Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day
If mutants are going to be increasingly significant to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jean Grey may hardly be the last X-Men character to hold a major role in a Spider-Man movie. A sequel to Spider-Man: Brand New Day has yet to be officially confirmed, but more installments in the series seem highly likely in light of its record-breaking success at the worldwide box office.
As evidenced by Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s final post-credits tease, Peter Parker’s immediate future seemingly involves a trip to space, one that’s heavily believed to take place in Avengers: Secret Wars. But as for what happens when Marvel moves past its back-to-back Avengers movies, that remains to be seen. Assuming that Secret Wars is indeed the subject of Spider-Man’s cosmic whereabouts, his next solo MCU outing could bring him back to Earth for an adventure that’s much closer to home.
As for what that might entail, there are all sorts of intriguing possibilities. One appealing option is a Spider-Man vs. Venom story, especially if Secret Wars follows the comics and merges Peter with the black symbiote. Alternatively, it could introduce a missing member of Spider-Man’s comic book rogues’ gallery, such as Jackal or Morlun. New incarnations of characters previously utilized in Sony’s Spider-Man movies, like Doctor Octopus or Norman Osborn, could be on the table too.
Another avenue worth exploring is the notion that Spider-Man’s fifth MCU movie may incorporate additional characters from the X-Men’s corner of the Marvel Universe. On one hand, it may be easy to see Jean Grey’s integral role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day as a one-off move for Marvel Studios, but with the MCU headed toward what appears to be a mutant-driven era in the aftermath of Secret Wars, more X-Men characters popping up in films outside their own is far from implausible.
In fact, multiple heroes and villains from X-Men comics would be great fits for a Spider-Man story if they were to show up in a potential sequel to Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
6
Iceman
In the 1980s, Spider-Man shared an animated TV series with one of the most iconic members of the X-Men team – Iceman. Spider-Man, Firestar, and Iceman served as the three main characters of the 1981 cartoon, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. Here, Spider-Man and Iceman were depicted as close friends, as well as romantic rivals for the affections of Firestar. Together, the trio shared a long list of adventures, in spite of Spider-Man and Iceman only being occasional allies in Marvel Comics.
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends remains a beloved part of Spider-Man lore, and is certainly something that could be paid homage to in a future Spider-Man project. But a Bobby Drake appearance in a Spider-Man film would surely offer more than a fun Easter egg, given the potential the MCU would have in respect to their dynamic and the movie’s overall humor. Much like Peter himself, Iceman is a character known for cracking jokes and making light of serious situations, which could go hand-in-hand with the franchise’s tone.
5
Sauron
An outside-the-box choice for Spider-Man’s next MCU villain would be Sauron, a scientist who mutated into a pterodactyl-like monster. Introduced in X-Men #58, Sauron has maintained a reputation as a major adversary of Marvel’s Merry Mutants, having fought them many times over the years, with many of their conflicts often involving Spider-Man and the Savage Land, a hidden area populated with prehistoric animals.
Given their striking similarities, Sauron would be a worthy alternative to the Lizard. Since Spider-Man already fought The Amazing Spider-Man’s take on the Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Studios may opt against retelling his story in the future, and instead lean into a different character who’d invoke similar themes but also pave the way for the film to feature a monster unique to the MCU. What’s more, Sauron’s MCU debut could make room for the Savage Land and an adjacent, C-list Spider-Man villain, Stegron the Dinosaur Man.
4
Wolverine
No X-Men member has enjoyed more team-ups over the years with Peter Parker than Wolverine. As a classic, fan-favorite superhero pairing, it’s easy to see the appeal of bringing the two together on the big screen. Marvel already reaped the benefits of teaming up Wolverine and Deadpool to the tune of $1.3 billion, and could try repeating the results by having Hugh Jackman suit up once more, this time alongside Spider-Man.
Whereas someone like Deadpool would have to be significantly watered down to work in a PG-13 movie, Wolverine wouldn’t feel out of place in a Spider-Man movie. Similar to how it had fun with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher while staying true to the dark essence of the character, the MCU could see the two play off each other wonderfully, with Spider-Man’s antics hilariously annoying the more vicious and brooding Wolverine.
3
Mister Sinister
Akin to how Spider-Man: Brand New Day became a launching pad for Jean Grey ahead of the MCU’s X-Men reboot, the fifth Spider-Man film could set up one of the team’s greatest villains. The Clone Saga and all the stories it spawned make up a key part of Spider-Man’s wider narrative in Marvel Comics, so there’s a good chance the MCU eventually does head in this direction with his character in some sense, with Peter meeting and battling clones of himself and those he knows.
Jackal is typically the mastermind of such schemes in the source material, and would most certainly be the top candidate for the main villain in a movie adaptation of the Clone Saga. Jackal is one of the top two minds when it comes to cloning in Marvel Comics, the other being Mister Sinister, whose experiments have been the basis of numerous X-Men storylines. Most notably, Mister Sinister created Madelyne Pryor, a Jean Grey clone who replaced the original for years.
If Peter battles Jackal and his creations in the next Spider-Man movie, Minister Sinister could be introduced as an acquaintance or even a mentor to the Jackal. Taking this course could set the stage for Minister Sinister becoming the main antagonist in a future X-Men installment.
2
Nightcrawler
To avoid a crowded cast, Marvel’s X-Men reboot will likely have to exclude some of its popular characters. If Nightcrawler doesn’t have a place in the first movie, it’s possible it brings in Earth-616’s Kurt Wagner in a sequel to Brand New Day. Peter Parker has an interesting history with Nightcrawler that dates all the way back to 1976. The Amazing Spider-Man #161 featured a three-way team-up where Spider-Man, Nightcrawler, and the Punisher converged over the hunt for a sniper who turned out to be the villain, Jigsaw.
Since then, they’ve met and shared several adventures together, with Peter’s more carefree attitude in combat offering a nice contrast to Nightcrawler’s considerably more serious demeanor. But while the two have differing personalities, they both have strong moral compasses, which has enabled them to work well together in the field. What’s more, they have very similar skillsets, to a point where Marvel even had Nightcrawler operate as “Spider-Man” for a short time.
1
Juggernaut
Although he’s generally recognized as an X-Men villain, Juggernaut a.k.a Cain Marko had his fair share of battles with other superheroes too, including both the Hulk and Spider-Man. Juggernaut had a now-famous showdown with Peter Parker in a two-part storyline in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, wherein Juggernaut targeted Madame Web at the behest of his main partner-in-crime, Black Tom Cassidy.
Spider-Man vs. Juggernaut stories in Marvel Comics perfectly exemplify the underdog nature of the hero that makes him so popular. In the original arc, Spider-Man knew he was outclassed and tried to find heroes better equipped for fighting Juggernaut, whose strength puts him far above all of Spider-Man’s toughest villains – even Rhino. Juggernaut could fulfill the same role in the MCU, giving Spider-Man one of the toughest challenges of his life. What’s more, it may be one he has to face and overcome alone.
- Release Date
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July 29, 2026
- Runtime
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145 minutes
- Writers
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Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
- Producers
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Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
