(Photo Credit: Marvel Studios)
Traditionally, live-action Spider-Man movies will focus on having the titular web-slinger facing off against one antagonist, such as Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Lizard, Vulture, or Mysterio. Of course, Marvel fans know that that’s not always the case, with later sequels typically increasing the number of antagonists. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will fall into the latter.
Spider-Man fans who have kept track of all the rumors to have come out about the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie will know that several new villains will be introduced in Brand New Day. Some, like Boomerang and Tarantula, were even glimpsed in the first trailer released earlier this month. One villain who will not appear in the MCU sequel, however, is Norman Osborn/Green Goblin.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will feature a lot of Marvel villains, but not the Green Goblin
Trusted insider Alex Perez of the Cosmic Circus recently responded to a question on X about whether Norman Osborn or Oscorp would be mentioned in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Unfortunately, fans hoping to see the MCU’s take on Osborn will be left disappointed, as Perez revealed that the movie includes “no mention of Norman or Oscorp.”
Nah, No mention of Norman or Oscorp in BND https://t.co/ypgZOxobF7— Alex P. (@AlexFromCC) March 29, 2026
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, it is revealed that neither Oscorp nor Norman Osborn’s son, Harry, existed in the MCU. While it was never outright stated that Norman Osborn himself didn’t exist, it’s clear from the exclusion of Oscorp and Harry that if he were part of the MCU, it wouldn’t be a version fans would recognize from the comics.
While some fans believe Eman Esfandi’s mystery character in Brand New Day might be Harry Osborn, that remains pure speculation at this time and should be taken with a grain of salt. With Willem Dafoe having left such a mark on Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, it’s clear that Marvel Studios and Sony aren’t looking to try and have someone compete with his acclaimed performance, at least not yet.
Instead of Green Goblin being the surprise main antagonist of an MCU Spider-Man movie again, Perez shared on X that more surprises await fans in Brand New Day, teasing that Damage Control will not be the main antagonist and that a big boss villain will be revealed as the one financing the likes of Scorpion.
There is https://t.co/RitjSHAT0j— Alex P. (@AlexFromCC) March 29, 2026
It’s entirely likely that Marvin Jones III’s crime boss Tombstone will be revealed as the big bad of Brand New Day. The character was absent in the first trailer for the movie, with marketing opting instead to focus on Scorpion, Damage Control, Peter Parker’s mutation, and the Punisher.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up four years after the events of 2021’s No Way Home. Destin Daniel Cretton directed the MCU movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.
