First picture of Sandman

Speculation on who the villains in 'Spider-Man 3' will be has been running rampant for months. Till now, Sony has staunchly avoided confirming anything, except that Topher Grace and Thomas Haden Church have been cast as villains. Who those villains will be has remained a secret.

Now, we know at least half of the truth. Sony has revealed who Thomas Haden Church will be playing, via a picture of him in costume on 'Spider-Man 3's' official site. There, Church is pictured above the caption "Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko". The name is misleading , but the character's costume is unmistakable.

Thomas Haden Church will play the villain "Sandman" in 'Spider-Man 3'. Flint Marko has been used in the comics before as one of his aliases, and the rather simple costume is all Sandman.

Who is Sandman? The Amazing Spider-Man Unofficial Fan Site describes him this way: "Sandman has the ability to transform into a malleable sand-like substance which can be hardened, dispersed, or shaped according to his will. He can increase his size and mass to an unknown extent when in sand-form by incorporating sand grains in his vicinity into his body."

'Spider-Man 3' is still a long way off, and we still don't know who Topher Grace is playing. The rumor has been that the baddies will be Sandman and Venom. With the Sandman rumor proving true, that only lends more credence to the idea that Grace will indeed be Venom. Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko aka Sandman