Spider-Man 3 has had a bombardment of news in the way of castings and character rumors as of late. Everything kicked off with the announcement that Jamie Foxx would be reprising his role as Electro in the MCU, leading to rampant speculation as to how he will be included.
This was followed by another bombshell that Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange would be joining the film, acting as a mentor to Peter. Rumors also suggest that Tom Hardy's Venom could make his way over to Spider-Man 3, but this would presumably be as a cameo role.
Spider-Man 3 continues to get more crowded with the possible return of past Peter Parkers Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, both of whom producer Kevin Feige is rumored to be interested in getting for the film.
A new rumor seems to suggest that another group of villains will be joining Spider-Man 3, posing a big threat to Peter and the potential other Spider-Men featured in the film...
NEWS
According to Charles Murphy of Murphy's Multiverse, Spider-Man 3 is rumored to featured Dr. Spencer Smythe and the Spider-Slayers as villains in the film.
Murphy speculates that Smythe's connection to J. Jonah Jameson, who was revealed to be making a return at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, could add some credence to Smythe and the Spider-Slayers inclusion. Murphy states that this could make Jameson a true threat to Peter, as opposed to a lower-level nuisance.
Murphy also notes that B.J. Novak played Alistair Smythe, Spencer Smythe's son, in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With Electro potentially returning as the same version from that film, this could tee up Smythe's inclusion in Spider-Man 3.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Dr. Spencer Smythe is a classic Spider-Man villain who creates a legion of Spider-Man-killing robots called the Spider-Slayers. With Peter likely to be on the run at the beginning of Spider-Man 3, it would make sense for a group of robots intent on killing our favorite wallcrawler to be featured in the film. It would also make for a change of pace if Spider-Man 3 goes full Spider-Verse storyline, posing threats to all version of Peter in a similar fashion to Morlun and the Inheritors.
How this will have interplay with the inclusion of Electro is unknown. Perhaps these villains will be the first of many to show up, with more villains coming out of the woodworks to try their hand at hunting down Spider-Man. Having J. Jonah Jameson in a more active role working with Dr. Spencer Smythe could make for an interesting dynamic, allowing him to have a more direct impact in taking down the webslinger. Perhaps Jameson will continue his tirades and takedowns against Peter, enabling Smythe and the Spider-Slayers to have more public backing in their pursuit of Spider-Man.
The Spider-Slayers were originally planned to be featured in a follow-up film in The Amazing Spider-Man series. The villains would have paired alongside Felicity Jones' Black Cat, but the cancellation of a third film prevented this from going forward. A potential inclusion of Smythe and the Spider-Slayers could finally see the continuation of this potential storyline, with multiverse shenanigans possibly bringing over B.J. Novak's character.
Fans will have to wait and see if the Spider-Slayers do rear their robotic heads, when Spider-Man 3 releases on December 17, 2021.
