It’s been almost four years since Spider-Man last graced the big screen, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel courtesy of the character’s impending return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The hype train has already started rolling thanks to a number of videos and photos from the set, and previous reports about additional parts of the cast like The Hulk and Punisher have only built the intrigue further. That said, the latest rumor suggests that those appearances are only the tip of the iceberg, as Spider-Man will evidently be facing a number of villains close to the double digits.
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The latest development regarding Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes way of scooper @MyTimeToShineH (via ComicBookMovie), who posted a cryptic tease on X that suggests there are more than eight villains in the film. That might seem like an insane number for any one film, but The Cosmic Circus provided some context and insight into how this will work, and it will reportedly be through a montage sequence at the beginning of the movie, much like it was handled in Fantastic Four: First Steps, and that makes the eight villains much more feasible for a single film’s runtime.
A Villainous Roster
So who are the villains exactly? Previous reports have indicated that the film will feature Spider-Man facing The Hulk and The Punisher at some point, with Hulk reverting to his more Savage persona while Punisher continues to operate on the fringe, and that would easily put him at odds with Spider-Man. That’s only two though, so who are the other 6?
Previous rumors have stated that the key villain of the film will be Tombstone, which fits in with the film’s more street-level approach. Then there are other notable Spider-Man villains mentioned, like Scorpion, Tarantula, Boomerang, and Ramrod, which would be four more added to the mix, and that’s on top of a potential ally for Punisher as well.
If these rumors end up being true, that’s an interesting mix of more obscure villains and iconic mainstays, and with people like Scorpion being a part of it, you could see Marvel setting the foundation for some symbiote chaos down the road, as Mac Gargan does eventually become Venom after all in the comics.
Another interesting point of note is that the montage is expected to not only showcase some fun battles for Spider-Man, but also an evolution of Spidey’s costume and his time as a solo hero. No Way Home ended with no one remembering who Spider-Man really was, including those closest to Peter Parker, so the montage will serve as a way to establish what he’s been doing as a superhero since those events and how he’s changed and evolved, and that will include the suit and any number of upgrades he’s made along the way.
If Marvel can pull it off, this would be a great way to get some classic showdowns in the film without taking too much away from the main story, and it could also serve to set up a few key dominoes moving forward. We’ll have to wait and see, but it definitely holds some promise.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is slated to hit theaters on July 31st, 2026.
What do you think of Marvel’s 8-villain approach to Spider-Man: Brand New Day? Let us know in the comments or on the ComicBook forum!
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