Spider-Man 4 Must Redeem The Most Underrated Villain In The MCU Series
Anyone who has watched season two of Fargo knows that Bokeem Woodbine is an incredible actor. When he was cast as Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming it seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce the actor into the MCU as a fun B-villain, only for him to be ignored after that movie. Spider-Man 4 could remedy that mistake by bringing the character back.
Bokeem Woodbine As Shocker
Created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. in 1967, Shocker has a long history in the comics that’s remained surprisingly straightforward.
An engineer and career criminal he uses his vibration-generating gauntlets for profit-based crimes. He’s a simple villain that Spider-Man 4 and Bokeem Woodbine could make into a fun minor threat with no additional explanation.
Bokeem Woodbine’s version of Shocker was part of The Vulture’s gang who used scavenged tech from superhero fights, inheriting his signature gauntlet when the first Shocker was killed.
He ended Homecoming behind bars, which means he could easily be brought back in Spider-Man 4 with a simple jailbreak explanation. Having the character rebuild his version of the gauntlets as part of that jailbreak would make him more comic-accurate.
Shocker Should Return
Shocker reappearing in Spider-Man 4 would give the films more connective tissue and make Spidey’s Rogues Gallery feel less disposable. Seeing Bokeem Woodbine’s familiar face would remind the audience of Spider-Man 4 of the interconnected nature of the movies without hitting them over the head with it or punishing new viewers. It would also help build up the significance of the Tom Holland era’s villains after No Way Home focused exclusively on the villains from the pre-MCU movies.
Shocker As A Spider-Man 4 Villain
In the comics, minor villains often serve as a prelude to larger storylines, and Bokeem Woodbine’s Shocker would be the perfect villain to use that way in Spider-Man 4.
Starting the movie off with Spidey stopping the villain would throw the audience straight into action before slowing down to introduce the main plot.
It also gives fans of B-tier villains something to celebrate without distracting from the main antagonist.
Bokeem Woodbine Is Excellent
While there are numerous story reasons to bring Shocker back in Spider-Man 4, the biggest advantage is that it gives Bokeem Woodbine more time to develop the character.
His role in Fargo as Mike Milligan proves that Woodbine can play a great villain, capable of bringing both charm and menace to his performance. That level of performance could help Spier-Man 4 stand out in the increasingly crowded superhero genre.
Secondary Villains For Spider-Man
The franchise’s failure to utilize Shocker and Bokeem Woodbine is disappointing because other superhero movies have proven how effective bringing secondary villains back can be.
Klaw is the best example in the MCU appearing as a side villain in both Age of Ultron and Black Panther.
Cillian Murphy’s appearances as Scarecrow in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises after being the secondary antagonist in Batman Begins is another great example Spider-Man 4 could learn from.
Spider-Man 4 Return
While the current Spider-Man movies have been largely successful, they’ve failed to utilize the character’s incredible cast of villains. Bokeem Woodbine is a phenomenal actor who could make a lesser-known villain like Shocker into a fan favorite if given the opportunity.
Coming off of a film that leaned heavily on the villains of past franchises, Spider-Man 4 would do well to bring back the most underutilized villain in their universe.
