The MCU May Be Repeating Spider-Man 3’s Biggest Mistake (but There’s Hope)

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The next Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, could fall into a familiar trap seen in previous Spider-Man films. Tom Holland is set to star in his fourth solo movie as Spider-Man, continuing the story after the events of No Way Home, where everyone forgot his identity. While Peter Parker will start largely on his own, Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned will be back in some role. The movie will also feature other established Marvel characters, including Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher and, according to reports, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk.

It’s still unclear how they’ll all fit into the story, but there will likely be a lot of villains for Spider-Man to fight. Some of these villains might even be rivals to Peter Parker himself. Several villains are expected to appear in *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*. Michael Mando will return as Mac Gargan, finally continuing the storyline from the post-credits scene in *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, where Scorpion was set up as a major threat. There are even more villains rumored, which raises the question: can a story have too many bad guys?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Villain Rumors Could Be A Problem

Like with every Marvel Cinematic Universe film, there’s plenty of buzz and rumors about *Brand New Day*, and not everything you hear will be accurate. Still, it’s amazing how many different villains are potentially involved, such as:

  • Black Cat
  • Boomerang
  • Chameleon
  • Hulk
  • Mr. Negative
  • The Punisher
  • Ramrod
  • Scorpion
  • Spider-Slayer
  • Tarantula
  • Tombstone
  • Venom
  • Vulture

It’s unlikely all of these things will actually happen, and some are more probable than others-we’re probably going to see a symbiote storyline in the MCU at some point, but it might not be right away. However, even if just half of these rumors turn out to be true, Spider-Man could face a surprisingly large number of enemies. Some reports suggest the movie might include as many as eight villains, which would actually fit the story quite well.

Many of these potential villains are intriguing, and most haven’t appeared in live-action films yet. However, we’ve seen this happen before with Spider-Man movies, where trying to include too many enemies can become a problem. *Spider-Man 3* is a prime example – it suffered from having too many villains (Venom, Sandman, and New Goblin), preventing any of them from getting the development they deserved and ultimately making the movie feel crowded. *The Amazing Spider-Man 2* ran into a similar issue, attempting to set up the Sinister Six with Goblin, Electro, and Rhino, but again, the sheer number of villains detracted from the story.

Why There’s Hope Brand New Day Can Succeed With Multiple Villains

I have to say, Marvel seems to be getting better at handling multiple villains. Take *Spider-Man: No Way Home*, for example. They brought back Doc Ock, Electro, and Green Goblin, and while it wasn’t flawless, they did a pretty good job giving each of them something to do. It really leaned into nostalgia, which definitely helped, but even with all that fan service, characters like Sandman and The Lizard didn’t get the attention they deserved. Still, compared to some other attempts, it was a much stronger effort at juggling so many big bad guys.

It’s possible the upcoming film, Brand New Day, could feature even more characters than expected. One idea being discussed is starting the movie with a fast-paced montage. This would be useful to explain the time jump from No Way Home – set photos indicate Brand New Day is set about two to three years later, in 2027. A montage showing Spider-Man quickly battling several villains could be an entertaining way to update the audience and give some lesser-known enemies a moment in the spotlight.

Characters like The Punisher and Hulk will likely play significant parts, potentially as both enemies and allies to Spider-Man. Scorpion is also expected to have a major role, and villains like Tombstone and Tarantula could be more prominent. Others, such as Black Cat, might be introduced to set up future storylines. Even if broken down, it’s still a large number of villains, and the story needs to develop them all effectively – beyond just a quick montage. While it seems daunting, it could potentially be handled better than in *Spider-Man 3*.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31st, 2026.

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2025-09-18 22:00