Every Villain Leaked for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ So Far, Ranked by How Worried We Should Be

Marvel has a habit of keeping its cards close to the chest, but ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has been one of the leakiest MCU productions in recent memory. With the film locked in for a July 31, 2026 release, promotional artwork, merchandise sticker sheets, behind-the-scenes footage, and even trailer audio have all found their way online, painting a picture of a movie absolutely packed with villains for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to deal with.

What is emerging from all these leaks is a rogue’s gallery unlike anything a solo Spider-Man film has attempted before. According to insider reports, if every confirmed and rumored adversary is counted, the total number of threats in ‘Brand New Day‘ could exceed nine, and possibly reach eleven when figures like the Hulk and the Punisher are included. Here is a full breakdown of who is showing up and what their role appears to be.

Scorpion’s Long-Awaited MCU Return

Leaked promotional artwork surfaced online showing Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan fully suited up as Scorpion, complete with a heavy armored exoskeleton and a mechanical tail designed for combat. Fan excitement around this particular leak was immediate and understandable.

The upcoming blockbuster is set to finally resolve the post-credits scene from ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ in which Gargan eagerly sought to discover Spider-Man’s secret identity from the Vulture while both characters were imprisoned. That setup has been sitting unresolved for nearly a decade.

Scorpion is widely considered the face villain of ‘Brand New Day,’ receiving the most trailer time and the most prominent spot in the film’s marketing campaign. Of all the threats confirmed so far, he appears to be the primary antagonist Peter will spend the most time squaring off against.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton has spoken about wanting the film to feel different from its predecessors, and placing a long-simmering villain like Scorpion at the center of the story is one clear way to signal that this chapter of Peter Parker’s journey is evolving.

Boomerang, Tarantula, and the Opening Montage Crew

The trailer for ‘Brand New Day’ features Spider-Man fighting Boomerang in a sequence that directly replicates the cover of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ issue 345, with the city landscape added to give it a cinematic scale. It is a surprisingly comic-accurate nod that will delight longtime readers.

Tarantula, whose comic origins trace back to a revolutionary who enjoyed violence too much before becoming a criminal, appears in the trailer’s slow-motion montage alongside Boomerang. The version in ‘Brand New Day’ appears to draw from the original character concept, complete with retractable spikes capable of injecting poison into enemies.

Both Boomerang and Tarantula are reported to appear primarily in an opening montage showing what Spider-Man has been up to since the events of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ rather than serving as central threats throughout the full story. Their screen time is expected to be limited but visually satisfying for comic fans.

Additional obscure villains rumored to appear in the same opening sequence include 8-Ball, the Jackal, and the Enforcers, a trio consisting of Montana, Fancy Dan, and the Ox, based on reports from multiple MCU insiders.

The Savage Hulk Problem and the Punisher’s Moral Gray Zone

Leaked promotional materials reveal that Smart Hulk appears to be no more, with the version of Bruce Banner’s alter ego appearing in ‘Brand New Day’ described as a far more classic, savage interpretation, complete with the iconic purple pants. This is a significant shift for the character within the MCU.

Banner will reportedly start the film wearing an inhibitor on his wrist designed to keep him in human form, but something clearly goes wrong, and the Savage Hulk is unleashed on New York City. Toy packaging for ‘Brand New Day’ has even revealed that Spider-Man’s suit includes a new anti-gamma web mode, suggesting Peter has prepared for exactly this worst-case scenario.

Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is also confirmed to appear, operating in a moral gray zone that will almost certainly put him at odds with Peter Parker before any uneasy alliance can form. The classic Spider-Man and Punisher dynamic, rooted in their clashing philosophies on justice, has never been properly explored in live-action, and ‘Brand New Day’ looks set to change that.

The film also appears to be hiding even more villains beyond those already revealed, with Ramrod, 8-Ball, and Tombstone all mentioned in connection with the project.

The Hand, a New Female Villain, and the Jean Grey Theory

The first trailers for ‘Brand New Day’ surprised fans with the appearance of the Hand, the Daredevil villain organization last seen in the Netflix Defenders series, whose core motivation has always centered on achieving immortality. Their return to the MCU proper is a major development in its own right.

Leaked behind-the-scenes footage also revealed a new female villain shown leading the Hand in their attack on Spider-Man, prompting widespread speculation that this character could be Mariko Yashida, one of several women who have led the Hand in Marvel Comics history.

Sadie Sink joined ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ in March 2025 in an undisclosed role, and while Marvel has stayed silent on who she is playing, multiple insider sources have pointed toward the ‘Stranger Things’ star as the frontrunner to be Jean Grey. A leaked image showed Sink alongside Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, with her green and yellow costume drawing immediate fan comparisons to Jean Grey’s iconic color palette.

Leaked information also suggests that this character uses mind control to force Bruce Banner to transform, potentially making the Savage Hulk rampage not Banner’s fault at all, but rather another victim of this villain’s psychic abilities. If the Jean Grey theory holds, introducing her as an antagonist in a Spider-Man film would be one of the most daring mutant debut strategies Marvel has ever attempted.

With a villain roster this sprawling and this layered, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is shaping up to be either a triumphant juggling act or Marvel’s most ambitious gamble in Phase 6, and whichever way it lands, the conversation is already electric. Which of these leaked villains are you most excited to see Peter Parker face, and do you think Sadie Sink is really playing Jean Grey?