The upcoming 4th installment in the hugely successful Spider-Man franchise, sparked many a forum debate about which villain or villains should take on Spidey. The two popular choices boiled down to The Lizard and/or Carnage. Insider sources have now revealed the Lizard will be the choice and the only choice for Spider-Man 4.The idea seems to be sound as the franchise has been more successful when a single villain was used rather than when having multiple villains, which led to weak story lines. This coupled with the fact that before taking on this project, director Sam Raimi said that if he ever returned to direct Spider-Man, he would turn Connors into the Lizard makes the identity of the villain more or less settled.
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, The Lizard first appeared in Spider-Man comics back in 1963. The Lizard is really Dr. Curtis Connors and in Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3 the movie set up the future entry of The Lizard by showing Dr. Conners in minor segments. A gifted army surgeon, Connors lost his right arm in a blast and later became obsessed with reptilian limb regeneration. After experimenting on animals Connors ends by experimenting on himself which eventually turns him into the monster known as The Lizard. Spider-man helps The Lizard turn back into Dr. Connors by finding a cure. However the cure is short lived in that during times of stress or due to chemical reactions, Connors unwittingly turns back into the monster. The Spider-Man Vs. The Lizard saga uses this as a recurring theme, with Spidey finding a cure that turns The Lizard back into Connors every time he transforms.