New Spider-Man 4 Rumor Reveals Marvel Villains Scrapped From MCU Sequel

New rumors about the upcoming Spider-Man 4 reveal which villains were set to be featured in the sequel prior to the script being reworked. Per a Patreon post from industry insider Daniel Richtman, aka DanielRPK, the film was going to feature a couple of familiar faces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s past. “They are still rewriting the script for [Spider-Man 4],” he wrote. “The original version before they scrapped it had Scorpion and Shocker.“ Richtman’s post did not indicate which villains have taken their place.

Shocker and Scorpion have roles in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, the only MCU appearance for both characters. The former, played by Bokeem Woodbine, was a member of Adrian Toomes’ crew who was arrested after an encounter with Spider-Man. The latter, portrayed by Better Call Saul star Michael Mando, is a notorious criminal who attempted to purchase special weapons from Toomes. He was also arrested; he is seen in prison during one of the Homecoming post-credits scenes, vowing to take revenge on Spider-Man.

Spider-Man 4, which sees Tom Holland reprise the role of Peter Parker, is scheduled for a theatrical premiere in July 2026. The plan is for the movie to begin production at some point in the summer. Story details are largely being kept under wraps thus far, but producer Amy Pascal has indicated Spider-Man 4 will deal with the emotional conclusion to Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which Doctor Strange casts a spell to make the world forget who Peter Parker is.

[Related: Spider-Man Far From Home Had the Perfect Way to Introduce Kraven (But Now It’s Too Late)]

Mando has addressed a potential MCU return in the past, saying there’s “always a chance” Scorpion comes back to the fold. The actor also pitched his idea for a Scorpion standalone spin-off movie, which would explore Mac Gargan’s dark nature as “a detective who goes rogue.” While Mando’s take on Scorpion hasn’t been seen in years, a version of the character is one of many villains who appears in the animated MCU series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The show takes place in an alternate reality separate from the MCU movies.

Assuming this rumor is true, it’s disappointing a role for Scorpion was scrapped. Not only is Mando a talented actor, his character has unfinished business in the MCU. At the time of Homecoming‘s release, it was assumed the post-credits stinger was teasing a future appearance for Scorpion, setting up a revenge plot where Gargan would try to kill Spider-Man. Unfortunately, it seems this threat is one of many Spider-Man movie plot points that won’t get a resolution. That’s a shame, as it would have been entertaining to see Mando tap into Gargan’s unhinged personality as he stops at nothing to put an end to Spider-Man. There’s always the possibility Scorpion is brought back in a different project, but that feels increasingly unlikely the further removed we are from Homecoming‘s premiere.

Prior to Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s Multiverse narrative that famously saw villains from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb movies return, the MCU Spider-Man films made a point to feature antagonists that hadn’t appeared in live-action before (Vulture in Homecoming; Mysterio in Far From Home). With that in mind, it’s possible the Spider-Man 4 script is being rewritten to give other members of Spider-Man’s extensive rogues gallery time to shine on the big screen. It’s unknown who that could be, but it would be nice if the film has Peter tackle a street-level threat, a refreshing change-of-pace from what Holland’s iteration has dealt with before. With Spider-Man 4 set to start filming soon, fans will hopefully learn who the web head will face off against in the near future, as casting announcements are surely on the horizon.