2026 is the year of Spider-Man villains breaking a long trend, and it is perfect when so many of them appear in new releases. Spider-Man and Batman are the two comic book characters with the best villains. The Marvel and DC heroes have so many iconic foes, including the likes of Green Goblin, the Joker, Doc Ock, the Riddler, Electro, Bane, and more.
To that end, given how there have been several Spider-Man movies and Batman films over the years, many of those villains have already made their way to live-action projects. Focusing solely on the Marvel side of things, Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man franchise will now begin what could be its second trilogy, which is an impressive feat that allows even more villains to appear.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s cast is already confirmed to feature a slew of Marvel Comics villains, including the Hand, Boomerang, Tarantula, Scorpion, and Tombstone. That said, the upcoming Spider-Man movie is not the Marvel hero’s only live-action appearance in 2026, as another version of Spider-Man has already led his own project, and it features many exciting villains.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
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Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
Nicolas Cage debuted as Ben Reilly, who is not connected to the actor’s take on Spider-Man Noir in the animated Spider-Verse movies, on Prime Video’s Spider-Noir. The Marvel hero faced many villains, such as Sandman and Silvermane. While that is something every live-action Spider-Man appearance includes, Spider-Noir managed to end on a surprising note that starts a new era for Spider-Man villains.
Spider-Noir Mostly Does Away With Tragic Villain Endings
In Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies, most of the villains who show up onscreen have had tragic endings. Those include major deaths, such as Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin being killed by his own glider after an emotional fight with Maguire’s Spider-Man, Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock sacrificing himself to destroy his unstable fusion reactor, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio framing Peter Parker for his death and revealing he was Spider-Man to the world, and more. That also connects to villains like Michael Keaton’s Vulture going to prison and his family learning he was a bad guy.
In Spider-Noir, this tragic trend for Spider-Man villains mostly ends. Sure, the truly evil characters, like Silvermane and Megawatt, end their time on season 1 in dark ways. However, the characters with tragic backstories, namely Tombstone and Sandman, as well as the morally grey Cat Hardy, all have happy endings. Sandman and Tombstone are cured of the mutations that were killing them, with the latter also free to live his happily ever after with Cat now that Silvermane is out of the picture. Multiple villains get happy endings in Spider-Noir, which does not usually happen in live-action Spider-Man stories.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Could Repeat Spider-Noir’s Villain Change
After Spider-Noir, it seems like Spider-Man: Brand New Day will continue that new era for the Marvel villains through a surprising foe. Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink is reportedly playing the X-Men’s Jean Grey in the 2026 MCU movie. That said, her face was not seen in the first Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer, though she was teased to be an antagonist of sorts, mind-controlling people to do her bidding and being behind the rampant tank seen in the trailer. If Jean Grey ends up being one of Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s “villains,” then the setup is easy.
Instead of having a tragic ending, the film would serve to establish Jean in the MCU before she gets to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, which Sink is reportedly in, and the MCU X-Men movie. No matter how much Spider-Man: Brand New Day tries to paint her as a villain in trailers, it is clear that if Sink is truly playing Jean Grey, then the character will end the Marvel movie as an ally to Holland’s Spider-Man. This would continue Spider-Noir‘s trend of happy endings for Spider-Man villains.
