As Spider-Man is one of the most popular heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the question of which villain he should face next is often debated by fans. Since his introduction in 2016 as part of Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man has become one of the MCU’s most prolific heroes, featuring in four solo movies as well as both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Fans have seen Spider-Man grow up in the MCU from a naive teen to a fully-fledged hero in his own right, facing several powerful villains along the way. The likes of Vulture, Mysterio, the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, the Lizard, Electro, and Jean Grey have all acted as major antagonists, with several other villains featuring in more minor roles such as Shocker, Scorpion, and Tombstone, to name just a few.
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Spider-Man’s impressive rogues’ gallery gives the MCU a huge pool of villains to draw from. There are many great antagonists that haven’t yet been set up, but the franchise has actually already laid the foundations for several MCU Spider-Man villains ahead of his next solo movie. Each of the following characters has already appeared in the franchise, so establishing them as the next major antagonist in a Spider-Man movie would be both simple and subtly perfect in terms of narrative continuity.
5) Prowler
The villain known as the Prowler became well-known to wider audiences after he was included as one of the best characters in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As Miles Morales’ uncle, the Prowler’s story comes with a clear connection to Peter Parker’s successor, but that doesn’t mean the MCU should avoid him until it’s ready to replace the hero. Aaron Davis has already appeared in the MCU, with Donald Glover playing the role in a small cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming that teased his potential return as a villain further down the line. Bringing back the character as the next major Spider-Man movie villain would be a great choice, as it would pay off a tease that has now gone unresolved for almost a decade. Glover’s villain role would undoubtedly be popular with fans, and his villain story would also subtly set up the introduction of Miles Morales, even if he’s absent in the MCU for a while yet.
4) Chameleon
There are a few Marvel characters you probably forgot already existed in the MCU, and in Chameleon’s case, you’d be easily forgiven. He only featured very briefly in Spider-Man: Far From Home as an agent in the employ of Nick Fury — or, at least, his Skrull impersonator — and was only identified by the character’s real name, Dimitri Smerdyakov. The character played only a very minor role in the movie, but it did quietly establish him as a part of Spider-Man’s MCU story. Bringing him back as the main antagonist of the hero’s next movie would be great, because it could link back to his brief appearance in Far From Home to establish some narrative continuity. Considering the villain’s most important attribute is his ability to blend in and disguise himself, revealing him as a villain who has secretly been present for much of Spider-Man’s story so far would be both fitting and unique for the hero’s next MCU movie.
3) Venom
Of all the MCU post-credits scenes yet to be resolved, Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s is, admittedly, not particularly high on many fans’ list of priorities. It saw Eddie Brock briefly transported into the MCU from Sony’s ill-fated Spider-Man Universe and then back again, crucially leaving behind a small amount of Venom symbiote upon his return. This establishes that Venom exists somewhere in the MCU, and it might just be the right time to further explore that plot point. Venom is one of Spider-Man’s most popular antagonists among fans, and he’s a pretty beloved character in his own right, so expanding upon his brief introduction into the MCU seems like a win-win situation. As well as paying off a seemingly forgotten post-credits tease, it would finally deliver the hero-villain showdown we’ve been longing to see done right ever since 2007’s Spider-Man 3 let us down with its ill-advised depiction of Venom.
2) Hobgoblin
Of all the truly iconic Spider-Man villains that the MCU has not yet used, Hobgoblin is probably the most obvious choice. The franchise does already have a clear avenue to introduce the villain, as it has established from the beginning that Ned Leeds is Peter Parker’s best friend. While very few fans actually want to see a wedge driven between the two friends, having Ned become the Hobgoblin could make for one of the best Spider-Man villains in MCU history. Turning the character against his best friend and establishing him as a villain would be truly heartbreaking, but ultimately, it has been a possibility ever since Ned was first introduced. Whether the MCU would ever actually do this remains to be seen, but he’s another villain character from the comics who already exists in the franchise and is seemingly ripe for a shocking heel turn despite having been a fan favorite sidekick since his introduction.
1) Kingpin
One of the most obvious and anticipated matchups that haven’t yet happened in the MCU is Spider-Man vs. Kingpin. Vincent D’Onofrio’s turn as the Marvel villain in Daredevil, Hawkeye, Echo, and Daredevil: Born Again has seen his prospective showdown with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man often talked about among fans, and the hero’s next solo movie would be the perfect opportunity to finally deliver on it. Of course, doing so would almost necessitate a crossover between Spider-Man and Daredevil, as so far, Kingpin has been almost exclusively connected to Charlie Cox’s iteration of the Man Without Fear. By giving fans the Spider-Man/Kingpin story they’ve been craving, the MCU would also be able to finally have Tom Holland’s hero officially connect with Daredevil on the big screen, allowing for an even greater opportunity to adapt some of the hero’s most exciting Marvel storylines. When it comes to deciding on a major antagonist for the next Spider-Man movie, Marvel need look no further than Kingpin.
Ranking the First 10 Spider-Man Movie Villains, By Power
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