6 Marvel Gangsters Who Could Fight Spider-Man In Live-Action In 2026

Multiple Spider-Man characters associated with the Marvel Universe’s criminal underworld may be making live-action appearances in 2026. And that representation may not stem only from Spider-Man’s highly anticipated big-screen outing, as the wallcrawler has a TV series on the horizon as well, albeit one focused on a different version of the character.

Two live-action Spider-Man projects are slated to arrive in 2026. There’s, of course, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that will see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker cross paths with the Hulk, Punisher, and Scorpion. And on the TV side of things, Nicolas Cage will portray Spider-Man Noir (who he voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) in Prime Video’s eight-episode Spider-Noir show.

Naturally, Brand New Day and Spider-Noir promise to offer drastically different Spider-Man stories. But while that is definitely the case, there are some noteworthy similarities, particularly the expectation that both will deal with street-level threats and organized crime. Normally, that would be par for the course for any Spider-Man project, but the MCU hasn’t really gone there with him much.

That may change with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, especially with the Punisher and Tombstone showing up. As for Nicolas Cage’s character, there’s no doubt he’ll be clashing with gangsters, as Silvermane is on track to be the villain.

Already, two Marvel crime bosses – Silvermane and Tombstone – are set to make their live-action debuts in 2026, and it’s worth wondering who else might be with them.

6

Mr. Negative

Mr. Negative is a highly unusual figure in Marvel Comics, due in large part to the nature of his light and darkness abilities. Each represents a different side of Mr. Negative, with the former being a force for good and the other being the embodiment of evil. Because of this, Mr. Negative is both a philanthropist and a notorious crime boss.

Partially because Mr. Negative played a prominent part in the storyline that Spider-Man: Brand New Day borrows its title from, there has been reason to believe that Mr. Negative might be the film’s villain. That’s technically possible, but something that casts doubt on the scenario is the near-confirmation of his presence in Spider-Noir.

Mr. Negative’s most distinguishing feature is his luminescent appearance, as his suit has a bright glow to it. A character matching that description can be spotted in the trailer for Spider-Noir. It’s hard to imagine this glowing man in a suit turning out to be anyone but Mr. Negative.

5

The Enforcers

Introduced all the way back in 1964’s The Amazing Spider-Man #10, the Enforcers are a trio of hitmen often hired by crime bosses, from The Big Man to Silvermane. They’ve since been expanded to include more members, but traditional versions of the Enforcers are comprised of Montana, Ox, and Fancy Dan.

Each fills a certain niche, with Ox bringing the muscle, Fancy Dan offering a bit more disciplined approach through martial arts, and Montana carrying a lasso that he uses to immobilize Spider-Man. Individually, they’re not a match for Spider-Man, but when combining their skillsets, they’ve managed to pose a threat to him.

One member of the Enforcers, already has an MCU counterpart. Jackson Brice appears as a version of the Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming. But he never becomes the lasso-wielding Montana.

Theoretically, they could work in either Spider-Man: Brand New Day or Spider-Noir, functioning as minions to someone like Tombstone or Silvermane. But Spider-Noir may be the better fit of the two; all three have very old-school designs, so a show set in the 1930s wouldn’t need modern updates of the characters.

4

Hammerhead

Like the Enforcers, Hammerhead feels like a no-brainer for a show like Spider-Noir. Recognized primarily for his oddly-shaped head, Hammerhead is a Marvel Comics crime boss that’s found himself at odds with Spider-Man and Daredevil on multiple occasions, dating all the way back to the 1970s.

In the comics, Hammerhead has a reputation for dressing and talking like a 1920s gangster in the vein of Al Capone. Since this is integral to his image, Hammerhead might feel out of place in a modern-day Spider-Man story. But as a show set in the 1930s, Spider-Noir would be able to introduce Hammerhead exactly as he’s perceived by comic fans.

As for what his role could be, it’s important to note that Hammerhead has strong ties to the Maggia, a massive network of crime families in Marvel Comics, and one that Silvermane also operates in. It’s possible that Spider-Noir’s Hammerhead could be a rival gang leader to Silvermane, or perhaps an underling with aspirations of taking over.

3

The Big Man

Another possibility for both projects is The Big Man a.k.a. Frederick Foswell. In The Amazing Spider-Man #10, the same issue that introduced the Enforcers, Spider-Man was up against a physically imposing gangster called the Big Man, only to find out that he was actually a seemingly mild-mannered and innocuous reporter at the Daily Bugle in disguise.

Despite his unmasking, Frederick Foswell returned and became a recurring player in various organized crime Spider-Man storylines.

Due to the double-life, secret identity aspect of the character’s arc, it’s easy to see Spider-Noir making use of him in some capacity. It’s possible that a TV version of Frederick Foswell will be mixed up in one of the cases Nicolas Cage’s Ben Reilly investigates as part of his work as a private eye, using a twist to hide his role in the story.

2

Crime-Master

One of the most overlooked candidates for a live-action Spider-Man villain in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Spider-Noir is Crime-Master. “Crime-Master” is an alter-ego taken by many masked gangsters who have tried to assume control of the criminal underworld, beginning with Nick “Lucky” Lewis in The Amazing Spider-Man #26.

Similar to the Big Man, secret identities factor heavily into Spider-Man’s struggles with characters who call themselves the Crime-Master. For this reason, the Crime-Master would be a sensible option for a street-level Spider-Man arc that combines both mystery and organized crime.

With Spider-Noir is clearly taking that course, Crime-Master could easily work as a single-episode villain for Ben Reilly. Alternatively, he could be behind the crimes Spider-Man is expected to be investigating in Phase 6. If Marvel wants a hidden mastermind to be the source of Spider-Man’s problems, Crime-Master would be an ideal choice.

1

Man Mountain Marko

Of all the unconfirmed characters who could potentially appear in Spider-Noir, none make more sense for the show than Man Mountain Marko. He’s an admittedly obscure villain, but his comic background would make a role for the character an appropriate decision for the series. In the classic comics, Man Mountain Marko is the right-hand man of Silvermane.

Armed with enough superhuman strength to allow him to go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man, Michael Marko has served both his own interests and found himself acting under the orders of multiple Marvel gangsters, but Silvermane is his original boss. As a powerful gangster, Silvermane – Brendan Gleeson’s character in Spider-Noir – he’s in a strong position to be the show’s main villain.

Given his longstanding ties to the Silvermane character, Man Mountain Marko should be one of the obvious candidates for a villain role in Spider-Noir, regardless of his relative obscurity in Spider-Man comics. If Marvel honors the source material, Ben Reilly may have to get through Man Mountain Marko before he can stop Silvermane from accomplishing his goals.