The third Spider-Man movie has been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but excitement remains high for the web-slinger's next adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Peter Parker likely on the run after being framed for Mysterio's murder, Kraven the Hunter seems like the logical next choice of villain for the franchise.
Beyond that, though, there are some villains we're definitely not expecting to see in that movie, or in future solo adventures for Spidey set in this shared world. The same goes for certain love interests and supporting characters, and it's all of those we're taking a look at in this feature.
Delving into why it's unlikely that we'll ever see them either again or for the first time in a Spider-Man movie, we also look at the ways that could change and what the future does - or doesn't - hold in store for them. Honestly, we think you'll be surprised by many of the names here.
So, to find out who's made the cut, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button below!
10. The Lizard
The Lizard was The Amazing Spider-Man's lead villain, and Sony Pictures and Marc Webb dropped the ball on the character in a big way. A lot of what was there worked nicely, but his plan was generic and his appearance...well, that's still a point of ridicule among many fans!
Rebooting The Lizard would make perfect sense, especially if the next film is indeed going to feature Kraven the Hunter. However, Curt Connors is definitely a character who needs some screentime before becoming this monster, so it feels like the moment has passed now.
Moving forward, we could see The Lizard, but when it comes to rebooting villains we've already seen, something tells us The Lizard is likely near the bottom of the list in terms of priorities.
9. Captain George Stacy
Spider-Man 3 didn't do much with Captain George Stacy, and things got weird with the character in The Amazing Spider-Man. After begging Peter Parker to leave his daughter alone (so she would be protected from his alter-ego's enemies), the high school student decided to completely ignore his dying wish...mostly because Andrew Garfield's version of Peter was a major douche!
The plan was for some sort of serum to bring him back from the dead in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, and while it would definitely be fun to give Peter - a wanted murderer in the MCU - some sort of ally (or enemy) in the New York City police department, there are better choices than George Stacy.
Captain Yuri Watanabe, Jean DeWolff, and Carlie Cooper are all better possibilities if that is a direction Marvel Studios has decided to head in, so we're not expecting to see George for a long time.
8. Black Cat
This is really disappointing, but we find it very hard to imagine that Felicia Hardy is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe any time soon. Sony Pictures believe Black Cat has franchise potential (which is a valid point, to be fair), hence why she was set to star in Silver & Black before reportedly being given her own solo outing by the studio.
Felicia's relationship with Peter is equal parts compelling and complex, and the fact she's in love with Spider-Man and not the man beneath the mask would be fascinating to explore on screen.
If Sony abandons plans to give Black Cat her own movie, then we could potentially see her in Spider-Man 3, but with Sony banking so much on the SPUMC, we're not going to bank on that.
7. The Kingpin
When Wilson Fisk was first introduced, he was a Spider-Man villain. It's easy to forget that was the case seeing as The Kingpin has become synonymous with Daredevil, and that's also why Vincent D'Onofrio portrayed a terrifying version of the villain in the Man Without Fear's Netflix TV series.
Those characters look set to remain on the shelf for the foreseeable future, and given Kevin Feige's lack of involvement in those shows, it's unlikely he wants to bring the same actors back.
That's a great shame considering how great D'Onofrio was as The Kingpin, and the actor has expressed interest in facing Spider-Man multiple times. It's just unfortunate that his version comes with so much baggage, as that likely closes the door to a big screen debut as soon as Spider-Man 3.
6. Gwen Stacy
Both Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man movies included Gwen Stacy. An argument could be made that none of those films did the character justice, though Emma Stone's portrayal was pretty spot on, and she even died almost identically to her comic book counterpart.
Marvel Studios has already reinvented Mary Jane Watson as Zendaya's "MJ," so even if we do see Gwen, it's likely that she will be unrecognisable to fans. There were rumours she could appear in Spider-Man: Far From Home as a foreign exchange student, but that never ended up happening.
Now, with Peter romantically involved with MJ and Spider-Man having bigger problems than holding on to a girlfriend, we're not expecting to see Gwen outside of the Spider-Verse franchise for now.
5. Sandman
Much to the chagrin of, well, everyone, Spider-Man 3 revealed that Sandman murdered Uncle Ben. It was a daft, unnecessary decision, and one which soured the character in the eyes of many fans.
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, we were introduced to a number of Elementals, one of whom was clearly similar to Sandman. So, just like we're now not expecting to see the likes of Hydro-Man and Molten Man in the MCU after they were portrayed as interdimensional invaders in that sequel, it's hard to believe we're now going to see Sandman in a future Spider-Man adventure.
That will disappoint those hoping to see him potentially assemble with the rest of the Sinister Six, but is anyone really crying out for another version of Sandman in the web-slinger's world at this point?
4. Miles Morales
The existence of Miles Morales was teased in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but there's been no sign of him since. If he was going to be introduced, it surely would have been after that five-year time-jump; instead, there was no mention of the hero in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and given the success of the animated Spider-Verse franchise, we're not anticipating seeing him in live-action.
That's a crazy decision, but why would Sony Pictures gift Marvel Studios another Spider-Man? If anything, they will more than likely want to use him in a spinoff series of their own at some point.
It's a shame because there's so much that could have been done with the Peter/Miles relationship in the MCU, but there are still more stories to tell with the current web-slinger, so Spider-Man 3 - or Spider-Man 4 - are unlikely to replace him just yet. Could it happen one day? Maybe, but we doubt it.
3. Green Goblin
Look, we're as desperate as you guys to see Norman Osborn in the MCU, and Avengers Tower being revealed as Oscorp would be, well, spectacular. However, given the tenuous relationship between Disney and Sony Pictures (which nearly fell apart last year), can you imagine how disastrous it would have been to include an Oscorp Easter Egg in Spider-Man: Far From Home?
After all, had they not worked things out, it wouldn't have ever gone anywhere. Throw in the fact that Green Goblin has been done across two different franchises, and it's doubtful we'll see him again.
There are ways to differentiate this version of Norman Osborn from the ones we've seen on screen before now, and having him lead the Sinister Six would be no bad thing. However, we're not banking on it at this point, and a rebooted Doctor Octopus actually seems more realistic now.
2. Electro
When Jamie Foxx was cast as Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we all expected big things from the electrically powered baddie. After all, an Oscar-winner was playing him, but what we ended up with was a baddie who wouldn't have been out of place in Batman & Robin.
Everything about him was terrible, though Electro's popularity hasn't diminished as he's continued to appear both in video games and the comic books (where he's now been replaced by a woman).
Regardless of who is beneath the mask, there's only so much which can be done with a villain who has electricity powers, and most of those were actually done in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With that in mind, poor old Max Dillon is likely to remain on the shelf for a very long time to come.
1. Venom
At some point over the next few years, it's inevitable that Spider-Man will cross paths with Venom.
That's more than likely what Kevin Feige was referring to when he talked about Spidey being able to cross between worlds, and when Peter Parker does meet up with Eddie Brock, it will be in the SPUMC rather than the MCU. Chances are that crossover will be a memorable one, but many fans remain disappointed that it won't be Feige and Jon Watts in charge when it happens.
In an ideal world, Peter would have returned from Titan with an alien Symbiote. Unfortunately, that's not how things went following the release of Venom in 2018, so what will be will be!