Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has expanded once again and among one of its latest additions are included Donald Glover’s musical villain, Hypno-Hustler. At the rate at which Sony has been building its array of villains, anti-heroes, and other morally grey characters, it would not be surprising if a multiversal war pins Spider-Man once again against these characters, at some point in the future of Marvel and Sony’s malleable future.
But as of now, Sony’s roster includes the heralding of such characters as Madame Web, El Muerto, and now, the Hypno-Hustler, in one of the most iconic additions to the SSMU cast — Donald Glover.
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Donald Glover Exits MCU to Become SSMU Musical Villain
The NBC sitcom Community had delivered the world a roster of great stars, one of the brightest being the actor, rapper, comedian, director, and singer, Donald Glover. In recent years, his role in Hollywood became increasingly prominent following his numerous appearances in projects like Guava Island, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Lion King, and Atlanta. But it was the tiny cameo in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming that really caught the attention of the industry for his potential to helm a big franchise.
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Later revealed to be Aaron Davis, Miles Morales’ uncle (more prominently portrayed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Glover’s role could have been expanded into a future villain story setting up Spider-Man against the Prowler. However, the scene was deleted from the theatrical cut, and considering how the web-slinger’s MCU sequels each surpassed the previous one by scale and grandeur, it would have been unusual to have Glover’s villain portrayed outside the context of Queens, NY.
Since MCU didn’t pan out, the comedian didn’t waste much time in putting his feelers out, although he didn’t have to go too far. Donald Glover is now set to star in and produce a film within Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, introducing the villain Hypno-Hustler for the first time in live-action.
Hypno-Hustler Joins the Crew at Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Antoine Delsoin was born on Earth-616 and grew up to later be the lead vocalist of a band called the “Mercy Killers”. Adopting the stage name Hypno-Hustler, the character upgraded with time from a low-level thief operating out of a nightclub to a villain that has no qualms about kidnapping infants or killing people. The character’s strength lies in mass hypnosis through the use of his musical instruments and later armored himself with goggles that could make the enemy visualize their worst nightmares.
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Hypno-Hustler, created by Bill Mantlo and Frank Springer, first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #24 in 1978. However, despite a promising start, the villain appeared only as a subplot for Spider-Man’s arc and was caught in the superhero’s web, waiting to be delivered to law enforcement by the end of the night. The villain was never exploited as a major antagonist in the entirety of his 15 short appearances throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man canon.
Hypno-Hustler’s unusual set of gifts/powers, and his limited appearance in the comics allow Donald Glover to take creative liberties with the character and build him out for “greater interpretations”. The actor’s role as a producer enables him the benefit to be unrestricted in exploiting the musical angle of his antagonist. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The project could be anything from a disco period piece to a re-imagined modern hip-hop version or even a cyberpunk future play.” Eddie Murphy’s son, Myles Murphy is onboard to write the script of the feature.
No release date has been set for the movie yet.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
