Did fans have the villain of Spider-Man 4 all wrong? Sam Raimi debunks the most prevalent rumor surrounding his long-cancelled Marvel project.
Spider-Man 4 is one of the most infamous cancelled films of all time. And even though its heyday was well before the ubiquity of the internet, that didn’t stop the rumor mill from weaseling its way into the project. Over the decades, quite a few details have come out about what Sam Raimi was planning for the film, with perhaps the most exciting being those of the film’s villain.
To summarize the rumor: Spider-Man 4 would have largely focused on the Vulture. But rather than him being the main villain, Sam Raimi would have him die in a fight against Spider-Man, with his daughter (rumored to be played by Angelina Jolie) taking up the mantle of the Vulturess. The movie would have also reportedly featured Black Cat played by Anne Hathaway.
During the press tour for his new film Send Help, Sam Raimi was asked about a tangential rumor: whether or not Rachel McAdams was considered to play Black Cat in the film. However, it seems as though he had no plans for the villain in Spider-Man 4, debunking that there were any women villains in his original plans.
“No. Yeah, we never had auditions for a female villain that I’m aware of. Look, I talked to John Malkovich about playing the Vulture, and he was wonderful, and we got along great. But the movie never went [anywhere].”
Given the rumor mill was far less credible back then than it is today (and that’s saying something), it’s more likely than not that some random lie got blown up into being the TRUE story for Spider-Man 4. And while the Vulturess as a character is an interesting concept, it’s likely that Sam Raimi will never reveal his full plans for the project.
Spider-Man 4 is currently not in development. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding Spider-Man’s Marvel Cinematic Universe future!
