Spider-Man isn't in danger of losing his spot at the top of the superhero food chain. Sony's latest movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, had the biggest opening weekend at the box office of all time, dethroning another Marvel Studios production, Avengers: Endgame. And the positive word of mouth around the film all but ensures that its theatrical run will remain prosperous and that a fifth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie enters the pipeline sooner rather than later.
Brand New Day owes its success to a number of factors, including a less-than-stellar summer movie slate and its impressive supporting cast. However, the big draw is the mystery surrounding its main villain. Every piece of marketing kept its cards close to the vest, confirming that a mystery figure, played by Sadie Sink, would be pulling the strings but refusing to reveal their identity.
The internet ran with the rumor that Sink had been cast as the iconic mutant Jean Grey. It was difficult to put much stock in the theory because Spider-Man had only ever fought his own villains in his solo movies. But the powers that be thought the risk was worth it, as Sink does indeed play Jean, a misguided mutant on a warpath in New York City. With this decision, Brand New Day makes Marvel movie history as the first-ever live action spider-man movie in which its main villain isn't from spider-man’s iconic rogues gallery.
Jean is no stranger to playing the villain role; both X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix made her more foe than friend. However, she was corrupted by an alien force in those movies. Brand New Day doesn't go down that road, choosing instead to make Jean a tragic figure who lost her sister to the Department of Damage Control.
The result is an antagonist that's as sympathetic as any in MCU history. Marvel Studios is going to have a difficult time following Jean up with a bad guy that raises the stakes for Peter Parker. Fortunately, there are a couple of solid options waiting in the wings for their chance to make a name for themselves against Tom Holland's MCU hero.
Marvel Villains Who Could Take Spider-Man 5 to the Next Level
Norman Osborn
Spider-Man: No Way Home brought villains from across the multiverse to Earth-616, including Norman Osborn from Peter 2's universe. The Green Goblin didn't waste his opportunity to terrorize another Wall-Crawler, killing Aunt May and nearly pushing Peter 1 over the edge. While the titular hero didn't finish the job, he left the fight with Norman a changed man.
Introducing a new version of Norman in Spider-Man 5 could be seen as Sony treading water. But there's more the MCU can do with his character than just having him put on a goblin mask. In the comics, he became Iron Patriot and started the Dark Avengers. Peter wanting to stop Norman from damaging Tony Stark's legacy would make for a compelling story.
Venom
Brand New Day's post-credits scene teases that Spider-Man will be doing some travelling in his next big-screen appearance. His most likely destination is Battleworld, the reality Doctor Doom is rumored to create at the end of Avengers: Doomsday. When Spider-Man first visited Battleworld in the comics, he interacted with the symbiote, paving the way for Venom's introduction.
Sony put a bow on Tom Hardy's run as the character in Venom: The Last Dance, which means the MCU is free to introduce a new iteration. Whether it's Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, or someone else under all that goo, Venom always proves to be a worthy foe for Peter.
Kraven
Another villain that Sony tried to turn into a solo act was Kraven the Hunter. Aaron Taylor-Johnson starred in a movie that failed to make an impact critically or at the box office. But that doesn't have to be the end of Kraven's live-action story.
In the "Kraven's Last Hunt" storyline, the big-game hunter tracked Spider-Man throughout the city while he was utilizing the symbiote. It made for an interesting challenge for a villain that always got what he wanted. Peter making a strange new friend in either Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars might be the push Kraven needs to show his face in the MCU.
Kingpin
Before the release of every Marvel Studios movie, Kevin Feige must field questions about the future of his franchise. More often than not, he dodges the tough topics. But he didn't hold back when it was suggested to him that Kingpin showing up in a Spider-Man movie was off the table, teasing that it could happen in the future (via Josh Horowitz).
Spider-Man 5 feels like as good a place as any to pit the Wall-Crawler against Wilson Fisk. Brand New Day establishes that Spider-Man is New York's premier hero, and Kingpin has been its premier villain for years. It also doesn't hurt Kingpin's chances that Spider-Man and Daredevil already have a relationship in the MCU.
Rogue
Hitting a home run with Jean could push the powers that be to double-dip in the mutant pool. While it's easy to envision X-Men villains like Juggernaut or Omega Red giving Spider-Man a run for his money in his fifth solo movie, they wouldn't be nearly as interesting as another future hero in need of a strong hand to guide them.
Rogue started out as a bad guy in Marvel Comics, being ruthless with her mutant powers. It took joining the X-Men and learning from Professor X to realize the error of her ways. Just like with Jean, Peter can help Rogue get on the right path. But only after the two have a couple of epic fights.
