With Director Destin Daniel Cretton taking directing control for Tom Holland’s fourth solo outing, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shifting the Marvel Cinematic Universe away from the higher stakes, multiversal high-fantasy and dragging Peter Parker back down to the grimy, street-level alleys of New York City. Operating entirely in isolation following the tragic conclusion of No Way Home, Peter is set to collide with a plethora of comic book villains. Marketing materials and promotional footage have confirmed the list below, with some extras thrown in for assumed curiosity but lets breakdown the colourful comic book history behind these villains.
Scorpion (Mac Gargan)
Comic Book History
Mac Gargan made his debut all the way back in The Amazing Spider-Man #19 (1964), crafted by the legendary comic book duo of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Initially introduced as a sleazy private investigator, Gargan was hired by J. Jonah Jameson to uncover the secret identity of Spider-Man. When that failed, Jameson financed a desperate, highly unstable genetic experiment overseen by Dr. Farley Stillwell. Dosed with a mutagenic predatory serum and outfitted with a heavy, cybernetic stinger, Gargan transformed into the Scorpion—a villain physically stronger and faster than Spider-Man.
The tragedy of the Scorpion though in his permanent mental degradation as the nature of the serum completely unhinged Gargan’s mind, trapping him in a state of permanent psychosis and driving him into a life of obsessive vengeance against both Spider-Man and Jameson. Over the decades, Gargan evolved significantly. He famously bonded with the alien Symbiote to become the second major host of Venom, even masquerading as Spider-Man during Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign era as a member of the Dark Avengers, before eventually returning to his classic, metal tailed roots.
Other Appearances
Scorpion has been a foe for Spider-Man across multiple forms of media since the 1967 Spider-Man series. However, his definitive animated portrayal came during the 1994 Spider-Man: The Animated Series, where he was voiced by Martin Landau and later Richard Moll. This version leaned into the body horror of his mutation, focusing on Gargan’s tragic realization that he could never remove his armour or return to a normal human life. In subsequent shows, the character received a sleek, tech-oriented overhaul in The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008), transforming him into a high-grade mercenary for the criminal underworld.
In the Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) series, Mac Gargan took an alternate storyline and was merged with Iron First villain Steel Serpent. In this universe, he trained alongside Iron Fist and tried to cheat his way to the title, eventually joining the Sinister Six of that world.
In the most recent Spider-Man series ‘Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man’, An alternate version of Mac Gargan (voiced by Jonathan Medina) appears as one of the main antagonists of the first season. This version of the character is the leader of the Scorpions gang who later receives scorpion-themed armour from Otto Octavius.
In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, we are shown a more mechanised Scorpion than we have ever before, his entire lower body and left arm have been replaced not only by mechanical legs that can split into two additional legs and a claw arm respectively, but also with a mechanical scorpion tail filled with venom as well. Though he was ultimately taken down by Spider-Ham.
In the realm of video games, Mac Gargan’s legacy is heavily involved in the Insomniac Games’ critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise. Rendered as a heavily armoured, drug-fuelled psychopath whose stinger injects terrifying, hallucination-inducing neurotoxins, Insomniac’s Scorpion was brought in as a member of the Sinister Six, wreaking havoc across New York before Spider-Man took him down alongside Rhino. In the follow up game, Spider-Man 2 though his ultimate, tragic run-in with Kraven the Hunter in the 2023 sequel implied he met his fate.
Tombstone (Lonnie Lincoln)
Comic Book History
Created by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk in Web of Spider-Man #36 (1988), Lonnie Thompson Lincoln stands out as one of the more uniquely menacing figures in Marvel’s street-level history. Born with albino traits in a harsh Harlem neighbourhood, Lonnie weaponized his appearance, filing his teeth to sharp points and building a reputation as a cold, calculating enforcer. Unlike common street thugs though Lincoln’s criminal career skyrocketed when a freak laboratory accident exposed him to experimental Diox-3 gas, turning his skin into a granite-hard, pale husk that is completely impervious to bullets, high temperatures, and blunt force trauma.
Tombstone works as a dangerous mix of enhanced strength and durability and mob intellect. He frequently clashes with Spider-Man and Daredevil not out of a cartoonish desire for world domination, but over control of the New York criminal underworld, regularly gunning for the Kingpin’s throne.
Other Appearances
Tombstone’s television legacy kicked off in a heavily rewritten role in the 1994 animated series. Because the show’s producers were legally restricted from using the Kingpin’s traditional rival, Silvio Silvermane, in certain capacities, Tombstone was elevated to the status of a brilliant, smooth-talking crime lord who pulls the strings behind the scenes.
In The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008) series, Tombstone took more of a lead antagonist role where Tombstone was voiced by the brilliant Keith David. In this adaptation, he serves as the “Big Man of Crime,” hiding his indestructible superhuman power behind tailored three-piece suits and a legitimate corporate façade, acting as one of Spectacular Spider-Man’s most dangerous enemies.
In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, we’re shown a lower level Tombstone, one who is the right hand man to the Kingpin himself. This version wields two pistols and maintains his signature pale white skin and enhanced abilities. He is ultimately taken out of the fight by Spider-Noir in a classic hand to hand fist fight. Interestingly, he is voiced by Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, who will also be reprising his role in Brand New Day.
Gamers will also recognize Tombstone from his distinct subplot in Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man series. Voiced by Corey Jones, Lonnie Lincoln is worlds apart from his comic counterpart runs a vicious biker gang out of a Harlem auto shop, utilizing a specialized chemical drug that temporarily grants his crew his signature invulnerability. Peter Parker is forced to synthesize a cure to strip Lincoln of his invincibility in an intense warehouse brawl, marking one of the finest street-level boss fights in modern gaming. In Spider-Man 2, Lonnie has tried to restructure his life and step away from crime only to still be hunted by Kraven and his army. After being saved by Peter, he is able to get away and remains one of the few characters in Spider-Man’s rogue gallery to stay alive by the end.
Tarantula (Anton Miguel Rodriguez)
Comic Book History
Tarantula swung into Marvel comic books with his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #134 in 1974. Anton Miguel Rodriguez represents a darker, more volatile breed of mercenary from what Spider-Man was used to. In the source material, Rodriguez is a heavily armed South American revolutionary whose extreme violence eventually forced his own faction to expel him. He subsequently transitioned into an assassin-for-hire, utilizing an iconic costume equipped with razor-sharp, poisoned blades built directly into his boots.
Since Anton, a few others have taken on the title of Tarantula although as this is specifically a breakdown of Spider-Man Brand New Day, we’ll stick to him for now.
Other Appearances
His transition into other media has been fairly small unlike the others on this list. While a Tarantula toy was released as a part of the Spider-Man: The Animated Series toy line, he did not appear in the series as an actual character. In the Ultimate Spider-Man comics it was the name given to a clone of Peter Parker.
In gaming, while he never appeared in the games themselves, he did make a brief appearance in the tie in comic for the Spider-Geddon event, specifically Spider-Geddon #0 taking place within Insomniacs Spider-Man universe as a bank robber with metal spider legs. Beyond this, he has made very little impact in other media.
Boomerang (Fred Myers)
Comic Book History
Boomerang made his comic book debut in Tales to Astonish #81 back in 1966, originally appearing as a foe for the Hulk before cementing himself as a recurring threat in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery. Fred Myers is a interesting blend of athletic precision and greed. Before turning to a life of crime, Myers was an acclaimed major-league baseball pitcher who was permanently banned from the sport for accepting bribes. Capitalizing on his unmatched throwing arm, he reinvented himself as a lethal mercenary equipped with an arsenal of specialized, explosive, and razor-sharp boomerangs.
Other Appearances
Beyond the pages of Marvel Comics, the character has made a few memorable appearances in various shows and games. He was featured as a recurring rogue in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series as a low level thug who kept crossing paths with Spider-Man.
In the 2005 video game Ultimate Spider-Man, Boomerang appeared as a minor villain and recurring mini-boss. Unlike the main story villains however, he pops up within the game’s open-world “Random Crimes” system. A Noir version of Boomerang appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS version of the game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and he popped up as both a boss and a playable hero character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
Ramrod
Comic Book HIstory
By far the deepest cut on the Brand New Day line-up, Ramrod is an obscure addition who made his first appearance Daredevil #103 (1973) before appearing again in The Amazing Spider-Man #221 (1981), written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Alan Weiss. Ramrod was a boss of a construction crew who was gravely injured in a work related accident. As part of a diabolical plot of Kerwin Broderick to rule San Francisco, Broderick and Moondragon transformed this crew boss into a powerful cyborg. Standing over six feet tall and possessing chemically enhanced physical strength, Ramrod was designed to be the ultimate corporate enforcer.
He stands out with his steel-reinforced skeleton allowing him to act as a literal human battering ram capable of punching through reinforced bank vaults and matching Spider-Man’s physical strength in a raw fist fight.
Historically, Ramrod was hired by corrupt corporate entities to sabotage competing facilities, serving as a classic example of the blue-collar, mercenary muscle that dominated the bronze age of Marvel street crime.
Other Appearances
Due to his incredibly niche comic history, Ramrod has never actually made any other appearance in any mainstream animated Spider-Man television show or video game. His inclusion in Brand New Day is a deliberate choice by director Destin Daniel Cretton to dig deep into the underutilized corners of Spidey’s history, making nods to various comic book covers.
There you have it, all the confirmed villains rocking up to ruin Spider-Man’s day in the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While we also have rumours of Jean Grey and also a Grey Hulk I’ve decided to not include them in this article as they are not part of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery.
Hope you enjoyed this historical walk down Marvels Memory Lane and be sure to check out our review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day before the film releases on 29th July!
