Marvel Studios finally gave fans an official look at Marvin Jones III as Tombstone in an official piece of marketing for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, after keeping the actor essentially hidden in trailers, released movie clips, etc. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is going to include quite a few well-known Spider-Man villains. For instance, different pieces of marketing have revealed the webslinger will go up against Scorpion, the Hand, Boomerang, and Tarantula, to name a few. However, one villain named Tombstone (who has been featured in other on-screen projects) will play an important role as well, even though he hasn't been showcased in any released footage.
Nerdtropolis' Chris Gallardo recently shared a photo via X of a pop-up in New York City promoting Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and a couple of the images on the pop-up are of Marvin Jones III's Tombstone, giving fans an official first look at the actor in Brand New Day.
For reference, the pop-up is meant to look like Peter Parker's villain tracker board, as it has more than a few pictures, newspaper clippings, thumbtacks, and pieces of yarn stretched across a huge bulletin board. Notably, Tombstone has his own section on the board, meaning Spider-Man is keeping a close eye on him.
There are two images of Jones III as Tombstone on the board. One of the pictures is a bit better in terms of clarity, and it showcases Jones III's Tombstone in a bit more of a close-up, as it only features his chest and above. This offers fans a good look at Jones' face in the role, which looks absolutely perfect for Tombstone.
The other image on the board is essentially a zoomed-out version of the first picture, as it is the same image, but it shows all of Tombstone's body. Since it appears further away, though, Tombstone's features can't really be seen as well. However, this does allow fans to see the character's full body and costume. Once again, it seems as though Marvel got the character's design as perfect as it could be, especially when comparing his Brand New Day design to the way he looks in the comics.
It is also worth noting briefly that there is a news headline on Tombstone's section of the board that reads, "Tombstone Running City Into the Ground." It hasn't been confirmed yet what Tombstone will be doing in Brand New Day, but based on that bit of evidence, it seems as though the film may explore him while he is at the height of his criminal days.
This board isn't the first time fans have been given a look at Tombstone from Brand New Day. For example, he has been displayed several times (often through leaks) in the form of a LEGO minifigure, on pieces of merchandise, etc. However, this is the first time that Jones III himself has been seen in costume, and maybe even in a still from the movie.
It does seem as though Marvel Studios has a specific design and costume in mind for the character, though, since Jones III's appearance perfectly lines up with the LEGO minifigure and the animated picture of Tombstone on the box of a Brand New Day toy.
As mentioned, Tombstone's Brand New Day design seems to be staying extremely accurate to the way the character looks in Marvel Comics. For example, he clearly has the pale skin and white hair that Tombstone is known for, though it is not as exaggerated in the film as it is in the comics.
He is also well-dressed in the image from the pop-up (he is wearing a suit and tie), which is not uncommon for Tombstone in the comics, either.
However, it is worth mentioning that, while his design is very comic-accurate, it is also just different enough that it is unique and easily identifiable. In other words, there is no way fans could get mixed up when identifying Jones III's version of the character.
When directly compared to other on-screen iterations of the character, these differences are more noticeable. For instance, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which also starred Jones III as Tombstone, the character has a bit of a different hairstyle and skin that is more gray. However, both versions are physically intimidating and rather large, which is one big similarity.
Now, there are also popular versions of Tombstone that look extremely different from Jones III's. For example, Tombstone was briefly featured in Insomniac's Spider-Man video games, and he looked substantially different in those games. While Jones III's Tombstone has the iconic white hair, the video game version is entirely bald.
While the image of Jones III's Tombstone on the pop-up might not be an official shot from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, fans can likely expect Tombstone to look exactly the same in the movie as he does on that particular image. If Marvel keeps that same design for the character in the film (which it almost definitely will), it got Tombstone's character design perfect, and many fans will likely agree that he looks absolutely great.
Will Tombstone Play a Major Role in the MCU?
Tombstone is finally being brought into live-action for the first time in history, so many fans are wondering how extensive his role will be, not only in the upcoming Spider-Man film, but in the MCU as a whole.
Not much has been revealed about Tombstone's role in the upcoming flick, but based on a LEGO set from Brand New Day that was recently revealed, the character will be part of the tank chase sequence in New York City that has been extensively featured in the movie's marketing campaign. It seems as though this action scene will be one of the movie's biggest, as it has been revealed to be highly intense and showcase a number of important characters, such as Spider-Man, Tombstone, and Jon Bernthal's Punisher.
Some fans have theorized that the Punisher could have some sort of rivalry with Tombstone leading up to the events of the movie. That would make sense, seeing as how they will both be involved in that tank chase sequence. If that is the case, Tombstone could have more status than many previously expected, and could potentially be featured in other MCU projects as a major crime boss in New York.
However, it is also just as likely that this will be his only appearance in the MCU, as, in the grand scheme of Marvel, he is more of a minor villain.
