die in Capt. Stacy and The Lizard, and then Gwen Stacy died in the second movie. That leaves little in the way of characters for the MCU and Sony to pull into the new Spider-Man movies. In the second movie, only Electro was a quality villain.
The problem is that the thoughts of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 leaves a bad taste in many fans' mouths, and bringing back Foxx as Electro will make those memories rise again. Does Sony really want the stink of Amazing Spider-Man 2 in its new movie?
Good - The Sinister Six
The return of Jamie Foxx as Electro has most fans thinking of one thing. Electro returning means it is time for Spider-Man to battle the Sinister Six. Michael Keaton's Vulture is out of prison, as shown in the Morbius trailer. The Doctor Octopus arms were shown in the post-credits of Amazing Spider-Man 2. There is also a chance a new Mysterio could show up like in the comics, and maybe Kraven could finally make his first appearance. Its time for Spidey to battle his most persistent enemies.
Bad - Need New Villain
One thing that Spider-Man has thrived with is new villains in the new movies. There is no rehashing the Green Goblin again. The studio didn't pull Doctor Octopus out and throw him at Spider-Man again. They made two lesser villains — Vulture and Mysterio — mean something special. That should happen, but it seems the MCU is rushing out something big before Sony takes back Spider-Man. That is too bad because Kraven's Last Hunt could be a fantastic Spider-Man movie.
Good - Jamie Foxx
Just from the casting perspective, bringing in Jamie Foxx to play Electro again for the next Spider-Man movie is a great move. Foxx was good as Electro, bringing pathos to the villain that made him sympathetic instead of evil. It also helps that Foxx said he wouldn't be blue this time.
Foxx is an Oscar-winning actor (Ray), and he is one of the most talented men working in Hollywood. Having someone with his acting talent in the next Spider-Man movie will do nothing but help it in the end.
Bad - Too Confusing
The one thing that comic book movies have to do above all else is selling the ideas to mainstream fans. Don't expect the regular movie-going audience to understand something that only comic book fans would figure out. Furthermore, movies usually have set rules. How confusing would it be for the bad guy from the Andrew Garfield movie to show up in the Tom Holland movie? This could really mess audiences up, so if anything, Spider-Man needs to wait until the DCEU messes with the fans' heads first with Flash.
Good - The Multiverse
When comic book fans went to see Spider-Man: Far From Home, there was the tease in the trailers that the movie introduced the multiverse. Mysterio explained he was from a different Earth that looked like ours but had some major differences and was destroyed, with him as the only survivor.
Bringing in the multiverse to the MCU was exciting, and then Marvel held back and showed it was a lie. There are rumors WandaVision will open the multiverse, which will play into Doctor Strange. If this is true, it could open a world of possibilities, including Electro showing up in the MCU along with maybe the X-Men and Fantastic Four as well.
Bad - The MCU
With all that said, the one thing that has to be taken into account here is that Spider-Man is not a Marvel property. The character and his world are still under Sony's control, and they are not letting go anytime soon. Sony plans to make several movies with Spider-Man's supporting players. This means, even if the multiverse is opened, and past movie worlds combine, it can't play out that way within the MCU since Spider-Man will likely leave after this movie. For that, it is all for naught.