Spider-Man: HC Hints At Sinister 6

Remember the good ol' days, when you were able to dust off the popcorn crumbs and leave the cinema just as the credits started to roll? Nowadays, Marvel Studios has made it compulsory for audiences to sit through every single name that scrolls down the screen in the hope that a post-credits scene will hint at the future of the MCU. Luckily for comic book fans, Spider-Man: Homecoming does not disappoint, including not one, but two post-credit scenes that suggest a Sinister Six spinoff movie could be in the works.

The Sinister Two

Following the '80s-inspired animation sequence that recaps the events of the film, director Jon Watts swings straight into the first of two Spider-Man: Homecoming scenes that appear mid-credits.

After his capture, the Vulture is now locked in an unnamed jail where he meets former associate Mac Gargan once again. Enraged by Spider man's involvement in his arrest, Gargan interrogates Adrian Toomes on Spidey's real identity, desperate for revenge. While the Vulture ultimately keeps Parker's identity a secret, one key line of dialogue from Gargan suggests that the two could soon team up with a gang of fellow criminals to defeat Spider-Man, once and for all.

I've got some friends on the outside.

Assuming that Mac Gargan will embrace his comic book destiny and become the Scorpion, it's safe to say that these friends of his could be more classic Spider-Man villains who will team up to become the Sinister six.

In Marvel comics, the Sinister Six are a group of Spidey foes who regularly unite in an attempt to kill our friendly neighborhood Webslinger. While the roster changes on occasion, both the Vulture and the Scorpion are mainstays of the group, often joining the likes of Sandman, Electro and Doctor Octopus to round out the sextet.

Will We Actually See A Sinister Six Movie?

Following the unprecedented deal that allowed Marvel and Sony to share the rights to Spider-Man, there's been a tangled web of licensing issues regarding other characters in the Spider-Verse, including the likes of Venom and Black Cat.

A recent article published by The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Sony will move forward with spinoffs such as Silver & Black, which will form part of a larger shared universe. However, the same article also denied that a Sinister Six movie will be released, explicitly stating:

[The] Spider-Man villain ensemble Sinister Six … has been shelved.

Rather confusingly, the same article also revealed that there are plans to develop movies starring Kraven and Mysterio in their live-action debut. These memorable Spider-Man villains are recurring — and founding — members of the Sinister Six, which suggests that a team-up with the likes of Vulture and Scorpion can't be far behind. In fact, it seems rather bizarre to create movies based around these untested villains without widening the scope first through the context of the Sinister Six.

This wouldn't be the first time that Sony has planned to release a movie starring Spider-Man's greatest foes. Before the rights were shared with Marvel, Sony had already confirmed that a Sinister Six movie was high on its agenda and had plans to develop a Spider-Verse that are confirmed to be afoot once again. According to the same THR story:

The idea, says a studio source, is to build out a world gradually rather than launch one immediately.

It's only a matter of time before Sony combines Kraven, Mysterio, Vulture and Scorpion into a team of supervillains, right? Our Spider senses sure are tingling on this one.

While we wait for a Sinister Six movie to finally arrive in cinemas, it's worth bearing in mind the invaluable lesson that Captain america imparts in the second post-credits scene. Sure, we may not see any glimpses of Avengers: Infinity War, but Steve Rogers reprises his earlier public service announcements to share far more important things that are on his mind:

Hi. I'm here to talk to you about patience. Sometimes it seems like it's not worth it. You wonder why you waited so long for something so disappointing.

This may not be the Avengers team-up that fans were hoping for, but it's admittedly hilarious to see Captain America parody the very notion of post-credits scenes and why we sit through them in the first place. Ironically, though, our next glimpse of the Sinister Six could very well appear in a post-credits scene for Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 or even Avengers: Infinity War, so I guess we'll just have to continue waiting until the credits finish rolling before we can dust off the popcorn crumbs, once and for all.

In the meantime, check out our definitive list of Easter Eggs from Spider-Man: Homecoming here and reach out to let us know if you spotted any more that we may have missed.

[Source: The Hollywood Reporter; Heavy]