Who is Spider-Man: Homecoming 2's Femme Fatale?

The Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is due to start production by the end of May, with shooting reportedly taking place in Europe (the first film was mainly shot in Atlanta, with some exteriors in New York City). Leaked audition videos have suggested that the sequel will introduce a redesigned Gwen Stacy, as a foreign student whom Peter meets, but she may not be the only new female character to arrive on the scene.Intriguingly, recent reports have suggested Marvel and Sony are looking to cast a mysterious "femme fatale" for the Homecoming sequel. It's important to note that these reports have so far been unconfirmed, but they've certainly caused a lot of speculation among fans. Who could this character be? It's time to look through some of the possibilities.

The Black Cat

The top possibility is the Black Cat. Felicia Hardy is one of Spider-Man's most popular villains, essentially Marvel's answer to Catwoman. She's a sexy sneak-thief who stole Spider-Man's heart, and treads a fine line between good and bad. What's more, fans are particularly focused on the Black Cat right now because Sony are planning to release Silver & Black, a movie starring Felicia and another sexy Spider-Man villain, Silver Sable.

Fans are eager for Sony's Spider-villain films to tie into the MCU somehow, and hopes have recently been raised because of rumors Tom Holland will actually appear in this year's Venom, the first of the spinoffs. Given that it's generally believed Sony will develop Black Cat as an international super-thief, it would certainly be fitting for Spider-Man to cross paths with her in Europe, and this would create a perfect link to the spinoffs.

As exciting as the possibility may be, sadly it's quite unlikely. Silver & Black is actually scheduled to release before the Homecoming sequel, so filming is due to kick off soon. Moreover, there are rumors Silver & Black will film in Mexico, while the Homecoming sequel is expected to film in Europe. It's unlikely that a single actress could play the Black Cat in both films; the same issue rules out Silver Sable, Spider-Man's other most notable femme fatale.

Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman

A much more likely possibility is Jessica Drew, better known as Spider-Woman. She was originally created when Marvel realized the name "Spider-Woman" hadn't been trademarked, meaning a competitor could potentially use it. DC had recently copied Marvel by creating Power Girl, who Marvel viewed as very loosely inspired by their own Power Man (Luke Cage).

The film rights to Spider-Woman have always been rather complicated. In 2014, the Sony hack revealed that her rights were essentially shared between Marvel and Sony; Marvel could feature Jessica Drew as a secret agent or a spy, but not grant her spider-powers. In contrast, Sony could grant her spider-powers but not use her as a secret agent or a spy. With the studios now working together, it's finally possible to give fans the well-rounded Spider-Woman they know and love.

Jessica Drew was a relatively minor character right up until the 2000s, when Brian Bendis chose to feature her prominently in his New Avengers run, and revealed she was playing a dangerous game. She was actually a double- or even triple-agent, supporting Nick Fury's campaign against Hydra. Ultimately, in a shocking twist, Bendis revealed that she'd actually been replaced by the Queen of the shapeshifting Skrulls. She was literally leading the so-called "Secret Invasion," a Skrull attempt to conquer Earth.

2019's Captain Marvel is due to introduce the Skrulls to the MCU. Most fans are convinced Marvel is building towards a post-Avengers 4 plot based on "Secret Invasion," and Jessica Drew would be a major part of that plot. The Homecoming sequel is intended to launch the next phase of the MCU, and would be the perfect film to introduce fans to the character.

The Queen

One of the more intriguing possibilities is Adriana Soria, better known as the Queen. She's traditionally been a relatively minor villain, taking on Spider-Man and Captain America, but became a major player in Dan Slott's "Spider-Island" event.

Adriana Soria was part of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps back during World War II, but was exposed to radiation at Bikini Atoll. This triggered a latent mutation, but also broke her mind. Decades later, she escaped - still young, as her aging had been slowed. Disturbingly, because Spider-Man possessed an arachnid genome he is subject to the Queen's mental control.

"Spider-Island" was the Queen's finest hour. She was the mastermind behind an infestation of spider-powers in Manhattan. Her insane plan was to mutate the entire population of New York into spiders, which she could control with her will. As more and more people fell thrall to the Queen's control, her powers began to increase exponentially. She was only defeated when Spider-Man released an antidote to the so-called "Spider-Flu," weakening the Queen to the point where she could be killed.

The Queen would be an appropriate villain for one simple reason; she could be used to grant new characters spider-powers. Homecoming already dropped references to Miles Morales, better known to comic book fans as the Ultimate Spider-Man. Gwen Stacy has recently been reinvented as Spider-Gwen, an alternate-universe version of the character fans know and love from the classic Spider-Man comics. Were Marvel to involve the Queen, they could easily create both Miles Morales's Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen.

Joystick

To finish off, let's use an unusual example: the character known as Joystick. She was introduced as a supervillain participating in the so-called "Great Game." These villains were sponsored by wealthy corporate figures, and were paid to take on superheroes - or even one another. If they triumphed, they got paid; their corporate sponsors shared in their winnings. The majority of Joystick's enemies were related to Spider-Man, including his clones Kaine and the Scarlet Spider.

Joystick eventually became a member of the Thunderbolts, although she swiftly betrayed the super-team. In Thunderbolts #102, she demonstrated just how powerful she really was; Joystick proved easily able to evade attacks from a super-speedster. She used her own superhuman agility and reflexes to easily win the battle, ultimately breaking the speedster's legs. No doubt she would prove a terrifying threat for Spider-Man, while the Great Game might explain her being overseas.

Of these possibilities, Jessica Drew seems the most likely. At the same time though, the Queen would be a particularly powerful enemy; she could also play an important role in the MCU, setting up the next generation of Spider-powered heroes.

It's worth remembering, though, that Spider-Man: Homecoming was willing to dramatically reinvent some of Spider-Man's secondary characters. Zendaya played a version of Mary-Jane, for example, while Liz Allen was redesigned as the Vulture's daughter. Given that's the case, it's quite possible Marvel could deliberately reinvent another character as a "femme fatale" for the Homecoming sequel Ultimately, it's likely that fans will only get a solid answer when Marvel announce some casting decisions.

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