Alongside Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is one of the most highly anticipated MCU movies in recent memory. It's been a while since Spider-Man: No Way Home swung into theaters, and Tom Holland's return as Peter Parker is long overdue.
With little to no official details revealed about the movie, it's hardly a surprise that social media scoopers have shared a seemingly never-ending list of potential villains.
It can be hard to keep track of the rumours, which is why we've now rounded up every single bad guy who has been rumoured to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Some are more believable than others, but chances are we'll see at least one of them in theaters next year.
You can check them out by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. Savage Hulk
Marvel Studios' Spider-Man movies always feature a big MCU cameo, and it appears Brand New Day will be no exception. Rumour has it Peter Parker will encounter Bruce Banner, only for Smart Hulk to finally go Savage.
These two have clashed many times on the page, but The Hulk being the lead villain of a Spider-Man movie doesn't quite sound right to us.
Instead, it seems far more likely that the web-slinger might work with the Jade Giant, only for the two heroes to inevitably clash when Bruce loses control. That will likely be due to the intervention of one of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's actual villains.
7. Mister Negative
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shares a name with a controversial era of late 2000s Amazing Spider-Man storytelling. "Brand New Day" came after Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane was taken by Mephisto in exchange for the life of Aunt May.
Mister Negative was among the new villains introduced by Marvel Comics at the time, and he's had the best staying power of the lot (we even saw him take centre stage in Insomniac's Spider-Man video games).
We can't help but wonder whether Mister Negative's name is only coming up because Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton has already helmed a superhero movie with martial arts. Still, he would be a challenging foe for the hero.
6. Boomerang, Tarantula, Tombstone
Word leaked from a Disney merchandise event that Spider-Man: Brand New Day concept art had been shown, revealing that Boomerang, Tarantula, and Tombstone will be among the villains the wall-crawler faces next summer.
We still haven't been able to verify that, but street-level threats like this suggest we'll see Spidey in the midst of a gang war (which adds up if he's in a New York City still reeling from Mayor Fisk's machinations).
These are some relatively obscure threats from the comics, and fans have long wanted to see Spider-Man taking on more than just a single "big bad." However, don't be surprised if the person who leaked this information got the wrong end of the stick.
5. Chameleon
Kraven the Hunter was released to negative reviews last year, and ended with the introduction of a comic-accurate Chameleon. In place of a mask, he'd undergone a genetic procedure, a predictably goofy decision from Sony Pictures.
Not very many people saw that movie, perhaps explaining reports that Spider-Man will face a female version of Chameleon in Brand New Day.
This villain wouldn't be at the top of our list, but we would trust Marvel Studios to do right by the baddie who Peter Parker first faced in Amazing Spider-Man #1. It just seems way too soon after Kraven the Hunter.
4. Knull/Venom
Shortly after Venom: The Last Dance was released in theaters, we heard that the plan was for the next Spider-Man movie to pair up Tom Holland's Peter Parker with Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock for a battle with Knull, God of Symbiotes.
It certainly seemed possible, especially as Spider-Man: Brand New Day was scheduled to be released between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars at the time (likely making it a Multiversal adventure).
The Venom trilogy wasn't great, but Marvel Studios doing right by the Lethal Protector and Knull is a given. We don't think Kevin Feige is interested in damaged goods, though, and it seems more likely our next villain would wear the alien costume...
3. Scorpion
Scorpion was named alongside Boomerang, Tarantula, and Tombstone, and arguably remains the most logical choice of villain, seeing as he was first introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming (a post-credits scene set the stage for him to take his revenge on the wall-crawler).
The world no longer remembers Peter Parker. J. Jonah Jameson is likely still holding a grudge, though, and would no doubt jump at the chance to fund a villain like the Scorpion to take down Spidey.
Heck, Mac Gargan could even get the Symbiote during the final act, becoming the MCU's Venom before Spider-Man inherits the alien costume ready for Avengers: Doomsday. So yeah, in case you can't tell, he's our top pick!
2. The Vulture
Concept art has confirmed that Marvel Studios considered bringing Michael Keaton back as The Vulture in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He's since been rumoured for a role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day on several occasions.
We'd bet on the events of Morbius being completely ignored because, well, Adrian Toomes' scenes in that movie were a nonsensical load of Sony-branded garbage.
There are several ways he could return in Brand New Day, and The Vulture no longer remembering Peter sets up an intriguing dynamic between these foes. Regardless, we don't anticipate him being this movie's sole "big bad" as we've already seen so much of him in action.
1. Silver Samurai/Viper
The latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day rumour suggests two obscure X-Men villains could be pitted against Spidey next year: Silver Samurai and Viper, a.k.a. Madame Hydra.
They were previously paired up on screen in 2013's The Wolverine, and aren't a duo we'd expect Marvel Studios to include in a Spider-Man movie. Ultimately, it makes no sense for them to be part of this story (even if it were to be set on Battleworld).
The fact that we've reached the point where Silver Samurai and Viper are being named as possibilities for Spider-Man: Brand New Day feels like confirmation that scoopers really are just guessing now. Then again, stranger things have happened...