One of Avengers: Infinity War's most notable supporting villain actors is rumored to be on their way back to the MCU in 2026. Along with Josh Brolin's long-awaited full MCU debut as the Mad Titan Thanos, Infinity War had no shortage of powerful villains to pit against Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Although most of those antagonists met their end before the Infinity Saga's final moments, Marvel's knack for bringing back certain stars for multiple roles is still a factor in casting for the future.
A new rumor indicated that Carrie Coon was potentially in line to play the main villain in Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Casting for Spider-Man 4 has been a hot topic for the MCU, as this will be Tom Holland's first solo movie since 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home (the MCU's most successful solo film to date). Now, Coon's name being in the mix throws even more mystery on the table.
According to scooper Jeff Sneider (via The Hot Mic podcast with John Rocha), Coon's name is now in the mix for the main villain role in Spider-Man 4. However, he did not hear what character she might play, noting the information came from a third party:
"I heard a name, I heard an actress. Here's a name…what if Carrie Coon was the villain?"
Coon first made a name for herself in the MCU playing Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos' "adopted" children, in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Initially sent out to help Thanos obtain the six Infinity Stones, Proxima showed off her combat skills against Avengers like Captain America, the Falcon, Black Widow, the Scarlet Witch, and more. She met her end when she was thrown into one of Thanos' weapons in Wakanda, shredding her into pieces after an encounter with Wanda Maximoff.
Coon may be the latest cast member in Marvel and Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth solo Spider-Man movie in the MCU. Featuring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Sadie Sink, this film will pit Peter Parker back in New York City after the world forgot about his existence, leading to what could be his scariest battle yet as he regains his identity. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now filming and will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.
When Will 2026 MCU Movie Villains Be Revealed?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already given fans a few peeks into what may happen in the highly anticipated 2026 sequel. Spending the early part of August 2025 shooting in the United Kingdom, set photos have revealed a couple of key action sequences for the web-slinger, along with a couple of surprising reunions with fan-favorite supporting characters from the Infinity Saga.
However, the villain side of this movie is largely still a mystery after the web-slinger last went face-to-face with five multiversal-based antagonists from the five pre-MCU Spidey movies. Reports have confirmed an appearance for Michael Mando's Scorpion, who returns for his first MCU movie since 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, outside of him, no other antagonistic characters are set in stone for the cast yet.
Filming for Brand New Day is expected to last through the rest of 2025, meaning Marvel and Sony may hold out on providing information on Coon's role or any other roles until principal photography is complete.
Considering the secrecy Marvel and Sony are using for this sequel (possibly even more than usual), anticipation is high to find out who the web-slinger will face and what he will have to stop once he returns to the spotlight.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
