'Amazing Spider-Man' villain revealed

The Outsiders star C. Thomas Howell has inadvertently revealed the identity of the main villain in next year's Spider-Man reboot.

During a Retroradio podcast, the actor discussed his supporting role in The Amazing Spider-Man, before confirming that The Lizard will indeed be the film's primary antagonist.

"I play a construction worker whose son is caught in the middle of a battle between The Lizard and Spider-Man on the Manhattan bridge," Howell revealed. "Spider-Man helps me get my son back from this perilous situation."

The actor also claimed that the film will focus more on the public's fear and mistrust of Spider-Man than Sam Raimi's original trilogy did.

"Part of the story is the nation thinks he might be a bad guy," Howell explained. "Spider-Man is kind of hurting. I help him when all of the other people won't."

The inclusion of The Lizard in Marc Webb's reboot has been rumoured ever since Rhys Ifans was cast in an unknown role last year, but Sony have yet to make an official announcement regarding the film's villain.

The Lizard, a long-running enemy of Spider-Man in the comic book series, was created when Peter Parker's lecturer Dr Curt Connors injected himself with reptile DNA in an attempt to regrow a lost limb, but instead ends up turning himself into a mindless monster.

The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released in 3D on July 3, 2012.

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