As the trailer has confirmed, Spider-Man will have to fight Scorpion, Tarantula, and Boomerang. And though he’s not in any of the released footage, it’s no secret that he’ll be up against Tombstone as well. But neither Tombstone nor Scorpion feel like they could be the masterminds of the dangers teased by the trailer.
There’s all sorts of theories postulating about what Spider-Man is up against, the most popular of which being the idea that Sadie Sink is playing Jean Grey, whose telepathic abilities will be in play. But even if that’s true, that wouldn’t answer the question as to who’s pulling the strings. If Jean is involved, it makes sense that she’d either be someone’s pawn or a character Peter teams up with.
All things considered, there’s a good chance Spider-Man: Brand New Day hasn’t fully revealed its villain lineup.
Dr. Jonas Harrow
The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer has heavily teased mind control as a plot device in the film, and one of the easiest explanations for it – that would stem from Spider-Man’s comics – would come in the form of Dr. Jonas Harrow. Introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #114, Dr. Harrow was a scientist whose expertise in cybernetics made him a recurring problem for Peter.
Dr. Harrow was no threat to Spider-Man physically, but he was a thorn in his side nonetheless, jumpstarting the supervillain careers of Hammerhead, Kangaroo, and Will o’ the Wisp. In addition to giving people powers, he has a history of using mind control to force super-powered individuals to do his bidding.
With that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine a character like Dr. Jonas Harrow turning out to be a hidden character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, using his mind control technology to manipulate things from behind the scenes. He’s not a high-profile villain, so he’s certainly someone Marvel could keep out of sight without the need to hype up via the marketing.
Spencer Smythe
Another Marvel Comics scientist with the credentials to be Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s villain is Spencer Smythe. Perhaps best known as the father of Alistair Smythe in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Spencer is an old enemy of the wallcrawler, with their rivalry dating all the way back to 1965 when he debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #25.
Spencer’s original role was to create the Spider-Slayer machine on behalf of J. Jonah Jameson. After the Spider-Slayer’s failure to defeat Spider-Man, Spencer developed a vendetta against both him and Jameson and tried to kill both of them later. Smythe’s hatred led to his death, but his legacy lived on through the Spider-Slayers, which have remained a part of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery.
Considering that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has fought technology-based villains before (i.e. Mysterio and Vulture), an MCU incarnation of the Spider-Slayers is within the realm of possibility. They too could be lurking as opponents for Spider-Man to fight over the course of the story, possibly with Spencer Smythe as the scientific mastermind behind all the shenanigans Peter is dealing with.
Spider-Queen
First appearing in The Spectacular Spider-Man #15 in 2004, Adriana Soria is a mutant woman and U.S. marine chosen as a test subject for one of the United States military’s post-Captain America super soldier experiments. But unlike Steve Rogers, she didn’t consent to the project, and had her DNA transformed by the radiation of a nuclear weapon.
Adriana developed a slew of abilities, most of which are telepathic in nature. She can also control and communicate with insects. With her powers, she menaced both Captain America and Spider-Man. She also saw in Spider-Man a potential mate, and thus tried to mutate him into a spider monster.
More famously, she served as the main antagonist of the “Spider-Island” arc, where she gave Spider-Man-esque powers to a long list of Marvel Comics superheroes and villains.
With her background, Adriana Soria a.k.a Spider-Queen would be a sensible pick for Brand New Day’s villain, as she does fit in with some of the established details regarding the plot. The trailer strongly hints at a telepathic villain, and there are also clues that Peter Parker is headed toward a Man-Spider transformation. Spider-Queen could be what makes that happen.
Crime-Master
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is evidently weaving some elements of mystery into its story, which is one reason why Crime-Master is a candidate for the film’s main villain. In Spider-Man comics, Crime-Master is the alter ego of several masked crime bosses who have used their secret identities to their advantage when trying to vie for power in New York City’s criminal underworld.
Because the Crime-Master identity isn’t tied down to any one character, Brand New Day could easily give it to anyone, making it possible for the movie to hide Spider-Man’s true enemy until a last-minute, surprise reveal during the grand finale. And Brand New Day heading in this direction is certainly feasible, especially with Tombstone and Punisher’s inclusion pointing to a possible focus on gang wars.
Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley)
Admittedly less likely but arguably more exciting than most options, Roderick Kingsley would be an interesting choice for the central antagonist of Spider-Man’s next solo outing. A cunning businessman involved in the world of fashion, Roderick Kingsley is the first true Hobgoblin and the greatest Spider-Man villain yet to receive live-action appearance.
In the comic books, Ned Leeds was originally understood to be the Hobgoblin, but years after his tragic death, a retcon confirmed that Roderick Kingsley had manipulated everyone, including Spider-Man and Ned himself, into falsely believing that the latter was the Hobgoblin. Kingsley had successfully framed and manipulated him.
With Ned Leeds back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s possible that the MCU will finally deliver an adaptation of their dynamic. With Roderick Kingsley’s history as an evil schemer, he’d be a perfect fit for a villain role in a Spider-Man movie.
Jackal
Jackal is the evil force behind the infamous Clone Saga, and several other clone-related storylines in Spider-Man comics. In the classic comics, Spider-Man discovered that his college professor, Miles Warren, was secretly in love with Gwen Stacy. After her death, he made clones of himself, Peter, and Gwen, and disguised himself as “The Jackal.“
Jackal also deciphered Spider-Man’s secret identity and used that knowledge to further his plans of revenge against Peter, who he blamed for Gwen’s demise. Because of his work in cloning, Jackal is responsible for the creation of several Spider-Man characters, including Kaine, Ben Reilly a.k.a. Scarlet Spider, and Carrion.
Like Hobgoblin, Jackal is one of the most important Spider-Man characters none of the live-action Spider-Man movies have touched. That has the potential to change in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, based on a number of clues.
Something is happening to Spider-Man’s DNA in the movie, and it’s not a stretch to say that Jackal could be involved. He’s long been fascinated with Peter’s DNA, which he is well-versed in. It’s not hard to imagine Jackal being the source of the mysterious Keith David voice in the trailer that ominously mentions the three life cycles of a spider.
The original Clone Saga saw Jackal use Punisher, Scorpion, and Tarantula as pawns in his efforts to defeat Spider-Man. All three characters being on hand for Spider-Man: Brand New Day may simply be a coincidence – or it could be a sign that the film is building its own take on Jackal’s crusade against Spider-Man.
- Release Date
-
July 31, 2026
- Director
-
Destin Daniel Cretton