There’s Something Strange in The Spider-verse
A Sticky Situation
Doctor Strange could just as well have cracked open a portal and landed himself in the third Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland. It’s no surprise that Marvel has cast its bets on Doctor Strange to help a certain spider get out of a rather sticky web. Last we saw Tom Holland as Peter Parker, he was in his iconic costume, in “Spider-Man: Far from Home”, in the Big Apple, and in big trouble.
He drops his darling MJ (played by Zendaya) off at Midtown Manhattan/Herald Square. And then came the billboard scene that has since gone down in superhero-cinema history as one of the most daring cliff-hangers ever shot.
The former Daily Bugle editor, namely J. Jonah Jameson (played by the brilliant J.K. Simmons) gives the world a mind-blowing announcement. The footage is revealed of Spidey going head to head with Mysterio (played by the oh-so-talented Jake Gyllenhaal). Mysterio, according to super-lore, was a former scientist at Stark Industries named Quentin Beck.
In the age of deep fakes, it was no ‘mystery’ to see Mysterio place the whole London drone attack responsibility on Spiderman. And he didn’t stop there. He revealed, to the WHOLE WORLD, the identity of our beloved superhero. Local high schooler Peter Parker was justifiably gobsmacked, more so when one of his less photogenic snapshots flashed on the screen. Wait, who are we kidding, Tom Holland is photogenic. #Jealous
Spiderman 3 is scheduled for production in Atlanta come November. They are reportedly getting a familiar director to helm it, namely Jon Watts (of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” | 2017). We can certainly expect to see other fan-favorites returning to reprise their roles: Marisa Tomei, Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon, and Zendaya.
A Strange Twist
Source: Marvel Studios
With Spiderman now painted a villain, it only makes sense that Marvel brought in the one superhero whom everyone would love to see helping Peter unknot this particular crisis-loop. Peter’s entire future as ‘your friendly neighborhood Spiderman’ depends on it.
Doctor Strange (played by the diabolically gifted Benedict Cumberbatch) is all set to reprise his role in the next Spiderman movie, marking the third major crossover for Sony’s Spidey and Marvel’s everyone else.
Geek alert! The first two times, in case you’re wondering, was when Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) showed up in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), and when Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) made appearances in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019).
Recently, we even heard the welcome news that Electro (played by Jamie Foxx) is going to be part of “Spider-Man 3”, which further adds to our swelling desire to know what Marvel and Sony have planned.
Wonder what Electro is going to think about the new Spidey on the block. The villain last featured in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, starring Andrew Garfield. We have to remember that characters in all superhero franchises can follow varied character storylines and have mutable motives that are not always the same as when we first encountered them on screen. The “Spider-Man 3” Electro could well be a slightly different guy to the one who regaled us in “Amazing Spider-Man 2”.
Put On Your Detective…Cape
Source: Marvel Studios
You’re probably sat there, all tensed and confused, internally screaming, ‘For the sake of all that is unholy, what does this all mean?’ Well, for one thing, Marvel Studios may be trying to save a few bucks. The good Doctor, just like a most unsettled Peter Parker when his whole world came crashing down, resides in New York City.
The two heroes are certainly acquainted with each other. Few things can build a friendship like surviving a grand war against Thanos. Spidey and Strange, along with practically every hero on Earth, helped defeat the Mad Tyrant in “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018).
Marvel’s certainly not letting their heroes sit on the side-lines. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is also on the books for Cumberbatch. Director Sam Raimi will be coming in for that one, and he happens to be a former Spiderman director too.
It is ‘strange’ to learn that Benedict is going to be needed in London for the production of “Madness”. And did we mention that shooting for “Madness” is beginning in November, same as “Spider-Man 3”? We’d like to see Doctor Strange perform some nice portal magic for his double-date with insane call-sheets.
Anyhoo, fans have been wondering how Marvel is going to ‘do that voodoo that they do’, and link all these seemingly disparate storylines into a cohesive whole. In short, will it all make sense to us who have so much to see and do that we may not find time to watch the entire Marvel movie-verse from start to finish again?
Word from ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ grapevine says that Strange will be mentoring Spidey in this third movie. Looks like Parker’s penchant to be ever in need of father figures has not ended after Tony Stark bid us all adieu in “Infinity War” with the daddy of all heroic sacrifices.
Corporate Is Going To Have A Field Day
By repeatedly demanding “More photos of Spider-Man”, Editor Jameson may have received more than he bargained for when he got wind of Spidey’s actual identity. Juggling all these clever plotline parallels, one can almost sense how nerve-wracked Sony’s corporate dealmakers might be feeling about teaming up with the mighty house of Marvel.
See what we did there? The House of Mouse, Disney, purchased Marvel in 2009 for a mere $4 billion, and they have since seen a mindboggling $18 billion from their Marvel films. So, when talks started about putting Spidey and Strange together, they wouldn’t have stopped to polish their princess-worthy tiaras before saying ‘We do’.
Bear in mind, superhero fans and freaks, that Sony was recently at odds with Marvel about letting them go on ‘adopting’ their wee little Peter. The character of Spiderman almost departed Marvel’s ‘Big Boss House’, which would definitely have meant no movie crossovers and a rather lonely Spider.
Sadly, “Spider-Man 3” is not a marriage per se but rather an agreement to show up for the honeymoon. You see, Sony already has a wealth of superhero content to draw upon, especially surrounding Spiderman. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” starring Tom Hardy and “Morbius” featuring Jared Leto are just the start of what could well explode into a Sony-verse of Spiderman movies.
Reality? Where Do They Sell That?
Source: Marvel Studios
“Spider-Man 3” (still missing its full title for the time being) is slated for theatre release on 17th December 2021. And we’ll only be seeing “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” on 25th March 2022.
Our biggest concern now is whether Strange saying hello to Spidey will set in motion a hitherto ‘secret’ plan that could unite Sony and Marvel for decades. Or whether this particular movie is going to be a ‘one-night stand’ that could give Sony the escape velocity it needs to earn fan approval for Spiderman’s manifold solo adventures in the years to come.
Lest you’ve forgotten, Doctor Strange can single-handedly gain access to all sorts of timelines and universes. It’s what he does. Will his entry into “Spider-Man 3” mean he’s going to warp or merge varied realities? Is he going to create a ‘continuum’ of sorts that could cause two different realities to strangely (pun intended) interact?
Looks like the Sorcerer Supreme still has a few surprises up his hem-perfect sleeves. Personally, we’re looking at the cape. The Cloak of Levitation is certainly going to have something nifty to do in this controversial adaptation of what we’re guessing is the Marvel comics story “One More Day”. How can we be sure, you may ask us. Well, what DOESN’T have anything to do with anything in the superhero-verse these days, we ask you.
Be that as it may, we’ve been saving a special article on “One More Day” for another day. So, keep your eyes peeled to Entoin’s own multi-verse of mad content where talk of India’s Paytm ending Apple and Google’s monopoly or nepotism in Hollywood are mere ice-breakers among its writers over our gazillionth mug of coffee.