As work continues on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the rumour mill has started churning out some big claims about what we can expect from the next Marvel Studios movie.
Yesterday, we learned that Michael Mando's Scorpion will have a key role in the movie, but not as the main antagonist. We still don't know who that will be, but this movie might be teeing up an even bigger story for Mac Gargan in the MCU.
According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, the plan is for The Scorpion to eventually factor into Spider-Man 5, as well. That's all we have to go on for now, but this lends some weight to theories that, after Gargan is defeated here, he'll bond with the Venom Symbiote, essentially taking Eddie Brock's place in the MCU.
After all, if Peter Parker acquires the alien costume in Avengers: Secret Wars, then he can bring it back to Earth in Spider-Man 5, rid himself of his new Symbiote, and then be faced with a vengeful Scorpion, who has been transformed into Venom.
We'll see, but the insider has also shared a couple of Spider-Man: Brand New Day insights, including what exactly is being filmed in Glasgow, Scotland, right now.
"The Punisher was chasing Scorpion, and Spider-Man was trying to stop him from killing his target," they explain, adding, "The Punisher is a bit like the Winter Soldier in Brand New Day."
Back to this movie's possible big bad, and The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez has weighed in with who it isn't. Despite speculation to the contrary, he's claiming that, "Mr. Negative and the Inner Demons are not in Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
That's not overly surprising, and he's only ever been connected to this movie due to it sharing a title with a controversial era of storytelling ("Brand New Day"), which, thanks to a deal with Mephisto, saw the wall-crawler get a fresh start when his marriage to Mary Jane Watson ended and his identity became secret again.
He faced many new sinister foes—including Mister Negative—during that time and was surrounded by an overhauled supporting cast, including a resurrected Harry Osborn. Jackpot, Menace, and Carlie Cooper were some of the standout additions to his world, though whether they'll appear in this movie isn't clear.
As of now, all signs point to Spidey teaming up with The Punisher to battle a Savage Hulk, with The Scorpion thrown in for good measure. We recently published a feature about how the "Brand New Day" comics will influence the next Spider-Man movie, along with a breakdown of every villain rumoured to appear.
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 leads a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, and Liza Colón-Zayas.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.