A new Spider-Man 4 set photo has fans thinking they may know who the movie's secret villain may be. Despite Marvel's next wall-crawling adventure being just over seven months away, the identity of the movie's central villain largely remains a mystery. Several villainous figures were confirmed for the project, including Michael Mando's return as the Scorpion, but the primary threat that Tom Holland's web-head will throw hands with remains to be seen.
One name that has been circulating as the movie's big bad is Madame Masque. This stems from a recent image from the Spider-Man: Brand New Day set, which saw an unknown woman with grey hair standing under an umbrella. Fans believe that the female star is potentially former Wynonna Earp actress Melanie Scrofano.
While the identity of the unannounced actress playing in the film remains unknown, Madame Masque has been a popular choice among fans.
These various reports suggest that the character is an adult woman who operates at a street level and is a shapeshifter. All of these fit the character of Ms. Masque.
Madame Masque has clashed with Spider-Man on several occasions over the years in the comics. Originally known as Whitney Frost, Madame Masque is a criminal kingpin with a history of connections to Tony Stark and Stark Industries.
After a devastating accident, she dons a gold mask to conceal her disfigured face. In some iterations, most notably Armored Adventures, she is a full-on shapeshifter.
Reports of a female villain in Spider-Man 4 date back to early this year. In March, it was reported that Marvel Studios was eyeing a Sarah Snook-type for a potential villainous role, assumed to be this new mystery character. Who this character would be remains unannounced, but Madame Masque feels like a good bet.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, 2026. The new movie is said to see Tom Holland's Spidey in his darkest adventure yet, as he crosses paths with characters like Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Jon Bernthal's Punisher. Directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man 4 will also feature several newcomers to the franchise put their stamp on the MCU. Stranger Things' Sadie Sink, Severance star Tramell Tillman, and The Bear's Liza Colón-Zayas are all set to appear in unannounced roles.
Who Else Could Spider-Man 4's Mystery Villain Be?
Just because Madame Masque fits the billing for Spider-Man 4's mystery female villain does not mean she is guaranteed to be in the movie. In fact, several other characters in the Spider-Man canon could fit perfectly.
Silver Sable
Specifically, in relation to the new Spider-Man 4 set photo, the terrifying Silver Sable is another name that has been mentioned. The character has yet to pop up in a live-action Spidey film but has a long history with the Marvel hero, dating back to the 1980s.
This silver-haired mercenary is the leader of the Wild Pack private military outfit as well as the head of Silver Sable International in the comics. She is often depicted as not a direct villain of Spider-Man, but rather someone who takes a dislike to the hero due to his getting in the way of her various military operations (i.e., the elimination of a criminal mastermind, with whom Spider-Man is also feuding).
The resemblance between this new mystery character spotted on the Spider-Man 4 set is uncanny, as she is sporting the iconic grey hair of Silver Sable; however, the character does not fit some of the other reported details about the movie's villain, like the ability to shapeshift.
Madame Web
Another character fans suggested as the big bad for Spider-Man 4 is Madame Web. The Multiversal keeper of the Spider-Verse recently got a movie of her own in the form of Sony Pictures' ill-fated Madame Web, but this would seemingly be a new take on the character made specifically for the MCU.
Born Cassandra Webb, this particular Marvel villain comes to watch over the Spider-Verse after developing clairvoyant powers that allow her to see multiple realities playing out before they happen.
The mystery character seen on the Spidey set fits the Cassandra Webb description and could play into the 'grounded with a Multiversal sprinkling' branding of the upcoming film.
Chameleon
The last and most obvious of these potential villains is a gender-swapped version of the classic comic book character, the Chameleon. Technically introduced as Spider-Man's first-ever villain, Chameleon is a criminal mastermind who uses other people's identities to get away with his nefarious pursuits (read more about Chameleon here).
The character is the most on-the-money shapeshifter in Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, literally transforming into new people to get away with his crimes. He is also often seen as part of the Sinister Six villain team, which Spider-Man 4 has been rumored to be adapting elements of.
The only aspect that could raise questions about the Chameleon's inclusion as this mystery villain is that he is almost always depicted as male in the comics. However, that hasn't stopped Marvel Studios before.
