Marvel is introducing a new live-action Black Spider-Man villain in its next TV series. Historically, only a handful of Black antagonists have played significant roles in Spider-Man films, namely Jamie Foxx's Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home. In addition, Bokeem Woodbine was a version of the Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Foxx's Max Dillon is the primary Spider-Man villain who has been Black, and that was a race-swap from typical takes on Electro. In the upcoming Spider-Noir series, Abraham Popoola is playing Tombstone, a new take on the Spider-Man villain in live action.
Set to release all its episodes on Amazon Prime Video on May 27, Popoola will be alongside Nicholas Cage, bringing the Spider-Man Noir character to streaming after voicing him in the Spider-Verse films.
Based on the past CCXP badge artwork, Popoola appears to be portraying a version of Tombstone during this Depression Era story. When the actor was initially cast, his character was described as a World War I veteran.
The design highlights his imposing build, with oversized arms, a grimacing expression, and visibly scarred, hardened skin that reflects a more naturalistic take on the character's signature look.
In Marvel lore, Tombstone is known for his near-invulnerable durability and immense physical strength. Lonnie Lincoln (Tombstone) is also known for having chalk-white skin and filed-down, razor-sharp teeth.
This comic book-style take was animated in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Marvin Jones III. Popoola's new iteration of the character seems more realistic, appearing as a normal Black man with a bit of a tough exterior.
Jones III returns in live-action as another iteration of the villain in Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Brand New Day; however, he was absent from the first trailer.
Tombstone was also just reintroduced as a high school kid in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, voiced by Eugene Byrd. In Season 1, Lonnie played a huge role, slowly being drawn to a more villainous future.
There was a bit of a different take on Tomstone in Insomniac Games' Spider-Man 2. In the 2023 game, a reformed Tombstone works as a mechanic at Coney Island, who is kidnapped by Kraven the Hunter, and eventually rescued by Spider-Man.
In addition to Popoola's noir-inspired Tombstone, the upcoming series features a stacked roster of reimagined Marvel icons. Brendan Gleeson stars as the lead antagonist, Silvermane, while Jack Huston plays Flint Marko (Sandman) as a bodyguard to start.
Joining the mix is Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy, inspired by Black Cat, and Joe Massingill appears as a period-appropriate Electro. On the ally side, Lamorne Morris portrays a younger Robbie Robertson, who's expected to have a personal relationship with Cage's Ben Reilly in the series.
A Growing Mix of Black Spider-Man Heroes and Villains
"You're from Queens. You got that suit. You help a lot of poor people. I just thought you were gonna be black." - Electro
The Spider-Man franchise has significantly expanded Black representation over the past decade, most notably through the rise of Miles Morales as a central figure in the Spider-Verse film series.
It was just confirmed that Miles' story would be coming to an end when the trilogy wraps up in 2027's Beyond the Spider-Verse.
2018's Into the Spider-Verse introduced mainstream audiences to Miles, an Afro-Latino teenager from Brooklyn who inherits the Spider-Man mantle from his universe's Peter Parker.
Beyond the protagonist, the franchise has built a roster of Black characters, far beyond Foxx's take on Electro.
Aaron Davis, Miles' uncle and the Prowler, serves as a recurring figure in the Spider-Verse films, but also seems like a character that could appear in live-action one day, too (played by Donald Glover).
Coming soon to Spider-Noir, an alternate take on Lonnie Lincoln, who could be a surprising element of complexity in the series based on their direction with the character.
