The Hobgoblin To Feature In the MCU’s “Spider-Man 3”?

The rumors about Spider-Man 3 just keep swirling. From the news that Charlie Cox might be reprising his role as Daredevil in the threequel, to the possibility of Mister Negative popping up, the webslinger’s next movie seems to be all anyone can talk about. And now, one of the oldest reports, that Jacob Batalon’s Ned will transform into the Spider-villain Hobgoblin, has some weight behind it.

A post on Instagram from Flash Thompson himself, Tony Revolori, showcases a poster featuring a pros and cons list between Betty and Ned. Conspicuously, there is an orange triangle drawn over Ned’s head that is eerily reminiscent of Hobgoblin’s hat. While this certainly isn’t an official confirmation of Ned’s villainous transformation, it is certainly a nod toward that possibility, and the closest that Sony has come to acknowledging the speculation. The image can be seen below:

The history of the Hobgoblin buzz dates back to the release of Far From Home when Batalon went on record as wanting to take on the role, and the rumors just grew from there. And there is a comic book precedent for this transformation. In the source, Ned actually became the Hobgoblin, though he was actually being controlled by the real rogue, Roderick Kingsley, so an evil he wrought wasn’t his fault.

It’s also been noted that Batalon’s stark weight loss could be more than just an attempt to get healthier and could be because it was required of him for Spider-Man 3. Hobgoblin remains one of the few major bad guys within Spider-Man’s vast rogue’s gallery that has yet to see a cinematic adaptation, though it is one that has long been desired by fans. It was thought that James Franco would don the orange hat in the first Spider-Man 3 back in 2007, as Harry Osborn has a history of taking on that role in the comics and the various animated shows, but that ended up not happening.

And while it is certainly exciting that Hobgoblin might actually be coming to the silver screen, it’s doubtful the role would be major in the upcoming sequel, as there are several major villains lined up for the movie. If anything does happen, it will likely be a planting a seed for a future film, and Ned will only begin his bad guy transformation. We’ll find out for sure this later this year when the next MCU adventure for Spider-Man hits theaters on December 17th.