In spite of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker already clashing with most of Spider-Man’s biggest villains, Marvel has no shortage of characters it can use in his MCU future. Despite appearing in only three solo movies, Tom Holland’s take on the iconic web slinger has already clashed with a substantial chunk of the comic book character’s rogues’ gallery. However, that shouldn’t make it difficult for the MCU to find new foes for Peter to fight.
Thanks in large part to the multiverse shenanigans that took place in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the MCU has scratched several names off the list of villains Holland’s character needs to fight. In addition to beating his own villains in Homecoming and Far from Home, Peter came to blows with almost every villain from the last two Spider-Man movie franchises. For that reason, Marvel may actually run out of A-list Spider-Man villains to introduce. But even if that happens, it’ll still have plenty of available options. They may not have the same level of name recognition as the Green Goblin or even Sandman, but there are several other lesser-known villains capable of delivering exciting live-action stories.
Doppelganger
Thanks to the introduction of Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel created the first of many steps needed to introduce Doppelganger. In Marvel’s Infinity War event, Adam Warlock’s evil counterpart – the Magus – used his abilities to create twisted versions of dozens of Marvel Comics heroes, Spider-Man included. The vast majority of them died by the end of Infinity War, but Spider-Man’s copy, a six-armed monstrous Spider-Man clone called Doppelganger, survived to become a recurring antagonist to Peter Parker in his solo series. If Marvel ever uses the Magus as a cosmic crossover villain, it won’t be hard to bring Doppelganger into the fold.
Beetle
As a tech genius who built a gadget-filled suit, Beetle a.k.a. Abner Jenkins would fit seamlessly into the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise, especially given its ties to Iron Man’s legacy. Beetle’s suit makes him an Iron Man-esque villain, hence why he’s been used as an opponent of both characters. He was also in the Armors Wars event as a character involved in the theft of Iron Man’s technology. The MCU could lean in the same direction when it adapts Armor Wars by setting up Beetle as a future Spider-Man villain. War Machine’s upcoming movie could see Abner Jenkins develop his Beetle suit from Iron Man’s stolen tech.
Speed Demon
The MCU missed opportunities for some truly amazing visual effects by letting Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver die in his debut movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, but can still capitalize on that potential by introducing Speed Demon. Originally known as the Whizzer, Speed Demon was an evil speedster and a member of the Squadron Sinister, a Justice League-inspired supervillain team from an alternate universe. Due to the growing importance of the multiverse to the MCU’s plans, it’s not impossible that the Squadron will appear in The Kang Dynasty or Secret Wars, thus paving the way for Spider-Man to fight his fastest comic villain.
Man-Wolf
Since Spider-Man has already fought a version of the Lizard in the MCU, Marvel may avoid using the character, in spite of the storytelling opportunities his introduction would offer. With that in mind, it may be best for the MCU to bring in Man-Wolf instead. The son of J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson was an astronaut transformed into a cosmic werewolf by a space artifact. A bit similar to the Lizard, John wasn’t a truly evil character, but his transformations often pitted him against Spider-Man. His father already exists in Marvel’s world, making the debut of John Jameson (and his Man-Wolf future) a real possibility for the MCU.
Morlun
Though far from a household name, Morlun is arguably Spider-Man’s most dangerous villain. An immortal from another universe, Morlun is known for his bloody crusade across the multiverse, which has sent him to numerous realities, killing every Spider-Man he can find. Possessing a vampiric ability that allows him to drain the lifeforce of superheroes whose powers come from animals, Morlun is a villain on a much larger scale than most members of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery. His relentless efforts to kill Peter and the multiverse adventures centered around his character lends the MCU a chance for an intense Spider-Man story that would fit perfectly into the tail end of the Multiverse Saga.
Kaine
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is confirmed to introduce Kaine, who is likely to fight Miles Morales in the animated movie. Introduced in the 1990s as a clone of Peter Parker who took a villainous turn, Kaine can certainly be an interesting foil for Miles, but that’s not the extent of what can be done with the character. Depending on how he’s used, Kaine could also work in live-action – played by Tom Holland –as the villain of a Clone Saga adaptation. Or, he could be reimagined as an evil Spider-Man variant.
Silvermane
Silvio “Silvermane” Manfredi would make for an excellent substitute for Wilson Fisk if Marvel never finds room for Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin in a Spider-Man story. So far, the MCU has ignored Spider-Man’s history of fighting organized crime, opting to go for much higher-stakes stories with his movies. If that changes for Spider-Man 4, Holland’s character could wind up facing the Maggia, a criminal empire led by Silvermane, an elderly mobster driven by a desire for eternal life. Eventually building a cyborg body, Silvermane has consistently found ways to be a thorn in Spider-Man’s side and could also serve as a worthy rival to Kingpin in Daredevil: Born Again.
Stegron
Stegron the Dinosaur Man would be one of the strangest characters to clash with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, but the territory explored in projects like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Thor: Love and Thunder prove that the villain isn’t too weird for the MCU. At this point in the MCU timeline, it’s not hard to imagine Spider-Man crossing paths with a person mutated by the DNA of a stegosaurus. The experiments conducted by the High Evolutionary show that an MCU version of Stegron is indeed possible, and something that could happen if dinosaur DNA was somehow obtained. With his design, the MCU could turn Stegron into a terrifying and immensely powerful Spider-Man villain.
Boomerang
As his supervillain codename implies, Fred Myers is adept at the use of boomerangs, utilizing them for a variety of purposes in the Marvel Universe. Though this makes Boomerang seem less menacing than a number of Spider-Man’s villains, Boomerang actually has the skills to challenge Spider-Man physically on a regular basis. And while he may not feel like main villain material for Spider-Man 4, Boomerang would be a suitable candidate for a spot on a future Sinister Six or Sinister Syndicate roster. That would make sense, given that he’s typically used as a member of a villain team that bands together against Spider-Man.
Demogoblin
Curiously, Marvel Comics boasts several goblin-themed villains who fight Spider-Man, aside from just Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. Another character who fits into this category is Demogoblin, a villain who occupies places in the rogues’ galleries of both Spider-Man and Moon Knight. Introduced as a demonic being who takes control of the second Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale), Demogoblin exists as a supernatural interpretation of the Green Goblin archetype, lending him abilities that make him a force to be reckoned with. With rumors of Mephisto joining the MCU and demons confirmed to exist in the MCU, a live-action take on Demogoblin isn’t an implausible scenario.
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This story originally appeared on Screenrant
