A Marvel Cinematic Universe actor has teased their long-awaited return as an iconic Spider-Man villain for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Spider-Man is one of the few MCU sub-franchises to be extended with a fourth installment. If all goes well, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will land in theaters in 2026, as Tom Holland returns under Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton’s leadership.
Of course, the more the Spider-Man franchise and the MCU grow, the harder it is to ensure that every veiled hint, cameo, and teased storyline is utilized and brought to a satisfying conclusion. This is something Marvel has struggled with lately, especially in Phases 4 and 5. How many dangling plot threads and comic characters have been introduced in the MCU’s famous post-credits scenes without ever leading anywhere?
Luckily, it seems that one of those long-forgotten plots will be revisited in Spider-Man’s fourth official semi-solo MCU outing. Brand New Day will take place after Peter Parker’s identity was wiped from the world’s consciousness in Spider-Man: No Way Home. As far as we know, though, this returning villain character never learned Peter’s real identity; someone covered for him.
Scorpion Will Return In Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Scorpion, also known as Mac Gargan, is one of the most iconic villains in Spider-Man’s roster. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Gargan had a deal with Michael Keaton’s Vulture, a.k.a. Adrian Toomes. During the movie’s Staten Island Ferry set piece, Better Call Saul veteran Michael Mando was introduced as Gargan when Peter’s AI, Karen, described him as having an “extensive criminal record, including homicide.”
Later, in one of Homecoming’s two post-credits scenes, it was revealed that Gargan and Toomes had been locked up in the same prison. There’s been no word on Gargan or his arachnid alter ego since, but Michael Mando has recently teased his return to the MCU in a new post on Instagram captioned with, “st!ng #spiderman.”
In the black-and-white image, we can see Gargan’s scorpion tattoo, a match for the one audiences were shown in Homecoming‘s post-credits sting. How extensive Mando’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be is still unclear. He’ll reprise his part alongside Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk/Bruce Banner and Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher/Frank Castle.
Our Take On Scorpion’s Return In Spider-Man: Brand New Day
A lot has happened in the MCU since Gargan was briefly introduced in Homecoming. The Snap, a five-year time jump, and Doctor Strange’s spell to protect Peter Parker’s identity have all fundamentally changed the way the world functions within Marvel’s continuity. At this point, Mando’s role in the film could be anything. The slate has essentially been wiped clean.
That being said, Peter has also been given a fresh start. It’s a “new day” and the perfect time for this version of Spider-Man to go up against an underused, street-level rogue as he embraces a smaller life and becomes the neighborhood protector we all know and love. Whatever happens, Michael Mando is a talented actor, bound to give viewers a unique interpretation of Scorpion’s less-than-controlled personality in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is slated to be released on July 31, 2026.
Source: Michael Mando on Instagram
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
