Bad Bunny to Star in Spider-Man Spinoff ‘El Muerto’
The newest member of the Spider-Verse: Bad Bunny.
At CinemaCon this week, Sony announced that the next addition to their world of Spider-Man-inspired films is El Muerto, probably the most obscure character to date that they’ve given their own solo film. As Marvel.com describes him, the character is a “super powered wrestler” whose powers and mask “have been passed down generation to generation. Each wrestler had to prove themselves to their oppressor, el Dorado, so that they could remain alive and keep their powers.”
And that description alone might offer a big clue as to why Bad Bunny would want to play the part; he’s a big wrestling fan and competed at last year’s WrestleMania and this year’s Royal Rumble. According to Deadline, the idea of making an El Muerto film came from Bad Bunny himself:
Following some recent meetings in trying to figure out a star vehicle for him, the multi-hyphenate took matters into his own hands as he began mining the Spider-Man library for Latin characters that would suit him best eventually coming across El Muerto. The studio loved the idea and hope is to move fast on the project given Bad Bunny’s busy schedule that includes touring and acting.
Deadline also notes that El Muerto will be “the first Latin superhero to get his own film in the universe of Marvel characters.” The character of El Muerto first appeared in a 2006 issue of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man written by Peter David, and illustrated by Roger Cruz. (I would expect the price of that issue to go up significantly in the next week or two at comic book stores around the country.)
El Muerto is scheduled to open in theaters on January 12, 2024.