Spider-Man: No Way Home was a perfect end to Peter Parker's story in the MCU but it can very easily serve as a beginning too. Recently, we've heard the wall-crawler will be front and centre in the next two Avengers movies, while work on Spider-Man 4 had begun in earnest prior to the Hollywood strikes.
Earlier this year, it was claimed that the next instalment of the wall-crawler's franchise will see Peter Parker team up with Daredevil to take on The Kingpin. However, with Daredevil: Born Again undergoing a creative overhaul, we can quite easily see those plans changing.
With that in mind, we've rounded up 8 amazing comic book villains we haven't seen in the MCU who have the potential to be formidable and suitably sinister foes for Spider-Man moving forward. These aren't necessarily the big names you'll be expected to see either, especially as we saw most of them back in 2021!
To see who we've singled out, all you need to do is click on the "Next" button below.
8. Shathra
Shathra was one of many supernatural threats faced by Peter Parker during J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.'s Amazing Spider-Man run, and Dan Slott and Mark Bagley recently made her a threat not only to him but the entire Spider-Verse.
The latter story in the pages of Spider-Man wasn't as good as her introduction in 2002, though it still showed how much potential the character has (even if she isn't as well-known as some of the A-Listers here). Her main aim was to feed Spider-Man to her younglings, but only after she ruined his personal life in an effort to make him more vulnerable...and tastier.
After Spidey's brief exposure to the Multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home, why not have the MCU's web-slinger face a baddie like this one who perhaps sensed his presence from another realm?
7. Rhino
Rhino is a very underrated villain and one who is too often used as cannon fodder for Spider-Man. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 really dropped the ball on this character, while next year's Kraven the Hunter movie will feature a version of Aleksei Sytsevich who literally transforms into a rhino-monster.
That alone probably closes the door on an appearance from him in the MCU, though we'd still love to what Marvel Studios could do with him.
For proof Rhino can pose a major threat to Spidey, look no further than his portrayal in the Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales video games. A mechanical suit is arguably the smartest way to go as not even a pro wrestler is big enough to play a comic-accurate Rhino and, if nothing else, we'd like to see Aleksei appear for at least a brief scuffle with the wall-crawler.
6. Venom
The moment for Tom Holland's Peter Parker to share the screen with Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock has arguably been and gone. Spider-Man: No Way Home could have quite easily found a way to insert Venom into the story - he'd have been less of a spare part than Lizard - but the Lethal Protector is now back on his own world.
He did, however, leave a piece of the symbiote behind. We're hoping that eventually finds its way to Spider-Man as now feels like the right time for Peter to don the alien costume. The question is, how would this eventually lead to a clash with Venom?
Marvel Studios has a couple of options. For starters, they can tap Hardy - or another actor - to play the MCU's Eddie Variant. Alternatively, the alien costume can go straight to Mac Gargan (we'll get to him) or even another character altogether. We just need to hope Sony plays ball.
5. Morlun
Morlun's effectiveness has been worn down in recent years, primarily because he's been thrown into almost every single Spider-Verse story told on the page. However, upon his introduction, this ancient vampiric being set his sights on Spider-Man and was the most powerful and sinister foe he'd ever faced.
Peter eventually vanquished him using a mixture of his radioactive blood and scientific know-how, but years later, Morlun returned. He savagely beat the hero and pulled his eye out before killing him. Yes, Spidey - briefly - died at this villain's hands.
Kevin Feige is a big fan of this story and Morlun, while not a "classic" baddie, would be a suitable opponent on screen. We've seen the MCU's Spider-Man challenged; have we seen him truly pushed to the limits of what he and his powers can do, though? Not necessarily and that could change with Morlun's debut.
4. Spider-Slayers
J. Jonah Jameson revealed Spider-Man's secret identity to the world, but the tragic events of No Way Home's final act saw Peter find a way to put the genie back in the bottle. Despite that rapid status quo change, how better for the loudmouth to prove the wall-crawler is a "menace" than to attempt to take him out with some killer robots?
He gave it a good go in the comic books, and while Aleister Smythe may not be as exciting on the surface as some of the other villains listed here, the Spider-Slayers would make a good secondary villain if nothing else.
Jameson trying to take the glory for stopping Spider-Man makes perfect sense, particularly as we saw the TheDailyBugle.net reporter cash in on his hatred for Spidey and continue campaigning for him to unmask even after the spell was cast. Honestly, seeing Simmons' face on one of these robots chasing after Spidey would be beyond amazing.
3. Jackal
Is it too soon for The Clone Saga? One of the coolest pieces of imagery in Spider-Man: Far From Home was the wall-crawler fighting off duplicates of himself during Mysterio's illusion attack, and there's a lot Marvel Studios could do with both The Jackal and Ben Reilly.
This would be a lot to tackle in just one outing, so the new trilogy could let it play out slowly across three movies. Miles Warren could show up as an ally of sorts to the wall-crawler who has an unusual fascination with his powers, and a post-credits scene in Spider-Man 4 can then reveal a Peter doppelganger, setting the stage for Ben's live-action debut down the line.
Later, the franchise could delve into what it means for there to be "another" Spidey, and even Kaine could be brought into the fold. Holland would be given the chance to take on multiple roles, really testing himself as an actor and exploring what exactly it means to be Peter Parker.
2. Scorpion
Scorpion is one of Spider-Man’s classic enemies, though perhaps not as A-List as the likes of Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. Even so, his story is perfectly suited for the big screen, especially after he made an appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the aforementioned hatred the MCU's J. Jonah Jameson has for Spidey.
In the comics, Jonah hires private detective Mac Gargan to find out Spidey’s secret identity. When he fails, he agrees to be bonded to a suit that will grant him the abilities needed to take the hero down and unmask him. Unfortunately, it also drives him insane, and a vengeful Scorpion ends up targeting both Spider-Man and Jameson thanks to his newfound powers.
That origin would need to undergo some changes on the big screen, of course, but Jameson hiring an ex-con with a grudge against Spider-Man wouldn't be remotely surprising. As we alluded to a little earlier, we could even eventually see this version of Mac become Venom!
1. Hobgoblin
Spider-Man's greatest defeat in the MCU came at the hands of Green Goblin when the villain murdered his Aunt May. Peter eventually vanquished Norman Osborn, curing him before he was sent back to his own reality. That doesn't mean another goblin won't haunt the web-slinger, though.
The prospect of Ned Leeds becoming Hobgoblin (outside of him being framed by the real deal) in a future movie is just dumb. However, a chancer like Roderick Kingsley coming across Norman's tech - a deleted scene was going to show him raiding Damage Control for those upgrades - would make perfect sense.
There's fun to be had with this, particularly if Peter believes Norman has returned. Willem Dafoe could even be enlisted for flashbacks showing him working on this tech and perhaps even recording diaries which, unaffected by Doctor Strange's spell, reveal who is beneath Spidey's mask!