With Marvel Studio's Spider-Man 4 on the way, the MCU's Shocker actor teased his villain's potential return.
Bokeem Woodbine brought to life the vibro-blasting big bad in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, serving as a secondary antagonist alongside the movie's primary super-powered foe, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture—played by Michael Keaton.
While Keaton has reprised his role as Toomes since Homecoming (albeit in the critically maligned Morbius), Woodbine, however, has not gotten to suit up as his supervillain again.
Will Shocker Appear in the MCU Again? Actor Addresses Possibility
In an exclusive interview with The Direct's Russ Milheim at the SXSW premiere of Governement Cheese, Spider-Man: Homecoming actor Bokeem Woodbine addressed the idea of his villain, Shocker, making his big-screen return.
When asked about the potential of his MCU character popping back up in the upcoming Spider-Man 4 or beyond, Woodbine said, "I get a feeling [his Spider-Man: Homecoming appearance] might not be the last time you see the Shocker:"
The Direct: "MCU-related: Where is the Shocker? Where did you go?"
Bokeem Woodbine: "That's a very good question. I'm wondering the same. But I get a feeling it might not be the last time you see the Shocker."
He did not elaborate on what this "feeling" he has precisely means, but it is the first insinuation fans have gotten that the Homecoming actor thinks he may not be done with his Spider-Man villain role after all these years.
Woodbine was also asked about donning Shocker's classic comic-accurate yellow suit (something he did not do in his first MCU appearance).
He said, "We discussed it," about potentially including in Spider-Man: Homecoming, adding that "who knows down the line, we can get] a little bit closer to the original suit:"
The Direct: "When you were working on that first film, did you ever have conversations about putting on a classic suit? Or was that not really in the cards?"
Bokeem Woodbine: "We discussed it. It wasn't right or appropriate for that first one. But who knows, down the line, [we can get] a little bit closer to the original suit. We never wanted to cover his face because I asked that specifically. And they were like, 'No, you act with your face. So we want to be able to see you.'"
Where Will the MCU's Shocker Appear Next?
While no official information about Bokeem Woodbine's return as Shocker has been made public, there are a few places the character could potentially pop up if Woodbine were to reprise his Homecoming role.
The most obvious spot would be in Spider-Man 4. Tom Holland's fourth Spider-Man movie is moving full steam ahead, with production rumored to begin imminently.
Of course, that movie will need a villain or two for the MCU's web-head to take on, and Shocker could fit that bill.
However, there have been rumors that this next wall-crawling sequel will once again be a Multiversal affair (read more about Spider-Man 4 plot leaks here), and, being one of Spidey's more down-to-earth villains, Shocker is not known for his presence in these sorts of reality-hopping Spider-Man adventures.
Another place the character could appear is in animation, in either the long-awaited Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse or Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2.
Both previous Spider-Verse movies and Season 1 of Disney+'s new Spider-Man cartoon proved that nothing is off limits from the hero's tangled web of multimedia canon. Someone like Woodbine's Shocker feels entirely plausible for either of them; it would just be a matter of the powers that be making the call.
Spider-Man 4 is set to swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.
