Jamie Foxx's Most Memorable Moments As Electro In Spider-Man

Jamie Foxx is an incredibly gifted Academy Award-winning actor with a slew of impressive performances under his belt. The actor appeared in the TV show "In Living Color," Michael Mann's "Ali," "Collateral," and "Miami Vice," and won an Oscar for "Ray." There's seemingly nothing he can't do, which is why I was ecstatic when he landed the role of Electro in 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

Foxx was worth every penny.

The comic book epic got bashed by critics upon its release. It was disappointing enough at the box office that Sony scrapped all plans for a follow-up. Thankfully, the movie gods gifted fans "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which brought back Foxx's Electro (and many more past favorites) for more Spidey-punching mayhem. And lucky for me, "No Way Home" makes it easier to pick out a handful of my favorite Foxx as Electro moments.

Be warned: there are many. I've listed said scenes here, ranked worst to best, for your viewing pleasure. Let's do this -- read!

Birth Of Electro

Count me among those who enjoy "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Yes, it's a mess of a film with a clunky script and a nonsensical plot. Still, it also features some of the best Spider-Man action put to film and terrific interactions between Andrew Garfield's Spidey and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy.

The comic book epic sees our titular hero take on a trio of villains, specifically Rhino (Paul Giamatti), Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), and Jamie Foxx's electrifying Electro, who serves as the main baddie. Foxx begins the film as electrical engineer Max Dillon, a mild-mannered nerd whose life takes an unexpected turn when he bumps into the Web-Head and develops an affection for him.

Foxx has a blast in these early scenes, playing against type. Max is a kindhearted but intensely bitter soul longing for attention. As such, when he attains the power of electricity, he proves to be a destructive force due to his pent-up rage and aggression. How does he get those powers?

Bear with me. Max falls into a pool full of electric eels. Yeah, it's a little goofy, so I place the moment at the bottom of the list. Still, to Foxx's credit, he makes you actually sympathize with Max and even root for him to succeed until he flies off the handle in the exciting climax. It's also a very comic book-y origin story, which is always a plus.

Apartment Scene

We had to wait nearly a decade to see Jamie Foxx return as Electro in the awesome "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Luckily, our patience pays off handsomely. The actor slips back into the role effortlessly, giving the character more of an edge in this go-round.

In arguably the film's best scene, Max/Electro sits around an apartment with Tom Holland's Spidey and a handful of bad guys -- Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) -- after Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) accidentally transports him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe following a multiverse mishap. It makes sense in the movie.

Spidey tries to save the bad guys by removing their powers. Electro doesn't like the idea, and when Green Goblin strikes, he rips off the device designed to drain his electricity and makes a break for it. Then, as Spider-Man and Goblin fight, Electro sucks the energy from the apartment, blasts a hole in the wall, and creates an electric storm with Sandman before zipping away.

Foxx conveys the perfect blend of menace, anger, and determination in the sequence, particularly when he blasts Doc Ock from the building after noting, "I liked you better before." Honestly, for those who watched Max's evolution in "Amazing Spider-Man 2," it's easy to see why he would be so reluctant to give up the powers that transformed him into a god.

Grid Fight

Electro meets his end during the climax of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," after battling Spidey at New York's power grid. The scuffle, primarily rendered in splashy CGI, is glorious to watch, even when Electro uses his powers to play "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" -- an admittedly goofy moment that induces groans.

Regardless, there's some good stuff here. At one point, Electro spews electricity on Spider-Man, a wicked effect that makes him look terrifying. Electro almost wins the match, but Gwen hits him with a car before he can deliver the final blow. A video game-esque chase sequence follows; destruction on a truly unprecedented scale. Eventually, Gwen manages to overload the electric grid, seemingly destroying the villain in the process.

I found this final confrontation quite exciting. I love Electro's look and think Jamie Foxx infuses him with an equal dose of anger and madness, letting the audience feel his hatred toward Spider-Man. While mostly rendered via computer effects, the personal animosity between the foes still shines through, making this sequence one of the more intense comic book movie standoffs.

Electro Returns

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" packs a lot of fan service into its massive runtime. Not only do we see the return of Tobey Maguire from Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy, but we also get Andrew Garfield and a batch of old foes from previous films. Jamie Foxx's arrival as Electro ranks amongst the most significant crowd-pleasing moments.

Adorned in a black costume, Spidey bumps into the baddie in the middle of a forest at night -- a flurry of electricity crackles along a grouping of power lines in the distance. Spidey turns just in time to see Electro's body generate. The villain's eyes snap open, and a fierce chase ensues, with our hero barely evading a series of electronic bolts. Then, working with Sandman, Spidey stops the assault by destroying the nearby towers, thus cutting off Electro's power.

Now reduced to his human form, we see Foxx as Max, who takes note of his alien surroundings and snaps, "So what? Ya'll just gonna stand there and act like I ain't butt a** naked?" Again, Foxx is great in the role, and his line delivery and world-weary approach absolutely work. Also, how great is it to hear Hans Zimmer's powerful Electro theme again?

The appeal of this scene revolves around Foxx's reemergence as the character. I never thought I'd see the big guy again, so this moment made me happy as a fan. That said, we're about to get to the excellent stuff.

New York Havoc

Jamie Foxx's Electro pops in and out of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," often unexpectedly, making him unpredictable and all the more dangerous. Case in point, shortly after Spidey and Gwen reunite and agree to stay together, Electro absorbs the city's power and beckons the wall-crawler to join him for one final mano a mano battle royale at the local power grid.

Spider-Man obliges and swings into action as Electro rains down holy hell on the city, striking cars and buildings with electronic blasts that leave massive craters in the streets. We get an unbelievable shot of Spidey swinging through the darkened buildings. Then we see it: Electro's face forms on the side of a building, his eyes filled with hate. "Do you see me now, Spider-Man," he growls. "It's time to meet our destiny."

This is one of those holy s*** cinematic moments that leave you salivating at the mouth in the theater. Here, we see the true extent of Electro's power -- his incredible ability to manipulate electricity is truly a sight. Moreover, this is such an enormous contrast to the Max we saw earlier in the picture that it's almost tragic to see the unhinged monster he's become. Foxx is fantastic at portraying characters suffering internally. This moment emphasizes how far this meek, lowly man fell in his bid for relevance.

Miles Morales

At the tale end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the three Spider-Men successfully defeat the likes of Sandman and Lizard. Fittingly, Andrew Garfield's Spidey manages to thwart Electro (with a bit of help from Doc Ock), then kneels next to him for a heart-to-heart. "Peter 3" removes his mask and reveals his true identity, leading a de-powered Max to scoff and say, "I just thought you were gonna be Black," due to Spidey's super heroics residing in Queens and his propensity to help poor people. "Peter 3" says he's sorry, leading Max to exclaim, "No, don't apologize. There's gotta be a Black Spider-Man out there somewhere."

The packed house of eager moviegoers sitting next to me on opening night went nuts at this moment. Jamie Foxx is hinting at Miles Morales existing somewhere in the multiverse, which is exciting in and of itself. Technically, Miles is part of the MCU, albeit in animated form, specifically "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and its sequel, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." However, seeing this particular Web-Head get a little shout-out is still fun. Even better, it comes from Foxx, who gives the moment more gravitas with his performance.

Seriously, this guy kills it as Electro. We need more of him.

I Am Electro

To say "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" toes the narrow line between a slavish comic book adaptation and campy farce is an understatement. Director Marc Webb takes some wild swings with the material and occasionally stumbles. Regrettably, no scene better encapsulates this creative struggle than the heavily marketed "I am Electro" scene.

Let me set the stage. After battling Spider-Man in Times Square, Electro is apprehended and taken to Oscorp for further study by the nefarious, lipstick-sporting Dr. Kafka (Marton Csokas). The duo meets, where the good doctor reveals his desire to learn as much about Electro as possible. He taps on a keyboard and sends a burst of electricity into Electro, who snarls, "You want to know how powerful I am?"

"Yes," Dr. Kafka replies, punching the keys once more.

"I'm dying to know, Doc," Electro says, his face glowing red. "But you better make damn sure you kill me this time because if you don't, I'm going to kill the light so that everyone in the city is going to know how it feels to live in my world. A world without power. A world without mercy. A world without Spider-Man."

If that weren't enough, the villain's blue eyes widen when asked who he is, and he beams, "Don't you know? I'm Electro." Jamie Foxx's line delivery sends shivers down the spine. Here is when little ole Max finally becomes Electro, and you really start taking him seriously.

Oscorp Breakout

After the scene above, Harry runs to Electro and begs for help. There's an effective little bit where Harry mentions Spider-Man, and the name almost seems like it hurts Electro, the electricity pulsating through his veins glows brightly. Harry screams, "I need you, Max!" The villain takes this to heart. "You need me?" he asks, pain in his voice as guards pour into the room. "You need me?" he asks again.

Frantically, Harry zaps him with a stun gun, sending a wave of energy through his body. Zimmer's music builds; Electro screams and seems to explode, sending a blast of electricity across the room. Immediately, the security team drops dead, burn marks on their faces. Then, like Dr. Manhattan, Electro reappears, the fibers of his body forming in midair. After taking out Dr. Kafka, Electro turns to Harry and, reaffirming his friendship, says, "Let's go catch a spider."

I love Jamie Foxx's voice in this scene. It sounds like pure energy or static bursting through speakers. His pupils radiate within dark eye sockets, and the veins in his forehead practically burst with electricity. Foxx is in complete control, even while drenched in heavy makeup. The empathy he displays when Harry pleads for his help is fascinating. Here, we have a villain alternating between near-childlike innocence and a maniacal god-like being. We see all of those forces come to light here.

Man, Spidey should've remembered Max's birthday.

Oscorp Takeover

Moments later, Harry heads upstairs to confront Donald Menken (Colm Feore), who tried to remove him from the Oscorp company. A security guard notices the computer monitors going haywire and rushes to remove Donald from the building. Before he can act, the guard drops dead, and a hole burns into his stomach. Behind him, Electro's body, now outfitted in a black leather outfit, appears out of thin air.

"Remember me?" he says, lifting a hand and blasting away the desk.

Harry starts talking smack to Donald, who watches, a lifeless scowl etched on his face. When Donald tries to offer his insults, Electro zaps him unconscious with a flick. Eventually, Harry leads Donald out of the room with a gun and tells Electro, "The grid is all yours." Electro eyes a power socket in the floor, dissolves into a blob of energy, and zips inside, carefully closing the cap.

With every scene, Jamie Foxx becomes even more terrifying as the famed Spidey foe. He looks incredible in that shot, where he silently stands next to Harry, an uncontrollable force of nature oozing with anger. You half expect him to explode and wipe out everyone nearby. It's a great example of a brilliant actor doing a lot with a little. Unfortunately, the scene doesn't top the final two entries on our list.

Statue Of Liberty Smackdown

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" culminates in a massive fight sequence between our three Spider-Men and their dangerous adversaries atop the Statue of Liberty. Electro figures significantly and gets a chance to show off his new look -- a yellow and black harness that seems to make his energy even more powerful. Moreover, the electricity forms a mask over his face, miming the character's look in the comics. More of a tease than anything, it's still cool to see the filmmakers develop a unique way to please comic book enthusiasts.

As the thrilling finale continues, Electro proves incredibly strong and nearly destroys the entire structure. Luckily, Doc Ock appears and stops him from committing more atrocities, returning Max to his original state just in time for that previously discussed heart-to-heart with Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man.

Max comes full circle, growing from a bumbling nerd to a mighty being and back again -- albeit this time without all the bumbling. The experience isn't bad, since he appears happy with his state at the film's end. The fact we got to see our long-lost villain enjoy something of a character arc after such a long time is reason enough to rank this scene so high. "G*** damn eels," Max mutters when Garfield's Spidey helps him up.

Indeed, Max. Indeed.

Times Square Battle

Finally, my favorite Jamie Foxx as Electro moment arrives midway through "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" when the antagonist first reveals himself during the epic Times Square battle. I dig the way Marc Webb sets up this sequence. We see Max, fresh from his run-in with the electric eels, hobbling through the streets, starving for energy. Spidey, hanging out with Gwen nearby, senses something wrong. Hans Zimmer's rhythmic music kicks in -- voices that increase with intensity the more powerful Electro becomes.

Electro latches onto a cable beneath the streets, draws the attention of the cops and nearby New Yorkers, and suddenly sees his face all over the billboards. The cops try to subdue him, and Electro loses it, unleashing a wave of energy that blows everyone back. Spider-Man arrives and tries to diffuse the situation, but all hell breaks loose when a sniper takes a shot. "I got so much anger," Electro barks. "I just ... I just wanted everyone to see me."

He loses control when Spider-Man's face supplants his on the massive billboards. Spidey finally puts him down with some water.

It's a wicked cool sequence that Foxx plays to perfection. We pity and fear Max, a loner with no friends who feels betrayed by the one person he thought he could trust. Foxx's slow evolution from a scared, helpless individual to a full-on anarchist is a blast and easily the peak of his time as Electro.

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