Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be a jam-packed movie, with the web-slinger forced to contend with The Punisher, The Hulk, The Scorpion, and more.
While the list of characters set to appear in the Spider-Man: No Way Home follow-up continues to grow (Tombstone joined the ensemble earlier this week), we still don't know who the lead villain will be. However, some interesting updates have come our way from John Rocha, the first person to report on plans for Frank Castle and Bruce Banner to appear in this movie.
"I've had sources reach out to me close to the production, and someone who was recently at a Disney presentation for the film," he explained earlier today. "What I'm being told is that the main villain is a female shapeshifter. They've cast the person, but I'm not allowed to say who it was. Not sure if they're the Chameleon or not, but they are a shapeshifter."
Despite that, The Hulk and The Punisher will reportedly be the "main people" Spidey is fighting in the movie.
He'd add that neither Tombstone nor The Scorpion are the "main villains," adding that "Boomerang is also going to be part of this movie, and that MJ has a new boyfriend, which is what causes Peter to snap a bit and makes the movie a little more darker and grounded."
It makes sense that the trauma of seeing the woman he loves move on with her life without him would have a huge impact on Peter Parker's psyche. If he's not over MJ, chances are Spidey won't have a new girlfriend, but what of that female shapeshifter?
That could be who Sadie Sink is playing, or the mysterious older female lead we first heard was being cast earlier this year. Aside from a gender-swapped Chameleon, we're not sure who fits the bill, though Shathra is a compelling possibility.
Created by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr., recent interpretations of the character have made her a Multiversal big bad with ties to the Spider-Verse. When she first debuted, the wasp-like Shathra wished to devour Spider-Man and feed him to her young, and transformed into a woman called "Sharon Keller" who claimed she'd had an affair with the hero.
Jeff Sneider, meanwhile, mentioned that he's heard there may be some truth to rumblings that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi will helm Midnight Sons. According to the scooper, that would be led by Blade, Ghost Rider, and Moon Knight.
He's less certain about Raimi potentially helming an MCU-set Spider-Man 4, meaning it's likely little more than wishful thinking for now.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland stars with Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, Tramell Tillman, Marvin Jones III, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh is also rumoured to have joined the cast.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026. You can watch the latest episode of The Hot Mic podcast in the player below.