The 'Spider-Man' Cameo You Forgot About

When it comes to superhero revivals, Spider-Man has been rebooted more than most. Although there have arguably been more incarnations of Batman or Superman over the years, Spider-Man's reboots have taken place over such a short space of time, it's hard to keep up. While I'll always have a soft spot for Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man defined my generation, and Kirsten Dunst was too good as Mary Jane. The star studded cast was incredible, but there's probably one Spider-Man cameo you forgot about, and that's Joe Manganiello.

Released on May 3, 2002, Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man movie provided a new standard for superhero films, and inspired an entire collection of Marvel adventures. Now a household name, Manganiello wasn't always so well known, or quite as pristine as he is today. The incredibly handsome actor, who is now married to Sophia Vergara, played Flash Thompson in Spider-Man, and reprised the role in Spider-Man 3. An antagonist in the first movie, Flash bullied Peter Parker relentlessly, and even dated Mary Jane. However, the tables turned when Peter's superpowers made him infinitely stronger than he looked.

Re-watching Spider-Man on its fifteen anniversary, it's hard to believe that Manganiello had a role in the movie. Especially as he's become a much bigger star since the film came out.

As a fresh faced actor in 2002's Spider-Man, it's hard to recognize Manganiello who's renowned for having sculpted stubble or a beard at all times, and a chiselled Magic Mike physique. If the franchise had continued with Tobey Maguire as the lead, then Manganiello would have had the chance to showcase his impressive physical evolution.

Flash Thompson's an important character in the Spider-Man universe, and his expanded story line would've been perfect on screen. The comic book character became a more recent incarnation of the villain Venom, meaning that a reprisal of the original trilogy would leave room for the True Blood actor to take on a much bigger role.

Until Marvel find a way to merge all three Spider-Man timelines, putting Maguire, Garfield, and Tom Holland in the same room, we'll just have to dream about Manganiello's Flash making a comeback.