Summary

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has teased a street-level story for the superhero sequel.
Brand New Day may feature the Inner Demons gang led by Mister Negative, teased by a new set photo.
Mister Negative's dual persona and history from comics and Sony games make him a compelling addition to the sequel.

A photo from the Spider-Man: Brand New Day set potentially confirms a villain that has become well-known to Sony video game fans. Tom Holland is returning as the web-slinger in his fourth solo outing in the MCU, following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The sequel also has some exciting additions, with Jon Bernthal's The Punisher, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, and newcomer Sadie Sink joining the cast.

While plot details surrounding Spider-Man: Brand New Day are still under wraps, production on the project has begun. The movie has been teased as a more "street-level" Spider-Man story, and the villains point to that, with Tombstone, Scorpion, and Boomerang being names that have come up. Other characters have been teased for the sequel, and now a set photo looks to have potentially confirmed their involvement in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

RUMOR: Spider-Man 4 Will Have A Primary Male Villain & Secondary Female Antagonist

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will reportedly have two new faces for Peter Parker to battle.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Has Potentially Confirmed A Prominent Villain

He Has Ties To The Parker Family

Michael Mando, who played Scorpion in Spider-Man: Homecoming, is expected to reprise his role in the upcoming sequel. Mando is the only villain actor to be confirmed, but the characters Tombstone and Boomerang have also come up. Tombstone has ties to the Kingpin, which could be a nice link to Daredevil: Born Again, which also features Bernthal's Punisher. Boomerang also has links to the Kingpin, as a comic storyline once saw him attempt to kill Spider-Man to impress the crime boss, and he has worked with Tombstone in the past. Therefore, the Spider-Man sequel looks to fill out a cast of street-level villains that should keep the hero facing off against an eclectic mix of characters. However, a new set photo (via update_mcu) has teased the likelihood of another prominent Spider-Man foe.

If the set photos prove accurate, Spider-Man: Brand New Day features the Inner Demons logo on military-style trucks. The Inner Demons are a Chinatown gang from Spider-Man lore who wear black-and-white suits and ornate Chinese masks. The group is also led by Martin Li, aka Mister Negative, a villain masquerading as a philanthropist. Therefore, if the Inner Demons are part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it is safe to assume that Mister Negative may also appear in the movie.

Fans Know Mister Negative From The Comics And Sony's Spider-Man Games

He Is A Colleague Of Peter's Aunt May

Mister Negative was first introduced in 2007 after the events of Spider-Man: One More Day. He also appeared in the story following the Spider-Man: Brand New Day comics, making him a prime character for the upcoming movie. Mister Negative got his powers through drug experimentation, giving him two personas: a light side, Martin Li, and a dark side, Mister Negative. His powers give him a degree of superstrength and reflexes, with the ability to charge objects with dark energy.

Beyond his comic book roots, Mister Negative has featured prominently in Sony's Spider-Man video games. Martin Li was a central figure in the game that Peter Parker regularly interacted with alongside Aunt May and F.E.A.S.T., an organization that helps the homeless. The game reveals that Li is Mister Negative, who ultimately serves as an antagonist in the game. The game's events also carry over into Marvel's Spider-Man 2, where he returns, with Miles Morales angry over Jefferson Davis' death due to Mister Negative.

Mister Negative Would Help Solidify Claims Of Spider-Man: Brand New Day Being A Street-Level Story

There Are No Avengers-Level Threats With This Guy

Along with villains like Tombstone, Boomerang, and Scorpion, Mister Negative solidifies the claim that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a street-level superhero movie. Rather than having Spider-Man deal with world-altering events and the multiverse, like fans saw in No Way Home, the story has been teased as getting back to the hero's friendly neighborhood roots. Mister Negative offers a unique dichotomy for a villain, and it could easily bring things back to a smaller scale.

Martin Li is a philanthropist and man of the people, and his work with people experiencing homelessness is an excellent way for Spider-Man to reconnect with helping everyday folks. If Peter Parker ends up working for F.E.A.S.T., it could also help endear him to the protagonist, who will be looking for connections following No Way Home, making the betrayal of being Mister Negative that much more impactful. While Mister Negative still has powers and poses a threat to Spider-Man, his goals generally aren't world domination. Instead, the villain seeks power and control of the criminal underworld, which could put him in direct conflict with other characters in the MCU, especially the Kingpin from Daredevil: Born Again.

These connections may also explain why The Punisher becomes involved in the story. Kingpin actor Vincent D'Onofrio has previously stated that rights issues potentially keep the villain from appearing in MCU films. Still, the conflict could be established even without the Kingpin, and The Punisher's involvement could be easily linked. However, given that so many of the teased villains pertain to the criminal underworld, it looks as though Spider-Man: Brand New Day is truly embracing a street-level story, and it is sure to offer more teases as production continues.

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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Release Date: July 31, 2026
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
Producers: Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige, Rachel O'Connor, Avi Arad, Louis D'Esposito