After playing Mac Gargan in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Mando finally returns in Spider-Man: Brand New Day as The Scorpion. While he doesn't have a leading role in the movie—there's no comic book-inspired origin story with J. Jonah Jameson funding his villainous transformation—Mando still makes his mark.
Hopefully, we'll get to see more of him in the role down the line, especially as the movie alludes to Gargan and Spidey having clashed on multiple occasions since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Mando, who is also joining the DC Universe this summer as the voice of Bane in Batman: Knightfall, has just taken to Instagram to share a fun batch of behind-the-scenes photos from his time working on Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
They reveal a great look at Scorpion's practical costume, Mando's training and stunt work, and more. It seems he had a blast working on the project, and we've known for a while that this is a role he'd been hoping to return to. It ultimately took close to a decade, but the Better Call Saul alum finally got to don the villain's suit for a clash with the web-slinger.
During a recent interview on the I've Never Said This Before podcast, Mando opened up about the disappointment he felt that a big chunk of his Spider-Man: Homecoming performance ended up on the cutting room floor.
"I had a scene in the middle of that film that was cut," he recalled. "I received a really nice handwritten letter from somebody high up saying how much they liked the scene, and I was really excited for it. I remember bringing my father to the premiere. That scene came and went, and I was like, 'Wait a minute!' I didn’t know it was going to be cut."
"That was a learning moment for me as an actor," Mando continued. "I think the trick is you just take it in stride, you take it in love, and you say, 'What’s meant to be is meant to be,' and it’s okay."
Check out Mando's behind-the-scenes photos from Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the Instagram gallery below. We've also included a very cool look at how Spidey's fight with Scorpion was filmed.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's a Brand New Day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day is everything fans could want," we wrote in our review of the movie. "Emotional, hilarious, and heartfelt, it’s an action-packed love letter to the comics and one of Spidey’s best big-screen adventures. Spider-Man has never been more amazing."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.
The movie is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor. Executive producers include Louis D'Esposito and David Cain.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.