Marvel Studios is evaluating several established characters to serve as the primary antagonist in the next solo Spider-Man installment. Potential candidates include the Prowler, Chameleon, Venom, Hobgoblin, and Kingpin, all of whom have already debuted in the MCU.
The decade-old promise of Donald Glover's Prowler
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a growing pattern of planting seeds for future conflicts through minor character appearances. As the source reports,Aaron Davis, the Prowler, was introduced via a small cameo by Donald Glover in 2016. This move serves as a narrative bridge that could eventually lead to the introduction of Miles Morales, even if the character does not appear immediately.
The Chameleon,or Dimitri Smerdyakov , offers a similar opportunity for narrative payoff. The report notes that this character has already been established as an agent working for Nick Fury. Utilizing a character who can disguise himself would allow Marvel to play with the theme of deception within Peter Parker's inner circle.
A leftover symbiote and the Ned Leeds betrayal theory
The introduction of Venom remains a significant possibility due to a specific plot point left hanging from a previous crossover. According to the report, a post-credits scene involving Eddie Brock established that a small amount of the Venom symbiote was left behind in the MCU after a brief trip from Sony's Spider-Man Universe.
Beyond the symbiote, the franchise could take a much darker emotional turn by involving Peter Parker's best friend. The source suggests that Ned Leeds could potentially be transformed into the Hobgoblin. While this would be a "heartbreaking" development for fans, it would leverage a character who has been a staple of the franchise since the beginning.
Linking Kingpin to Charlie Cox's Daredevil
A confrontation with Kingpin would likely require a significant expansion of the current hero roster. Because Kingpin is so closely tied to the version of the character played by Charlie Cox in the Daredevil series, a Spider-Man solo film would almost certainly necessitate a crossover. This would allow Marvel to officially connect Tom Holland's Spider-Man with the street-level heroics of Daredevil on the big screen.
The uncertainty of a purely cameo-driven villain roster
While the source argues that using existing characters is "simple and subtly perfect," several questions remain regarding the execution of these ideas. It is currently unverified whether Marvel intends to follow through on the Venom symbiote tease or if it was merely a one-off nod to the Sony universe. Furthermore, the report does not clarify if the studio is willing to risk the popularity of Ned Leeds by turning him into a villain.
The source focuses primarily on the convenience of these choices, leaving it unclear if Marvel is looking for a fresh antagonist to define a new era for Peter Parker or if they will continue to rely on the narrative continuity of past cameos.
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