What Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 Was Supposed To Look Like
Much like Tim Burton's shelved "Batman Continues," Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 4" remains one of the biggest what-ifs in comic book movie history. Raimi delivered unparalleled success with his Web-Head trilogy at the time, generating over $2.5 billion at the global box office and convincing the world that a young man wearing spider-themed PJs could climb walls and shoot webs from his wrists. But instead of continuing the adventures of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Sony Pictures announced that the series would be rebooted in 2010. It wouldn't take too long for that iteration to also receive a reset after Tom Holland's webslinger made his debut in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," becoming an official part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
While both Raimi and Maguire eventually returned to superhero cinema, the story of "Spider-Man 4" continues to be a hotly debated topic among fans. Fortunately, people like to talk, and information about the film has leaked throughout the years. From the art to potential casting, it's possible for fans to piece together a semblance of what the movie might have looked like if it had come out in 2011 as originally intended. Of course, it never went in front of the cameras, so it would always be subject to change, but it's fun to imagine how it could have all come together in the long run.
So let's get spectacular and look back at the amazing details of what Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 4" was supposed to look like.
Peter Parker's suit would have been updated for Spider-Man 4
Anyone who plays Insomniac Games' "Spider-Man" video game series will know full well how much fun it is to change Spidey's attire. The Web-Head is something of a fashionista, who isn't opposed to updating his threads and striking a pose — either subtly, by applying a darker gradient to the suit, or more radically, like turning into Spider-Punk. The changes to Spider-Man's costumes in Sam Raimi's trilogy are far more understated, though — largely due to the limitations of technology at the time.
Speaking to Ain't It Cool News in 2009, Raimi opened up about the process surrounding Spidey's suits in his three films. He explained how the costume designers would update features and elements after each movie with the latest developments in visual effects technology. While he hadn't hired a visual effects supervisor for "Spider-Man 4" at the time of the interview, he had every intention of doing so and redesigning the suit for a modern era. "Whenever the picture comes out we want to make sure we were shooting above the bar as it currently stands as far as visual effects go," Raimi said, "and we may or may not make that, but that will be my team's goal when we start."
John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway were eyed for major roles
Sam Raimi nailed the casting of the villains in his "Spider-Man" trilogy. From Willem Dafoe's frenzied Green Goblin to Alfred Molina's tragic Doctor Octopus, these were golden choices for iconic antagonists in the Spidey canon. For "Spider-Man 4," the filmmaker harbored the ambition to bring in another notable baddie in the form of Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, as well as the occasional villain but sometime hero known as Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat.
According to reports from December 2009, Raimi wanted John Malkovich for the part of the Vulture, and it's easy to see why. Malkovich does possess a physical resemblance to the comic book character, so it's only rational that the studio would reach out to him for the role.
As for Felicia Hardy, Anne Hathaway was identified as the top pick, though other names in the mix included Rachel McAdams and Julia Stiles. Hardy, however, might not have suited up as her alter ego Black Cat in the film, but rather as a brand-new villain known as the Vulturess. Ironically, while Hathaway's casting never happened because of the cancellation of "Spider-Man 4," she would portray another feline-themed comic book character — Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman — in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises."
Angelina Jolie was considered for the Vulturess
While Anne Hathaway's Felicia Hardy could have become the Vulturess at some point in "Spider-Man 4," there was another consideration altogether, as described in Sean O'Connell's book "With Great Power: How Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood during the Golden Age of Comic Book Blockbusters" (via The Direct). According to O'Connell's research, the Vulture would have been the main villain of the film. After his death in the final act, his daughter would take over his legacy and become the Vulturess. Reportedly, the character would have been featured throughout the film as part of a company making a bid for the Daily Bugle, before she carries on the family business of villainy.
The actor attached to this role was none other than Angelina Jolie. Jolie ended up playing an entirely different Marvel character more than a decade later, portraying Thena in 2021's "Eternals."
In the comics, Adrian Toomes' daughter is named Valeria Toomes, aka Valeria Jessup. She isn't a major part of Marvel Comics, only making her debut in Robert Rodi and John Higgins' 2004 comic "Identity Disc" #1. The Vulture's daughter does play a role in 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming," where it's revealed that Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) is the father of Peter Parker's love interest Liz (Laura Harrier). While Liz hasn't followed in her father's footsteps just yet, it's still possible that the MCU could explore the Vulturess angle down the line.
Bruce Campbell would have transformed into Mysterio
Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell will forever be linked because of their longstanding collaboration on the "Evil Dead" series. Even in the director's other projects, he's almost always found a cameo role for the actor. Campbell shows up in the "Spider-Man" trilogy as well: First, as a ring announcer in the first film, then as an usher in "Spider-Man 2," and finally as a maître d' in "Spider-Man 3." According to Raimi, he planned to give Campbell an even bigger part in "Spider-Man 4."
Rumors did the rounds for years that Campbell was set to portray Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, in the movie. In April 2022, Rolling Stone decided to go straight to the source and asked Raimi if Mysterio was always the plan for Campbell. The director said: "That was one of the possibilities. We had other things in mind, too, but that was one of them."
Storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson, who published a few pieces of concept artwork from "Spider-Man 4" on his website, posted an image of one sequence that showed Spider-Man walking Mysterio into a police station. As Spidey shoves the villain, Mysterio's dome helmet falls off and reveals his face — which bears a notable resemblance to Bruce Campbell.
There would have been a few C- and D-list villains in Spider-Man 4
One of the biggest criticisms of "Spider-Man 3" revolved around the decision to include three villains — Sandman, Venom, and New Goblin — in the movie, with many believing it created far too many subplots and distracted from a stronger singular narrative. According to storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson, "Spider-Man 4" wanted to go bigger and bolder and introduce even more villains. However, they wouldn't be major parts of the plot.
Speaking to io9, Henderson said the opening scene would have featured "a montage of C- and D-list villains that we knew would never be used as main antagonists: Mysterio, the Shocker, the Prowler, the old school-onesie-wearing version of the Rhino, maybe even the Stilt Man, etc."
Undoubtedly, this idea would have played out like a scene from an animated series, where Spidey stops a few thugs before facing off against the real main threat of the story. It also would be a terrific bit of fan service, especially if the studio and filmmakers never had any intention of using these characters as serious antagonists for other films.
David E. Duncan uploaded an animatic of the canceled project
In June 2021, filmmaker and animatic producer David E. Duncan wove the internet in a web of intrigue after he uploaded a video showcasing an animatic sequence from "Spider-Man 4." The action scene features a thrilling air battle between Spider-Man and the Vulture, which sees the Web-Head deploy his web-parachutes as he falls through a skylight. It also boasts a shocking moment where the Vulture removes Spider-Man's mask to see he's Peter Parker underneath, then hesitates before striking again.
When Duncan originally posted the video, he included the following caption: "One of a half dozen animatics I produced for the ill-fated 4th Raimi Spider-Man. Studio politics, creative differences and bad internet reactions (to John Malkovich as Vulture) caused the plug to be pulled December of 2009, early in the prep stage. However, one month later, Sony moved forward with Andrew Garfield reboot..."
Looking at the brief footage, it's clear that Raimi and his collaborators had plans for more action and spider-gadgets in the film. Also, judging by the Vulture's reaction to finding out Peter is Spider-Man, the pair must have had a close connection in the storyline.
The influence of The Dark Knight
In the wake of the MCU and the plethora of comic book movies after the turn of the century, most people tend to forget the original impact of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy on the genre. Along with Stephen Norrington's "Blade," the filmmaker rejuvenated superheroes on screen and proved that Joel Schumacher's "Batman and Robin" was merely a misguided Bat-nippled fumble. And in 2008, another cape-themed movie arrived and changed everything: Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight."
The gritty, realistic feature had more in common with Michael Mann's "Heat" than it did with Richard Donner's "Superman," paving the way for more ambitious and serious comic book movies to thrive. Speaking to The Gainesville Sun in 2009, Raimi expressed his appreciation for "The Dark Knight" and how it forced everyone else to step up their game, admitting that he would also need to raise the bar for "Spider-Man 4" to match the high quality of Nolan's feature.
"The best thing I can do is be true to my character and work harder to bring him to the screen with as much truth and drama and a real conflict that means something to me," Raimi said. "And have him grow in a realistic way to either overcome that conflict or be swallowed by it."
Sam Raimi wanted to include Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man 4
Thanks to J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck's 1987 comic book storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt," Kraven the Hunter established himself as a bona fide A-list villain in Spider-Man lore. While Sergei Kravinoff might not have the pomp and circumstance of flashier bad guys like the Green Goblin and Mysterio, he poses a serious threat to heroes as he hunts them down to test his own abilities. Surprisingly, filmmakers avoided him in live-action "Spider-Man" movies, with the character debuting in his own solo film, "Kraven the Hunter," in which Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the titular character.
Sam Raimi revealed to Rolling Stone how he had plans for Kraven the Hunter in "Spider-Man 4," though he didn't elaborate on how big of a role it would have been. "I missed Kraven the Hunter," he said. "We were going to work that character into the next 'Spider-Man'; I always wanted to see Kraven fight Spider-Man on the big screen. I thought that would be really unique. He's the ultimate hunter, and Spider-Man is like the most agile trickster of the skies."
Considering how the Vulture was always set to be the main villain of "Spider-Man 4," it's possible that Kraven could have been teased as the potential next big antagonist for "Spider-Man 5" at the end of the film. Alternatively, since the MCU had started the post-credits cameo trend at this point, Kraven could have appeared there.
There would have been no Lizard
Although Dr. Curt Connors appears in "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3," the character doesn't transform into the villainous Lizard; however, many fans believed it would only be a matter of time until Sam Raimi had this Dr. Jekyll morph into Mr. Hyde. For actor Dylan Baker, he said in January 2007 that he couldn't wait to turn into the Lizard. He also revealed that he had a conversation with Raimi about it, hoping it would happen sooner rather than later.
In a completely separate interview, Raimi explained how the Lizard remained a favorite character of his, but his inclusion in a movie would first depend on the story being told. Unfortunately, it didn't appear like Raimi had much buy-in from studio execs with regard to the character.
Sony Pictures brass had no interest at the time in letting the Lizard be the villain of "Spider-Man 4." Instead, they wanted a more human-looking antagonist to face off against Spidey. While the Lizard didn't make the cut for this script, he ended up being the main villain in 2012's reboot, "The Amazing Spider-Man," where Rhys Ifans portrayed the scaly scientist.
There would have been no connection to the Venom film
Despite the fate of Venom in "Spider-Man 3," the symbiote with an insatiable appetite for brains and chocolate was set to swing back into the Spider-Man Universe. In fact, "Deadpool" writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick confirmed that they were working on a draft of a "Venom" movie in 2009, though they wouldn't confirm if it tied back to "Spider-Man 3" or not.
In the same year, MTV interviewed Sam Raimi to find out more about "Spider-Man 4." The publication also raised the question of whether there would be any connections between his film and the solo "Venom" project. "It hasn't come up to me," Raimi said. "I think that the studio is just letting me work with the writers and trying to make the best stories possible for this universe. I don't know if 'Venom' is a separate universe or not."
Due to the Spider-Man Universe being rebooted twice, the "Venom" film only made its way to theaters in 2018, starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. However, this version isn't based on the script written by Reese or Wernick, as the credited screenwriters for "Venom" are Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg, and Kelly Marcel.
Sam Raimi may return for a different kind of Spider-Man 4
After 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" opened the Spider-Verse portal, welcoming Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker into the MCU, and Sam Raimi directed 2022's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," fans wondered if the two could still team up for "Spider-Man 4." Of course, anything is possible in the MCU and a blank check is always a wonderful way to entice filmmakers and actors to return to their old stomping grounds.
Raimi didn't write off the possibility of it happening either. Speaking to Fandango in April 2022, the director said: "I love Tobey. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think all things are possible. I don't really have a story or a plan. I don't know if Marvel would be interested in that right now. I don't know what their thoughts are about that. I haven't really pursued that. But it sounds beautiful."
In July 2023, Thomas Haden Church, who played Sandman in "Spider-Man 3" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home," said he'd heard whispers of it happening and would like to see his character return as well. With all the positive talk about it, don't be surprised if something materializes. While it might not be the "Spider-Man 4" idea that had been planned around the 2010s, it's still possible that Sam Raimi could tell another Spidey story in the future.