Spider-Man: Brand New Day Will Introduce the First-Ever Female Villain in a Live-Action Spider-Man Movie

Exciting new details have emerged about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and they confirm that Tom Holland’s next solo outing will break new ground for the beloved web-slinger.

Following the official title reveal at CinemaCon 2025, Spider-Man 4 has quickly become one of the MCU’s most highly anticipated upcoming releases. This film marks Holland’s return to the character after 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which became the most successful solo movie in MCU history both critically and financially.

While No Way Home earned praise for its lineup of classic villains like Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Brand New Day promises to shake things up with a new kind of adversary.

Spider-Man 4 to Feature a Female Villain for the First Time

According to insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have already made offers to actors for villain roles in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Most notably, one of these villains will be a woman — marking the first time a female villain will take center stage in a live-action Spider-Man film.

While animated films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced characters such as Dr. Olivia Octavius (a gender-bent Doc Ock), this will be the first time a female villain leads the charge against Spider-Man in a theatrical live-action setting.

Filming for Brand New Day is expected to begin in early August 2025, with the movie set to swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.

So far, only Tom Holland (Peter Parker), Zendaya (Michelle Jones-Watson), and Sadie Sink (in a mystery role) are confirmed to appear in the film. Sink’s casting has especially fueled speculation, with many wondering if she could be playing a villain herself.

Who Might Be the Villains of Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

Given the Brand New Day subtitle, fans strongly suspect that Martin Li, also known as Mr. Negative, will be one of Spider-Man’s foes in the film. In Marvel Comics, Mr. Negative is a complex figure who runs the charitable organization FEAST while secretly operating as a powerful and ruthless crime boss.

Interestingly, Stephen Oyoung — who voiced Mr. Negative in the Spider-Man video game — recently hinted on social media that he would be open to playing the character in live-action, sparking even more excitement.

As for the female villain, the field is wide open. Ground-level antagonists like Black Cat or Screwball could make their long-awaited live-action debuts. Alternatively, given ongoing rumors that Brand New Day may tie into multiversal storylines, Marvel could introduce an entirely unexpected female threat.

While several villains have reportedly been ruled out already, casting announcements and plot reveals are expected in the coming months as the MCU’s Phase 6 lineup continues to take shape.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be a bold, refreshing chapter in Peter Parker’s journey — and fans can’t wait to see which new faces (and villains) will challenge him next.