These days it’s probably more productive to try and determine which actors haven’t been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some form. Remember how Jeff Bridges was in Iron Man? What a trip, folks. What a trip.
Well, it looks like another banner star is joining Marvel’s expanding rogues gallery. According to The Hollywood Reporter, your boy Jake Gyllenhaal is tapped to sign on as a villain for the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Those of you who have seen Avengers: Infinity War will obviously be aware that Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, evaporated into dust at the click of Thanos‘ finger at the end of the film. Everyone knows he’s coming back, and the fact he has a sequel coming out should probably be a clue to that end.
Gyllenhaal is reportedly set to play classic Spider-Man villain Mysterio, a special effects expert who uses his technical wizardry to create illusions and convince his foes that he has superpowers. It’s probably unlikely that Mysterio will make it into the final product exactly like he was in the comics, but that’s a rough guide to his general deal.
Additionally, it’s strongly rumoured that Michael Keaton – fresh from telling college graduates that he is Batman – will be returning in some form as Vulture. This is good news: the Homecoming villain was a uniquely compelling performance in a film series which has occasionally struggled to craft compelling bad guys. The scene at Vulture’s house in Homecoming remains one of the best and most tense scenes in the entire MCU.
The next Spider-Man movie, which currently has no title, is set to hit cinemas on July 5, 2019. That’s two months after Avengers 4, so we’ll know how Peter Parker miraculously returns to corporeal existence by that point. Nice!
