One of the biggest criticisms of “Spider-Man 3” revolved around the decision to include three villains — Sandman, Venom, and New Goblin — in the movie, with many believing it created far too many subplots and distracted from a stronger singular narrative. According to storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson, “Spider-Man 4” wanted to go bigger and bolder and introduce even more villains. However, they wouldn’t be major parts of the plot.
Speaking to io9, Henderson said the opening scene would have featured “a montage of C- and D-list villains that we knew would never be used as main antagonists: Mysterio, the Shocker, the Prowler, the old school-onesie-wearing version of the Rhino, maybe even the Stilt Man, etc.”
Undoubtedly, this idea would have played out like a scene from an animated series, where Spidey stops a few thugs before facing off against the real main threat of the story. It also would be a terrific bit of fan service, especially if the studio and filmmakers never had any intention of using these characters as serious antagonists for other films.
