10 Marvel Villains Ideal for Tom Holland's Spider-Man 5

      Matthew Shepherd looks ahead, offering a selection of possible villains for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Spider-Man 5…

      Spider-Man: Brand New Day has fundamentally changed Peter Parker’s world. Stripped of Tony Stark’s technology, his identity, and the support of those who once grounded him, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man finds himself in the most intriguing situation he has ever faced. The key question for Spider-Man 5 is straightforward: how do you challenge a Peter Parker with nothing left to lose? Here are ten villains that would make this question worth exploring…

      Kingpin (Wilson Fisk)

      First introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 (1967), Wilson Fisk has emerged as the most believable street-level antagonist in the MCU through his appearances in Daredevil and Echo. A solitary, neighborhood-bound Peter Parker encountering a man who controls half of New York and is untouchable legally creates a more compelling clash than any multiversal encounter. Peter can’t punch his way out this time, and that’s the crux of the matter.

      The Black Cat (Felicia Hardy)

      Introduced by Marv Wolfman and Keith Pollard in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 (1979), Felicia Hardy is the most anticipated character yet to appear in the MCU’s Spider-Man universe. With MJ out of the picture, Black Cat presents a new dynamic—she exists in the moral grey areas that Peter typically avoids. She doesn’t seek to destroy the world; she simply wants to steal from it and would prefer company along the way. The tension between her outlook and his could drive an entire movie.

      Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley)

      Returning to an Osborn character after No Way Home would be a misstep. Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin represents one of the finest villain portrayals in superhero cinematic history, and revisiting that territory adds little value. Roderick Kingsley, who debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #238 (1983), presents a smarter choice—a cold, calculating fashion mogul who exploits Osborn’s old tech without the associated madness. Same gear, but a vastly different threat. This corporate aspect gives Spider-Man 5 a distinctly contemporary edge.

      Mister Negative (Martin Li)

      Martin Li made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #546 (2008), but many now recognize him from Insomniac’s PlayStation games, making him more accessible to current audiences. The dramatic layers are clear: Aunt May spent her final years at F.E.A.S.T., the shelter run by Li as his public persona, while secretly heading up a criminal empire as Mister Negative. Watching Peter attempt to take down a man who genuinely respected his aunt’s work would introduce a compelling conflict that the MCU seldom explores. It should.

      Venom (The MCU Symbiote)

      While Tom Hardy's time as Venom has concluded, No Way Home left a piece of the symbiote within the main MCU timeline. The black suit saga—initiated in The Secret Wars #8 (1984)—is one of the major Spider-Man narratives that Holland’s version has yet to touch on. The ideal approach isn’t to hastily introduce Eddie Brock but to allow the symbiote to interact directly with Peter, feeding off the isolation and grief that now defines him. Holland has yet to portray a truly dark version of this character. The symbiote provides the medium for that exploration.

      Chameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov)

      Spider-Man’s first-ever comic book villain, from The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963), has never been properly adapted for film—a surprising oversight. Dmitri Smerdyakov can impersonate anyone, from their appearance to their demeanor, and in a narrative where Peter’s secret identity is vital to what little he has left, a villain who can dismantle that from within is genuinely menacing. A film centered on Chameleon would transform into a paranoia thriller disguised as a superhero flick, representing a more captivating genre shift than most MCU sequels endeavor.

      Morlun

      Designed by J. Michael Straczynski in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #30 (2001), Morlun is an immortal predator from multiple dimensions who hunts those with animalistic totem powers. He doesn’t possess a plan or ideology—he is an unstoppable force that views Spider-Man as prey. A movie featuring Morlun would eliminate procedural elements and resemble a survival horror experience. Peter wouldn’t outsmart him; he would have to endure. This is a premise the franchise has not yet explored.

      Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff)

      Sony's standalone Kraven film failed to do justice to the character, creating an opportunity for the MCU to properly represent him. The source material—particularly Kraven’s Last Hunt (1987)—is among the finest Spider-Man tales ever composed, and its core idea is straightforward enough for easy translation. Kraven