Two New Villains Tied to Shang-Chi and Black Widow Rumored for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man fans have been waiting a long time for more news about the next movie in the series, and now things are finally starting to take shape. The fourth Spider-Man film, officially titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is currently in development and scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.
Tom Holland is back as Peter Parker, and Zendaya will also return as MJ. The movie will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously worked on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Even though the project was confirmed a while ago, not much has been revealed about the story, until now.
There’s been a lot of talk about who the main villains might be. At first, there were rumors about familiar faces like Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Vulture, or even Knull. But now, there’s a new rumor going around that suggests a very different direction.
According to Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus, new concept art has shown a mysterious samurai character. Based on what he’s seen, Perez believes that Silver Samurai and Viper might be the main villains.
“I did find out some new information about the villains, and hopefully this new lead points us in the right direction,” Perez said. “Some new concept art now features a Samurai character. If it is who I think it is, it’s possible we may very well be looking at Viper and Silver Samurai as the main antagonists for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
Perez also mentioned that this could connect to a possible team-up between Spider-Man and Shang-Chi. If true, it would be an interesting mix of characters and a fresh approach for a Spider-Man movie.
Before the movie was officially confirmed, Marvel was reportedly deciding between two different ideas. One would continue the Multiverse story that started in No Way Home, and the other would focus more on a grounded, street-level story that includes Daredevil and Kingpin.
But things seem to have changed after Robert Downey Jr. was announced to return to the MCU, not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom. That major move reportedly pushed Marvel Studios to lean back toward the Multiverse route.
The fourth film has actually been in early talks since as far back as 2019. After No Way Home, Tom Holland’s contract was up, but he always said he’d return if asked. At one point, he even said he wasn’t sure if he should keep playing Spider-Man forever and suggested a story about Miles Morales instead.
Despite all that, producer Amy Pascal made it clear that she wanted Holland back, and now he’s officially on board for the next chapter.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed in 2021 that they were working closely with Sony on a new story and promised fans there wouldn’t be another split like the one that nearly ended the Spider-Man deal a few years ago.
Even during delays caused by the writers’ strike in 2023, Holland said he was involved in story meetings and wanted to make sure the next film stayed true to the character.
Filming for Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to begin in mid-2025. Sadie Sink has joined the cast in an unknown role, and Liza Colón-Zayas was also added recently. With a possible villain duo like Silver Samurai and Viper, and maybe even a crossover with Shang-Chi, this next movie might take Peter Parker into brand-new territory.
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