As we start to see Marvel struggle a little bit, some of us look back at characters who maybe didn’t get some love in either the MCU or the pre-shared universe days. There have been some characters who maybe deserve a second chance from the days of the early 2000s, when superhero cinema was not what it is now. One of which is Thomas Haden Church’s portrayal of Flint Marko, aka Sandman, inSpider-Man 3.
In the release ofSpider-Man: No Way Home,Sandman is one of many villains who make their way out of the multiverse to go to war with Peter Parker. Sandman doesn’t get the same amount of screen time as, say, Jamie Foxx’s Electro or Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. And it just so happens thatThomas Haden Churchwas never on setfor any production work for the film, the appearance of Sandman was all CGI, and only his voice was implemented in post. And as the MCU goes forward, one can only think that, in the world of your neighborhood-friendly Spider-Man, Sandman deserves more going forward. He’s an overlooked character that deserves a second chance in the MCU’s multiverse of madness.
Underused and Overlooked
Sandman’s appearance inSpider-Man 3comes with some baggage. For starters, most would agree that the third installment in theSam Raimi-directedfranchise is the least loved of the three. It’s clunky in its execution of plot and character arcs, and is a tonal mess. As time has gone on,people have developed a soft spot for it, though.Thomas Haden Church’s performance in the film gets overshadowed by the eventual arrival of Venom, played by Topher Grace. In the end, the audiences were just a little more enticed by that going in, even though bringing that character to life fell kind of flat too.
Another issue with Sandman’s appearance inSpider-Man 3is that he gets shoehorned into the Uncle Ben murder subplot. Fans have hated this angle for a while and felt it made zero sense. Uncle Ben being murdered rivals the Thomas and Martha Wayne murder, in plot points that comic book fans are tired of seeing in movies. And even in 2007, it was meant with a groan for forcing Flint Marko/Sandman into all of that, so we could get the theme of forgiveness to feel properly earned.
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Relatable Backstory
Despite some of the negative parts ofSpider-Man 3swirling around Flint Marko/Sandman, one thing holds true: he is somewhat relatable in a sense. Before becoming Sandman, Flint Marko was just a guy trying to be close to his sick daughter. He becomes a villain only because he has the fear of losing his daughter hanging over him. And once he learns the identity of Spider-Man is Peter Parker, his animosity towards him resides a bit. Because he understands why Parker wants him dead. Sandman never feels like a full-on villain. If Marvel were to bring him back as an antagonist, you could see him doing the hero of the story a solid by helping them out in the third act.
Thomas Haden Church Is a Great Actor
Let’s be honest, it was a bit of a weird casting choice forThomas Haden Churchto be a villain in a superhero movie. But not by 2007 standards, as a few years earlier, he had been nominated for an Academy Award forBest Supporting Actor in 2004’sSideways. He was a character actor whose star was starting to light up; of course, playing in a summer blockbuster was going to be coming down the pipeline. Church is an actors actor he’s never really been much of a leading man, and that’s okay; not everyone can.
That doesn’t make him a bad actor. He thrives on supporting roles in both indie and big-budget spectacles. Yes, he’s aged a bit sinceSpider-Man 3. But Sandman is a man given extraordinary powers, so of course he’s going to age a bit. It’s a perfect time to bring the character back and see what life has done to him since we last saw him going toe-to-toe with Spidey.
Related:Spider-Man Sandman Star Addresses a Possible Return to the Franchise
Marvel Loves Second Chances
Just take a good, hard look atSpider-Man: No Way Home.It’s full of actors getting either a second chance or just another shot at doing something cool within the confines of the MCU. Andrew Garfield gets a bit of redemption when saving Mary Jane from nearly falling to her death. Jamie Foxx played Electro, but there was no depth to his character on the first go around. And from what we saw of Sandman, we just plain old wanted more.
Marvel is a place that looks at past failures and thinks, How can we make this better for the fans? James Gunn even got the studio to humble upand let him makeGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.It’s time to take some of the more supporting roles of the universe and see if there is any room for improvement. Why not start with Flint Marko?
