A new rumor sets the stage for who fans can likely expect to be the main villain of Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Brand New Day. After Spider-Man: No Way Home celebrated the franchise's past with five Multiversal antagonists, its follow-up movie has massive expectations on the villain front for Tom Holland's veteran hero.
A rumor indicated that Mr. Negative is in line to be the main villain of Marvel and Sony's Spider-Man 4. While story details remain under wraps for Holland's fourth solo Spider-Man movie, Mr. Negative has been a fairly consistent choice for who will be the sequel's big antagonist after gaining fame from appearances in other recent Spider-Man media.
This rumor comes from insider Jeff Sneider (via The Hot Mic podcast with John Rocha), who also indicated Spider-Man 4 will include a secondary villain alongside Mr. Negative (who has not been cast). He teased that Succession's Sarah Snook is lined up to take on that second villainous role, but her character has yet to be revealed.
Being used as one of the main villains in Sony's two recent Spider-Man games, Martin Li is a Chinese immigrant who starts and runs the FEAST program in the comics. His abilities tie back to a powerful energy source called Darkforce, allowing him skills like mind control, energy-charged weapons, superhuman strength, and a healing touch.
Spider-Man 4 will bring Tom Holland's Peter Parker back after facing a Multiverse's worth of villains in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which ended with the world forgetting about his existence. Plot details for the sequel are a mystery, but Holland will be joined by Zendaya (MJ), Sadie Sink, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, 2026.
How Mr. Negative Fits Into Spider-Man 4
Ever since Marvel and Sony confirmed Spider-Man 4's "Brand New Day" subtitle, Mr. Negative has seemed like the natural choice to be the sequel's main villain. Marvel Comics' Brand New Day story also features Martin Li as its core antagonist and includes Spider-Man's secret identity being forgotten and his marriage to MJ erased.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man is in an eerily similar situation. Doctor Strange cast a spell over the world in Spider-Man: No Way Home that made everybody forget about Peter's existence. This was done to keep Multiversal barriers from being broken, which is also on its way to happening later in the Multiverse Saga.
With FEAST already in place in the MCU, Martin Li could take over the organization as a new leader following Aunt May's death in No Way Home. This would tie back naturally to his comic routes while also not changing anything already laid out in the MCU, setting up an easy transition into the next movie.
Now, the real questions are how closely Spider-Man 4 will follow the rest of the Brand New Day comic run and who Sarah Snook will bring to the table, should she be cast. Combine that with this movie being the first in the release schedule after Avengers: Doomsday (which may also feature Holland's Spidey), and there is plenty to look forward to in the web-slinger's story.
