Sony has never hidden its desire to use Spider-Man‘s supporting cast of heroes and villains as the springboard for its own Marvel movie-verse; they’re calling it Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, or SUMC, internally.
The upcoming Venom movie is going to be the first test of whether these Spider-Man characters can function without Spidey himself. But if the film is a success, then Venom won’t be the only spin-off in the near future.
Via Variety, the next three Marvel heroes reportedly on Sony’s development slate are Silk, Jackpot, and Nightwatch. Of the three, Silk is the most significant player in the Spider-Man mythos. In her origin story, Cindy Moon was on a field trip when she was bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter Parker his powers. As Silk, Cindy has all of Spidey’s powers and a few of her own, including the ability to make organic webs. Silk has headlined her own comic book series, and if her movie goes forward, she would be the first Korean-American superheroine to have her own film. That would potentially be a very big cultural milestone.
Despite her resemblance to Mary Jane Watson, Jackpot is not Spidey’s longtime romantic partner. Instead, Jackpot was actually two women: Sara Ehret and Alana Jobson. Sara originated the Jackpot identity after she gained superpowers, but she retired to focus on her family. Alana took over as the second Jackpot, and upon Alana’s death, Sara reclaimed the role for herself.
Nightwatch was an African-American doctor named Kevin Trench, whose origin revolved around an inescapable time loop. Kevin encountered a dying Nightwatch and discovered the superhero was a future version of himself. All of Kevin’s attempts to avoid his fate spectacularly backfired until he was forced to assume the role of Nightwatch and face his inevitable demise.
Sony is reportedly looking for writers to adapt Silk, Jackpot, and Nightwatch for the big screen. Additionally, Variety’s report indicates the Silver & Black movie starring Silver Sable and Black Cat has been scrapped. In its place, Sony is expected to pursue a Black Cat solo film followed by a Silver Sable movie.
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Images: Marvel Comics