It's nearly time for Spider-Man to have a big Marvel Cinematic Universe comeback. Nearly half a decade since his last big-screen adventure, the wall-crawler will be back in a street-level story that will pull no punches. Filming for Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already underway, and fans couldn't be any more excited about the project that director Destin Daniel Cretton and Tom Holland are crafting.
So far, we've all seen the set pictures and videos of Spidey attempting to stop a tank as it ravages through the streets of Glasgow (a setting that will become New York City with the help of a bit of movie magic). Initially, fans speculated that the heavily-armored vehicle belonged to the Inner Demon army, given that it has a red demon-like logo on the side. However, it has since been reported that Mister Negative won't appear in the movie, which has led to theories that Frank Castle's Punisher is the one driving the tank.
If that turns out to be the case, then the iconic anti-hero might meet his match in the form of another unstoppable force.
Rhino-like prop spotted on the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day
GlasgowWorld recently had the chance to visit the Spider-Man: Brand New Day set and were treated to an interesting discovery. According to the news outlet, a scene was filmed in which a tank was being chased by another vehicle with a prop shaped like a Rhino's head at the front of it. This would all but confirm that Aleksei Sytsevich is coming to the big screen.
So far, it has been officially confirmed that Scorpion will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and now it seems Rhino will also join him. Additionally, reliable and renowned superhero insider Daniel Richtman claimed that four other antagonists will also appear in the movie: Tombstone, Tarantula, Boomerang, and Ramrod. If that ends up being the case, the wall-crawler would end up going against six sinister villains, and we all know what that means.
Spider-Man: No Way Home nearly featured a version of the Sinister Six, with Rhino, Venom, and Mysterio all considered to take the spot as the final member of the group. However, that ultimately wasn't the case, as Sony reportedly wanted to save the appearance of the supervillain team for their own cinematic universe (an idea that was reinforced by the Morbius post-credits scene). But now that the SSU has officially come to an end, there is no reason for the Sinister Six not to be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
If Rhino does show up in the wall-crawler's upcoming adventure, then it means Marvel isn't prohibited from using villains that appeared in the SSU anymore. Venom, Kraven, Chameleon, Morbius, and even Knull could suddenly show up in the MCU at any moment now, which is nothing short of exciting. After all, Spidey might finally go up against his entire rogues gallery from this point onward without limitations.
It will be interesting to learn how the MCU decides to reimagine Rhino after two arguably failed adaptations. The first time audiences saw the villain on the big screen, he was portrayed by Paul Giamatti in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, the character's goofy personality and his cartoony mechanical suit design prevented him from resonating with audiences.
Things didn't get any better when Alessandro Nivola brought Aleksei Sytsevich to life in Kraven the Hunter. This time, Rhino was portrayed as a human who injects himself with a serum that makes him bigger and stronger. While it was a different approach, the character's VFX needed more work, much like its predecessor. So, it doesn't matter if the MCU decides to make the Rhino a robot or a human, as long as they come up with a compelling design that has realistic special effects.
Given that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is less than a year away from its release, it shouldn't be long before Marvel and Sony give us a glimpse behind the curtain and release a teaser or even the first official trailer. With a bit of luck, we'll finally learn which villains will make it into the movie.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on Jul. 31, 2026.