When Marvel was forced to sell off some of its more popular characters' film rights in the 90s due to bankruptcy, Sony Pictures picked up the rights to Spider-Man and his related characters and released multiple films since the first Spider-Man film in 2002, with a new film from the latest iteration of the character on the way in a partnership with Marvel Studios.
The absence of Spider-Man hasn't stopped Sony from exploring the other characters that came along with his film rights. With the release of films like Venom and the upcoming Morbius we've seen the beginning of Sony's new cinematic universe, and we wanted to take a look at a few more heroes in Spider-Man's catalog that we'd like to see on the big screen.
10 BLACK CAT
It's a little hard to believe that with seven Spider-Man films out since 2002 we have yet to see Black Cat in live-action, though a character named Felicia did appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, played by Felicity Jones. Sony even had plans to bring Black Cat to live-action along with another of Spidey's femme fatales, though those plans fizzled out.
That's not to say that Black Cat doesn't have a place on the big screen, just that she doesn't need to share the spotlight. Felicia Hardy is a skilled cat burglar with probability-altering "bad luck" powers that she uses while she walks the line between right and wrong. While Black Cat's turn towards heroism is inspired in the comics by Spider-Man, his absence wouldn't be detrimental.
9 NIGHTWATCH
Another character that we've already heard possible film rumors about is Dr. Kevin Trench/Nightwatch, a 90s character that first appeared in the Spider-Man titles and crossovers like Maximum Carnage before moving into his own short-lived ongoing series.
While Nightwatch has never been the most popular Marvel character, he has a cool living costume and a mysterious origin with a killer villainous twist that would work well on the big screen. Spike Lee was previously rumored to be bringing this character to the big screen, though the director shot down any rumors that he was working on the film.
8 MAN-WOLF
One of the more recognizable names in Spider-Man's supporting cast is J. Jonah Jameson, the publisher of the Daily Bugle who constantly demands pictures of Spider-Man to sell papers. Jameson's family has appeared in the comics since the very beginning when Spider-Man rescued Jonah's son and astronaut John Jameson in Amazing Spider-Man #1.
John Jameson has actually used a couple of costumed identities, though his most lasting came after he found a ruby known as the Godstone on the moon that joined with him and forced him to transform into the Man-Wolf. As the lycanthropic monster, Jameson was used by characters like Morbius in his earliest appearances, which could help build Sony's cinematic universe.
7 SILK
Cindy Moon/Silk is the newest addition to Spidey's group of allies, though her origin is directly tied to Peter Parker's as she was also bitten by the radioactive spider that had bitten him, giving her similar powers that she would use as Silk.
Silk's origin is a little confusing and tied to a lot of comic storylines that came before which could make an adaptation without Peter Parker difficult, but with the Morbius trailer revealing ties to the MCU and Spider-Man, it's likely the rumored Silk film could still take off.
6 SOLO
"While Solo lives, terror dies!" The Spider-Man comics introduced its own version of the Punisher with James Bourne/Solo, a one-man army with his weapons aimed at terrorists after he lost the love of his life in a terrorist attack.
While serving in the US Army, Bourne had an experimental chip implanted in his brain that allowed him to teleport himself and his equipment, making him an incredibly effective operative. Solo appeared in the Spider-Man titles and even worked as a stand-in Deadpool. Solo's low Marvel profile and action-heavy potential could make for a fun action film that isn't afraid of an R-rating.
5 SILVER SABLE
Silver Sable is a highly trained mercenary and one half of the former Silver and Black film duo with Black Cat that never made it into production. Sable is another character who doesn't need to share the spotlight, and could very well lead a film franchise of her own if it was done right.
Silver Sablinova's father was a renowned Nazi-hunter after WWII, and after he was murdered Silver took up his cause, though she eventually went into business for herself and founded the mercenary team known as the Wild Pack, which sometimes employed other Marvel characters like Battlestar and Sandman.
4 PUMA
Thomas Fireheart is the successful CEO of his own company who comes from a long line of warriors that have been prepared through rituals over generations to combat a great evil. These rituals allow Fireheart to transform into a feral werecat known as Puma, who used his abilities to moonlight as a mercenary before becoming one of Spider-Man's allies.
Fireheart was an anti-hero who occasionally dipped his toes into villainy, and he also battled with the ferocious side of his Puma persona, making him a perfect fit alongside similar characters like Venom and Morbius. Puma would even occasionally work with Silver Sable and her Wild Pack, giving Sony another way to connect these characters together.
3 CARDIAC
Dr. Elias Wirtham lost his brother to an incurable disease that drove him into medicine, and his company into drug manufacturing where he discovered a recently acquired company had created a drug years ago that could have saved his brother's life but withheld its release in order to increase their profits.
This drove Dr. Wirtham (Nightwatch's college roommate for more shared universe connections) onto a different path, and he became the vigilante known as Cardiac to take down the corporations that allowed innocents to suffer. Despite his alter ego as a renowned surgeon, Cardiac was a violent anti-hero that did what was necessary, and we'd love to see his story told on the big screen.
2 FIRESTAR
We're not entirely sure if Angelica Jones/Firestar is a part of Sony's characters as while she did first appear in the animated Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends series and the comic-tie-in, she is also a mutant and her first in-continuity comic appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #193, which means her rights could be with the X-Men characters at Marvel Studios.
Regardless, Firestar is a great character with incredibly cinematic powers that could help fill out Sony's cinematic universe, especially if the appearance of Carnage in the upcoming Venom sequel leads to a larger Maximum Carnage film crossover, as Firestar played a large role in that comic event.
1 SLINGERS
The Slingers are a team of heroes who use identities created by Spider-Man during a period that he was framed for murder and needed to operate in secret. However, if that part of their origin is removed, Slingers is still about four young adults given costumes and abilities by a mysterious stranger to become a new team of super-heroes.
Prodigy, Hornet, Richochet, and Dusk were a short-lived team that saw a lot of tragedy during their careers which even included the death of one of the members that gave the team a supernatural edge. The premise of Slingers works incredibly well without Spider-Man's involvement and would finally give Sony the comic book team film it has been trying to build for years.
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