The last time Spider-Man took over the big screen in a Marvel Cinematic Universe project, he faced five different villains from previous live-action franchises. But while it was exciting to see the wall-crawler nearly fight the Sinister Six with help from his multiversal counterparts, we need to ask ourselves: Where do you go from there? How can a sequel ever hope to top that? For a long time, neither Marvel nor Sony had a definite answer.
Initial reports claimed Spider-Man: Brand New Day would see Peter Parker join forces with Daredevil to stop the Kingpin's devilish reign. However, it was later revealed that Eddie Brock was nearly part of the movie, with Knull likely acting as the main antagonist after his debut in Venom: The Last Dance. After that, nobody was really sure what was going on behind the scenes or who would get to be the villain. But after much speculation and a long period of being in the dark, we finally have an official answer.
Scorpion will officially appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home; Mister Negative teased
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Mando will reprise his role as Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: No Way Home, nine years after his debut in Homecoming. While Gargan didn't get to adopt the infamous Scorpion persona in Tom Holland's first arachnid movie, the post-credits scene hinted it was only a matter of time before that became a reality. Well, it took a little under a decade, but we're nearly there.
While it's exciting to learn that Scorpion will finally get the spotlight on the big screen, it appears he won't be alone. Production on Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already on its way, and a big set piece is currently being filmed on the streets of Glasgow. While we don't know who will be part of it (at the time of writing this), a set photo revealed that tanks featuring the Inner Demons logo will make an appearance. That can only mean one thing: Mister Negative will also join the fight.
Renowned and reliable insider Alex Perez stated that "at least" 3 villains will take over the spotlight in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and, for the time being, the two revealed can be categorized as street-level villains. Furthermore, Mister Negative is known for being a gang leader in comic book pages, and while Scorpion's case is usually a bit different, he was also portrayed as a mob boss in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. To top things off, it's worth remembering that Punisher will also appear in the movie, which means the plot will very likely deal with a gang war.
While the identity of the reported third villain is still a mystery, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume Tombstone, Silvermane, or Boomerang could make an appearance. Of course, another obvious candidate would be the Kingpin, who recently became the Mayor of New York during the events of Daredevil: Born Again. After all, the series' finale had a Spider-Man Easter Egg that made fans hopeful the Devil of Hell's Kitchen will eventually join forces with the wall-crawler, and Wilson Fisk could prove to be the reason they do so.
With many villains about to wreak havoc in New York, the city will also need many heroes to protect it. Fortunately, it seems that will be the case. It has been confirmed that Mark Ruffalo's Hulk will also appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That's right, Bruce Banner will join Tom Holland's Peter Parker and Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle in what's shaping up to be an exhilarating adventure. The three MCU icons haven't really interacted with each other before, so fingers crossed their relationship proves to be one of the film's highlights.
There's always a risk that Spider-Man movies can get a bit too crowded. Granted, Homecoming and No Way Home proved that multiple villains can have the spotlight without resulting in a messy narrative. However, Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 were franchise killers for this very reason. So, with a bit of luck, Brand New Day will join that list of beloved and successful examples.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on Jul. 31, 2026.