Marvel Star Hints at MCU Venom With New Look at Spider-Man: Brand New Day Villain

Brand New Day“.

Mando, known for his role in Better Call Saul, has revealed that he’ll be playing the Scorpion character in an upcoming movie. He previously shared a photo on Instagram showing a scorpion tattoo that Gargan, the character he’s portraying, has. Now, he’s given a sneak peek on social media of him getting ready for the role, with pictures showing the process of applying makeup to give him Gargan’s disfigured look, which was caused by an accident involving the Staten Island Ferry.

Mando hinted at an intriguing preview: a comic cover designed by artist Kevin Maguire for The Amazing Spider-Man issue 573 in 2008, where the Scorpion character, portrayed by Mac Gargan, is engulfed by the Venom symbiote (as depicted below).

During the six-part “New Ways to Die” storyline from the Brand New Day era comics, Norman Osborn, known as the Green Goblin and leader of a Thunderbolts team that included Venom (Gargan), Songbird, Radioactive Man, and Bullseye, changed Gargan into a new version of the Scorpion. This Venomized Scorpion then clashed with Spider-Man and Eddie Brock, who had taken on the role of Anti-Venom after coming into contact with Martin Li (also known as the villain Mr. Negative).

It’s not the first instance where Mando has implied that Gargan could take on the Venom symbiote, much like his comic book character did in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #10 from 2005. The actor has previously posted comic book illustrations depicting Gargan as both Scorpion and Venom, suggesting he might be the next host of the symbiote within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

No Way Home (2021) sent Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) back to his own reality, traces of the alien symbiote remained in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now that Tom Hardy’s Venom trilogy has ended with The Last Dance (2024), it seems like a fresh start for the symbiote too!

In a summer blockbuster set for release on July 31, 2026, Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker/Spider-Man alongside Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/the Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as both Bruce Banner and the Hulk, Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan/Scorpion, with Sadie Sink and Liza Colón-Zayas in unspecified roles. This exciting new chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is titled “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

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2025-08-11 03:41