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Twitter Reveals New 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Villain (Spoilers!)

Spider-Man: Homecoming
Marvel’s concept art for ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ shows the web-slinger battling Vulture (Image: Marvel)

Warning: Potential plot points are discussed below.

Thanks to the concept art unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con (above), we knew that Tom Holland’s web-slinger was going to do battle with longtime nemesis Vulture in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Marvel-Sony joint intended to reboot the superhero franchise.

But our Spidey sense started tingling anew as images of a new villain — a classic foe that has tangled with the wall-crawler for nearly 50 years — emerged in the Twittersphere.

(We recommend you stop reading now if you want to remain unspoiled.)

Related: Tom Holland’s Amazing Selfie and More Behind-the-Scenes Pics from ‘Homecoming’

The costumed creep is Shocker. The brainchild of Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., the villain first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 46 in March 1967 and immediately starting making life miserable for our friendly neighborhood hero. The alter ego of brilliant, but misguided inventor Herman Schultz, Shocker sports a colorful get-up that deflects physical attacks and features a pair of gauntlets that emit potent, high-frequency vibrations. He has been a fixture in Spidey’s rogues gallery ever since, rotating through such supervillain teams as Masters of Evil and the Sinister Six.

The Amazing Spider-Man
Shocker makes his debut in this 1967 issue of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ (Image: Marvel)

Despite his long presence in the comic canon, as well as appearances in various TV cartoons and video games (more on that below), this will be the first time there has been a live-action version of Shocker taking on Spidey.

According to unconfirmed speculation, Shocker will be played by Bookem Woodbine. Woodbine, a current Emmy nominee for his stunning turn in the second season of FX’s Fargo, joined the cast shortly before shooting began in July, but his role has remained top secret.

Woodbine’s face is not seen in any of the photos, which popped up on several fan Twitter accounts in the past 24 hours, along with some other images taken from the set, including what appears to be a battered New York street. (The film has been shooting in Atlanta and New York.) As noted by a fan named Leighton Moore, the film’s Shocker costume bears a close resemblance to the villain’s look in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game.

Not much is known about the film’s storyline, other than it will play up Peter Parker’s struggles to balance his life as a high school student with his budding crime-fighting career. Presumably the Shocker will serve as the secondary villain to Vulture, who will reportedly be portrayed by Michael Keaton.

Aside from Holland and his foils, the Jon Watts-helmed Homecoming stars MCU holdovers Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), and Marisa Tomei (Aunt May Parker), as well as Zendaya (as Peter Parker’s love interest, purportedly the new Mary Jane Watson), Donald Glover, Tony Revolori, Hannibal Burress, and Martin Starr.

Spider-Man: Homecoming spins into theaters July 7, 2017.