Marvel Reveals First look at Tombstone in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
Peter Parker has never had it easy, but ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ looks ready to test him in an entirely new way. Four years have passed since the events of ‘No Way Home,’ and Peter is now living alone after erasing himself and the memories of him from those he loves, throwing himself wholeheartedly into protecting his city as Spider-Man full time.
That full time commitment to crimefighting comes with a cost, and the marketing rollout for ‘Brand New Day’ has made clear just how packed Peter’s rogues gallery has become this time around. With a villain lineup that stretches to include Scorpion, Boomerang, Tarantula, the Hand, Tombstone and Sadie Sink’s mystery character, the film is shaping up to feature one of the largest collections of antagonists in any Spider-Man movie to date. Most of those characters have already been showcased in the film’s first trailer, but one especially imposing villain has mostly lurked in the shadows.
That changed this week whenDiscussingFilm shared what it billed as the first look at Tombstone in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ a clip showing the hulking villain gripping a battered Spider-Man on an exposed girder high above the city. The post came with a pointed warning for anyone who watched it, urging fans not to spoil the moment for others.
The image lines up closely with earlier promotional art for the film. That art was nearly an exact recreation of the cover of The Spectacular Spider-Man No. 142, in which Tombstone holds a defeated Spider-Man on a construction girder atop a building. The character is played by Marvin Jones III, also known as Krondon, and his chalk white skin, filed teeth and muscular build make for a comic accurate take on one of Spider-Man’s most physically imposing enemies.
Jones already has history with the role. He previously voiced Tombstone in 2018’s ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ and is now bringing the character into live action for the first time. In the comics, Tombstone gains his superhuman strength, stamina, durability and reflexes after exposure to an experimental Oscorp gas, with nearly indestructible skin and enhanced healing similar to Luke Cage.
Tombstone joins a crowded roster of threats in the film, and the confirmed cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo, with the movie directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Cretton has been candid about the stakes riding on the film, telling Deadline’s Crew Call podcast that moviegoers should treat it “as if it’s the last Spider-Man.”
That confidence lines up with what has leaked out of early test screenings, where reactions were described as beyond excellent and stronger than the studio expected, with one insider calling it the greatest Spider-Man movie ever made. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ swings into theaters on July 31.
With Tombstone finally stepping out of the shadows, how do you think he fits into Peter Parker’s toughest fight yet? Let us know in the comments.
