Can there be a "Joker" type film based on any Spider-Man character?

[Mister Mets]

With the critical and financial success of Joker, I'm sure Sony is taking another look at the Spider-Man IPs to see if they can do something similar, a standalone project focusing on a villain's story without Spider-Man.

Is there any character they could use?

This is a bit different from Morbius and Venom, which are meant to launch their own franchises and could tie into the Spider-Man films.

One issue is getting a character with enough of a following who can work in their own project. Joker was the main villain in 2008's most popular movie, so he works in a way Sandman doesn't.

The Sony hacks revealed talks about a Kraven project, and while you could do a movie about a crazed hunter, he is largely unknown to filmgoers.

You could do a monster movie about the Lizard, but The Amazing Spider-Man wasn't that successful.

The Osborns have the highest profile (aside from Venom) but they don't really work without Spider-Man.

One potential character might be the Hobgoblin. There could be a film about a businessman who discovers the lost technology of Norman Osborn, perhaps in the world of the Raimi films.

[Scott Taylor]

Joker has to do with mental illness, and I think thats the connection to the general movie-going audience. So any film with a Spider-Man villain will have to seek a similar type of connection.

The lizard did come to mind, sold as a Jekyll and Hyde movie. Just to bring some familiarity to the overall theme. Green Goblin is likewise a Jekyll and Hyde. Hobgoblin too as well as Venom.

Maybe someone like Doc Ock? Science is in the news a lot these days and it could be approached from the standpoint of mental illness, similar to how Joker was done. Otto did have a mishap that caused him to lose it a bit, after all. Even though he kept his brilliant mind. He also had an abusive background, depending on what origin story you read.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Venom. His movie already made bank and i happen to think it’s better than Joker. But Venom is an antihero while Joker ends his movie as a pure villain.

At the same time, while I did think Joker 2019 would make money I didn’t think it would be the thing it has become.

The only Marvel villains that can carry their own movie are Doom and Magneto imo.

[Jman27]

i have a hard time considering joker as a superhero/villian movie mainly due to its realism so if any spidey villian to do something similar would be tough

[Spider-Tiger]

Joker has to do with mental illness, and I think thats the connection to the general movie-going audience. So any film with a Spider-Man villain will have to seek a similar type of connection.

The lizard did come to mind, sold as a Jekyll and Hyde movie. Just to bring some familiarity to the overall theme. Green Goblin is likewise a Jekyll and Hyde. Hobgoblin too as well as Venom.

Maybe someone like Doc Ock? Science is in the news a lot these days and it could be approached from the standpoint of mental illness, similar to how Joker was done. Otto did have a mishap that caused him to lose it a bit, after all. Even though he kept his brilliant mind. He also had an abusive background, depending on what origin story you read.

I agree that Otto is probably the best contender for a Joker style movie. He was abused at home, bullied by his peers, and driven to "madness." Norman is more of a Lex Luthor (when he isn't all Jeckyll and Hyde with the Goblin persona).

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I agree that Otto is probably the best contender for a Joker style movie. He was abused at home, bullied by his peers, and driven to "madness." Norman is more of a Lex Luthor (when he isn't all Jeckyll and Hyde with the Goblin persona).

Remember that Joker ends his movie as a pure villain. The way they made Otto work as a protagonist is by making him an antihero. To do an octopus movie he needs to end as a villain.

For a Marvel villain to carry a movie while still being a villain there aren’t any Spider-Man villains that come to mind.

[Celgress]

Maybe Kraven the Hunter or Vermin (sort of)?

Kraven's Last Hunt could work in such a capacity given its dark ending and subject matter.

[Riv86672]

As someone who despised the Joker movie, my initial reaction “god I hope not”.
That said, this suggestion...

Maybe Kraven....Kraven's Last Hunt could work in such a capacity given its dark ending and subject matter.

...is very intriguing.
Unlike the Joker movie though, it’d take actual involvement from Spidey and other supporting characters to make it work as intended. If it’s a standalone story it won’t really be The Last Hunt.

[Ultimate Captain America]

Remember that Joker ends his movie as a pure villain. The way they made Otto work as a protagonist is by making him an antihero. To do an octopus movie he needs to end as a villain.

For a Marvel villain to carry a movie while still being a villain there aren’t any Spider-Man villains that come to mind.

You kinda missed the point. Joker (THIS Joker, the one from this film) is not a villain, and neither a hero or an anti-hero. A villain is someone who just wants to watch the world burn. Joker is just a random guy with a miserable life, who's suddenly faced with a series of successive events that make his life more and more miserable, until he's pushed beyond the "despair event horizon" and goes completely nuts. Kinda like the guy in the flashbacks from "the Killing joke". Besides, the main character is a supervillain on paper, but the film is actually devoid of any superhero lore. There is no hero of any kind in that film, nor the typical situations that require a hero to show up and "save the day" (and no, Bruce Wayne is not a hero here, he's just the kid of one of the characters, and he's included merely for fanservice). And yes, there is evil people (or just jerkasses), like those kids that stole the sign, the guys that attacked him in the subway or the guy from TV that wanted to make fun of him, but can we really consider any of them a "supervillain" in the superhero genre style?

No. If we talk about a "Joker type film", what we are discussing is a film about a regular dude having a miserable life, with no superheroics being involved.


For example... what about Miles Warren and Gwen Stacy? Make a film about a college teacher having a creepy obsession with one of his students. It can be easily expanded into a dark and "Joker type" kind of story, without needing to feature the Jackal, cloning or Peter Parker in it.

[CrimsonEchidna]

Actually could see one focused on Harry Osborn.

[Vortex85]

I always envisioned a family drama film about Mary Jane growing up in an abusive home, then taking care of her mother and working to support her sister and baby, then having her mother die and finally running away to pursue her dreams arriving at Anna Watson’s front door next door to Peter’s family. Basically a Mary Jane origin story that explains her fake persona and party girl attitude formed from a background of misery and distrust.

[Obeythemoderators]

Joker has to do with mental illness, and I think thats the connection to the general movie-going audience. So any film with a Spider-Man villain will have to seek a similar type of connection.

The lizard did come to mind, sold as a Jekyll and Hyde movie. Just to bring some familiarity to the overall theme. Green Goblin is likewise a Jekyll and Hyde. Hobgoblin too as well as Venom.

Maybe someone like Doc Ock? Science is in the news a lot these days and it could be approached from the standpoint of mental illness, similar to how Joker was done. Otto did have a mishap that caused him to lose it a bit, after all. Even though he kept his brilliant mind. He also had an abusive background, depending on what origin story you read.

Actually Dr. Octopus year one is pretty much the Joker in Spider-mans universe.

[Alan2099]

I think Foolkiller could make for a great movie. I'm not sure if you'd consider him a Spider-man character or not, but the first time I was exposed to him was in a Spider-man story so I'm going to count him.

I know there's been a bunch of different ones over the years, but the general idea of a person that kills those he considers "fools" has lots of potential, especially in todays world of shady celebrities and social media.

On top of that, he has two catch phrases that are almost perfect for movies.
"Live a poem, or die a fool," feels like it would as a great character tagline much like Joker's "Why so serious".
Taking the idea from another Foolkiller, the image of a Fool tarrot card left with the message "are you?" feels like a nice movie poster teaser.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I think Foolkiller could make for a great movie. I'm not sure if you'd consider him a Spider-man character or not, but the first time I was exposed to him was in a Spider-man story so I'm going to count him.

He's a Defenders villain. The first of many Marvel-wide villains that Roger Stern pitted Spider-Man against in his run.

[Ozymandias]

He's a Defenders villain. The first of many Marvel-wide villains that Roger Stern pitted Spider-Man against in his run.

He only appeared in three Defenders issues, while the original character started in the pages of Man-Thing. Gerber who created the first incarnation, then introduced Salinger in Omega the Unknown #9, after a cameo in the previous issue (written by Stern). BTW, he used Salinger for the first time in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (1977) #58, and by then, Stern had already recycled Cobra (from Thor, Daredevil and Captain America fame), Power Man (Avengers), Gideon Mace (Luke Cage), Nitro (Captain Marvel), Jack O'Lantern (Machine Man) and Killer Shrike (Hulk). So not quite the first Marvel-wide villain he used.

And i we go by number of appearances, he'd be a Deadpool villain.