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Anytime there’s an upcoming Marvel movie on the horizon, fans are going into the experience knowing full well what the Hero Vs. Villain situation is going to be, with the Russos’ Avengers: Doomsday as the ultra-epitome of that idea. Not so much with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, though, which tipped fans off to both Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, but without word on specific big bads. It’s really starting to make my Nicky Sense tingle. (Editor Note: destroy the phrase “Nicky Sense.”)
It’s obviously a known mystery amongst fans that major villain reveals have yet to surface, but Tom Holland himself spoke to that notion at one of Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s red carpet premieres, as seen in a clip shared on X. He shared:
The villain that we have in this new movie, which is still very much a secret, is I think unlike anything we’ve ever seen in one of these movies before.
Certainly not the first time someone has used the "unlike anything we've seen before" boast to address a villain, and this is certainly an instance where we literally haven't seen the villain yet. So it tracks, logically speaking. But having Holland address it as a "mystery" without spoiling anything sparked a few theories in my head about why Marvel and the Spider-Man team are waffling on reveals. (Especially if the antagonist ends up being Tombstone, who first took over the rumor mill back in February, or others like Ramrod, Tarantula and Boomerang.
Theory 1: It's Connected To Doctor Doom, And Can't Be Revealed Until Doomsday's Trailer Is Out
The idea here is that whatever villain Spider-Man is dealing with in Brand New Day's reworked version of reality is directly related to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, and that Kevin Feige & Co. won't want to show off the villain's iconography without first revealing RDJ's full Doom look in an Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which is rumored to be going public for San Diego Comic-Con.
It's not extremely likely, but it's possible that Spider-Man: BND's reshoots went down to incorporate things from Doomsday that hadn't yet been conceived when director Destin Daniel Cretton went through the initial production phase, and/or that already filmed scenes needed touch-ups to bring in new visuals. How cool and depressing would it be if Peter had to face off against a Tony Stark clone, or if Sadie Sink is playing a femme Doombot?
Theory 2: The Villain Reveal Will Be A Twist Involving A New Character
Also possible: Spider-Man: Brand New Day may already revealed its key villain by proxy of one of the new actors joining this corner of the MCU. Which pretty much limits this theory to Severance great Tramell Tillman's Bill Metzger or one of the as-yet-unidentified characters being played by Sadie Sink or Keith David. unidentified character.
Although it could technically end up being Eman Esfandi, who will be portraying a new love interest for Zendaya's MJ. Such a transparent placement might be a weak story move, but it's still feasible, all things considered.
Theory 3: The Villain Will Be A Variant Of An Already Existing Character
To flip the previous idea, it's possible the biggest foe trying to take Spider-Man down is someone who's already very familiar to MCU audiences, only under the guises of a more heroic role. What if, much like Robert Downey Jr. jumping from Iron Man to Doctor Doom, another beloved actor flips from playing a virtuous hero to playing a devious bad guy?
Could we see Chris Evans taking over the role of Green Goblin or something, or something even wilder, like Tobey Maguire and/or Andrew Garfield taking on new life as Brand New Day's antagonist(s)? That sounds way wilder than whatever will probably happen, but one can dream. I'm also not counting out the idea that the previously spoiled Savage Hulk could be the main villain.
Theory 4: It's Ned
To stretch the previous theory out a little more, maybe we're not talking about a variant of a superhero character, but rather an alternate version of someone from Peter Parker's personal life. Such as, oh I dunno, Jacob Batalon's Ned. The movie's twisted version of reality makes this theory seem easier to pull off than it would if Ned was still knowingly Peter's BFF.
But maybe the Ned we see in the trailers isn't just the same memory-lapsed dude that we're meant to think he is. Maybe this Ned is all-knowing and responsible for the dangers and terrors that come Peter's way in Brand New Day. Plus, I don't think it's a coincidence that an anagram for the movie's subtitle is: Brand Ned Way. That's pretty much all the evidence needed, amirite?
I cannot wait to find out which of the webslinger's rogues will be bringing the chaos when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
