The upcoming film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is already packed with the villains Electro, Rhino, and the Green Goblin, but it appears that one more may make his big screen debut as well. The character Herman Schultz, aka The Shocker, was mentioned on the film’s Tumblr page.
A faux news story appearing on the Tumblr describes Spidey’s arrest of a new baddie. “New York’s superhuman vigilante caught the mechanically augmented robber, suspected in two previous bank heists, as he fled the scene with the stolen loot.”
The Tumblr then went on to name the suspect as “disgruntled engineer, Herman Schultz.” It goes on to say that Schultz created wrist gauntlets “capable of emitting a vibratory wave of pressure that proved capable of tearing apart a four-foot thick steel vault.”
In the comics Schultz is known by his alias The Shocker, a villain first introduced in 1967. The “news” story is nowhere near confirmation that the character will actually appear in the film, but it could pave the way for The Shocker to appear in future Spider-Man movies, or even the recently announced Sinister Six spin-off – in the comics, the original Sinister Six consisted of Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Kraven the Hunter, and Sandman. A later version of the team then introduced The Shocker.
With three confirmed villains already, introducing a fourth might be problematic, but the Tumblr at least confirms that the character is active in the film’s universe. The author of the story, Ned Leeds, could also be either a future plot point, or at least an Easter Egg for fans.
In the comics, Leeds and Peter Parker sparred over the affections of Daily Bugle secretary Betty Brant. During an investigation, Leeds discovered the lair of the Hobgoblin, a villain that used Norman Osborn’s (aka the Green Goblin) equipment. The history of the character gets a little confusing after that. Originally he was a straight up villain, but later stories expanded on his history and claimed he was brainwashed. Regardless, the character is deeply embedded in the Spider-Man comic lore.
