Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already making waves with its surprising cast list. However, evidence suggests that the 2026 movie is also looking to break a long-running Spider-Man trend with its choice of villain.
According to a casting report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is looking to feature a female antagonist, marking the first time in the cinematic web-slinger's 24-year history that its big bad won't be male. Casting descriptions describe the groundbreaking female villain as "powerful and imposing," requiring an actress with a "strong and commanding screen presence." Reportedly, Marvel Studios is already in negotiations with a star but has yet to reveal who will join the ranks of Willem Dafoe's quotable Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's iconic Doc Ock, or Jake Gyllenhaal's illusory Mysterio.
Directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Destin Daniel Cretton, Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4 is slated for a July 31, 2026, release. Filming is set to begin in August, with Sadie Sink joining the cast in a mystery role and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are also confirmed to appear.
24 Years of Live-Action Spider-Man Villains
As fans await the reveal of Spider-Man 4's villainess, the following is a review of every live-action Spider-Man villain so far:
Spider-Man - Green Goblin
Something of a scientist himself, Norman Osborn was the founder of Oscorp and Harry Osborn's father. After testing a serum on himself (is it stronger than the MCU's Super Soldier serum?), he transformed into the campy yet terrifying and wholly unhinged Green Goblin in a performance by Willem Dafoe that stands as one of the most iconic in comic book movie history.
Spider-Man 2 - Doc Ock
In 2004, Spider-Man 2 brought another classic Spider-Man villain into live-action with Alfred Molina's Dr. Otto Octavious, or Doc Ock. Initially a mentor to Maguire's brilliant but lazy Peter Parker, he's corrupted by his own ambition and manipulated by his artificially intelligent mechanical tentacles when an experiment goes wrong.
Spider-Man 3 - Sandman/Venom/Harry Osborn
In 2007, Spider-Man 3 completed Tobey Maguire's trilogy with a trio of antagonists, including Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko or Sandman, Topher Grace as Eddie Brock or Venom, and James Franco's Harry Osborn, who follows in his father's villainous footsteps to become the new Goblin.
The Amazing Spider-Man - Lizard
For Sony's 2012 reboot starring Andrew Garfield, The Amazing Spider-Man spotlighted Dr. Curt Connors/the Lizard as its primary baddie. Played by Rhys Ifans, Dr. Connors was an Oscorp scientist and former partner of Peter Parker's father, whose obsession with his regeneration serum transforms him into a reptile-like monster.
Check out 10 Lizard designs Spider-Man: No Way Home rejected here.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Electro/Harry Osborn/Rhino
Andrew Garfield's 2014 sequel includes three villains, but in varying degrees. Paul Giamatti's Rhino makes brief appearances while Jamie Foxx's Electro is center stage. Dane DeHaan's Harry Osborn progressively becomes a threat, culminating in his Green Goblin transformation after injecting a spider venom serum into his body to cure a genetic disease.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - Vulture
For the first Spider-Man movie within the MCU, 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming finally brought the Vulture to the big screen. But for this grounded, high school-focused story, Adrian Toomes' Vulture (Michael Keaton) was a blue-collar villain who is shockingly revealed to be the father of Peter's love interest, Liz.
Spider-Man: Far From Home - Mysterio
The 2019 sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming delivered another villain twist with Mysterio. Played by Jake Gyllenhaal, the MCU's live-action Mysterio, or Quentin Beck, was a former Stark Industries employee. Claiming to be a Multiverse hero, he wins Peter's trust and is recruited by Nick Fury to stop the Elementals, threats he created through drones and illusion technology (find out why Mysterio never made it into Spider-Man: No Way Home).
Spider-Man: No Way Home - Green Goblin, Doc-Ock, Sandman, Electro, Lizard
The ultimate live-action Spider-Man crossover, 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home not only transformed Tom Holland's hero into a more mature, self-sacrificing version of the comic book wall-crawler but did so by bringing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's heroes into his universe (and almost visited theirs?), along with their main villains.
