Who Is Hypno-Hustler, Sony’s Latest Obscure Spider-Man Character?

The obscure Spider-Man character Hypno-Hustler is getting his own movie from Sony Pictures starring actor/musician Donald Glover, and the antagonist’s backstory is very unusual even for a Spider-Man villain. While the feature film is still in early development, it will be set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe alongside the Venom and Morbius movies, and Glover will also executive produce the picture. Despite being relatively unknown to average comic book readers, Hypno-Hustler’s origins could make for a unique entry in Sony’s franchise of Spider-Man-related characters.

Although Donald Glover has been involved with Spider-Man before, having appeared in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming as Aaron Davis and Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man as Miles Morales, Glover’s new Spider-Man role will be the first time he has a starring role in the franchise. While the Hypno-Hustler movie’s plot isn’t publicly known, it’s expected to revolve around the bizarre antagonist. The Hollywood Reporter detailed that Glover was intrigued by the character’s musical aspects, suggesting that music will be a central theme of the overarching plot. Additionally, the film’s script will be written by Eddie Murphy’s son Myles Murphy.

Hypno-Hustler, Sony’s New Spider-Man Character, Explained

Introduced in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #24 in 1978, Antoine Desloin became known as the Hypno-Hustler, the lead singer of the Mercy Killers. Using hypnosis technology in his instruments, Hypno-Hustler would hypnotize his audience in order to rob them of their money and possessions. At one point, Peter Parker was in the crowd as well and donned his Spider-Man suit, ultimately discovering that Hypno-Hustler’s headphones prevented him from becoming hypnotized by his own technology. Spider-Man was then able to remove the headphones before webbing up Hypno-Hustler and the Mercy Killers, leaving them for the police.

In addition to performing hypnosis through the use of playing his guitar, Hypno-Hustler’s boots are able to produce knockout gas, and he keeps retractable knives in the soles. As Sony continues to strengthen its Spider-Man Multiverse, Hypno-Hustler has encountered other Marvel characters that eventually appeared in the MCU such as Deadpool, Man-Bull, and the Tinkerer. The unusual Spider-Man character was also seen in House of M and Spider-Man: Reign and appeared in shows such as The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and video games including Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.

How Does Hypno-Hustler Fit Into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?

Although Hypno-Hustler is typically ranked as one of the worst comic book villains due to his outdated campy personality, the Hypno-Hustler movie doesn’t necessarily have to retain the 1970s time period. The film could be depicted as a modern Multiversal musical adventure, a period piece that evolves into a newer setting, or other storytelling methods that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has incorporated before. Because the upcoming Madame Web solo movie will be set in the 2000s, a period setting for Hypno-Hustler could actually work with a retro aesthetic similar to the MCU’s Captain Marvel. However, should the character face Tom Holland’s Spider-Man at some point, Hypno-Hustler would have to be brought into Marvel Studios’ current time period.

Sony’s Spider-Man villain franchise bringing other obscure characters such as El Muerto into the fold indicates the movie studio is trying to branch out more, but it also displays a unique side by focusing more on Spider-Man antagonists. At some point, a Sinister Six movie will likely happen. And while Hypno-Hustler certainly wouldn’t appear in that film, it gives Sony opportunities to form other teams as well apart from the Sinister Six, perhaps even a team of obscure Spider-Man characters that include Bad Bunny’s El Muerto.