Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the start of a new era for Tom Holland's Peter Parker in the MCU. With it likely set to serve as the start of a new trilogy, Marvel Studios has an opportunity to introduce some major players from the comics who have never received their due on screen.
While villains like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and The Lizard have already been featured in multiple movies, there are countless allies, enemies, and love interests still waiting in the wings. Some could reshape Peter Parker's personal life, others could take the franchise into strange new corners of the MCU, and a few would lay the groundwork for storylines fans have wanted to see for years.
From long-overdue supporting characters to major villains and even a few unexpected cosmic additions, here are eight characters we'd love to see introduced after Spider-Man: Brand New Day...
8. Raelith
As excited as we are for a street-level adventure in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, not every Spider-Man story needs to stay grounded in New York.
Raelith, introduced during Joe Kelly's recent Amazing Spider-Man run, was deemed too weak to deserve respect on her home planet, Kailo, forcing her to become part of her society's lowest caste, the Wretched (despite being pretty darn powerful in the context of the wider galaxy). She was one of the many aliens kidnapped by Professor Xanto Starblood and experimented upon, but was ultimately freed by Peter Parker.
Fans have embraced Raelith and Spider-Man's completely fresh romantic dynamic in an arc that's also seen the web-slinger befriend Rocket Raccoon. That relationship is similarly worth exploring, though Marvel Studios would need to find a strong, worthwhile story to justify taking Spidey back into the cosmos.
7. Norman Osborn
Willem Dafoe delivered the definitive live-action Green Goblin, but that shouldn't stop Marvel Studios from introducing the MCU's Norman Osborn Variant.
Rather than rushing straight into another Goblin story, the studio could spend several movies establishing him as the respected CEO of Oscorp who unexpectedly becomes Peter's ally and mentor. The Disney+ animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has shown just how compelling that relationship can be before everything inevitably falls apart.
The emotional impact of Norman eventually embracing the Green Goblin persona would be far greater if audiences first grew to admire and even like him. A softly rebooted post-Avengers: Secret Wars MCU is the perfect way to undo Spider-Man: No Way Home's claim that Norman doesn't exist on the Sacred Timeline.
6. Spider-Queen
Spider-Queen was heavily rumoured for Spider-Man: Brand New Day before the spotlight shifted to Jean Grey, but it still feels like this movie is laying the groundwork for Adriana Soria's MCU debut.
As a reminder, she's responsible for one of Spider-Man's most memorable modern comic storylines, "Spider-Island," in which the Big Apple's residents began developing spider powers and transforming into monstrous human/spider hybrids. Spider-Queen also ties directly into the evolution of Peter's spider abilities (in the comics, she was the reason for his newfound organic webbing).
Throw in the fact that this September's Amazing Spider-Man #1000 will feature a backup story connecting Soria to The Hand, and Marvel Studios may already be setting the stage for this clash in the MCU...and Man-Spider's debut, which isn't currently looking likely for Brand New Day.
5. Black Cat
Regardless of whether the world remembers that Peter Parker exists, Black Cat has the potential to occupy a fascinating place in Spider-Man's world. Why? Because she's drawn to Spider-Man, not Peter Parker.
That creates a dynamic unlike anything we've seen in the MCU, as does the cat burglar operating in shades of grey rather than black and white. She's a thief who has been both a hero and a villain, leaving Peter to constantly question whether he can trust her (even as their rooftop rendezvouses continue).
That tension has fuelled decades of memorable comic book stories. It can bring something fresh to the movies, regardless of whether she begins as an adversary, reluctant ally, or full-blown love interest. Black Cat's big-screen debut is also long overdue, and we don't trust Sony to handle it.
4. The Jackal
"The Clone Saga" remains one of Spider-Man's most controversial comic stories, but that doesn't mean it can't work on screen. Rather than faithfully adapting every convoluted twist, Marvel Studios could strip the concept back to its essentials by making Miles Warren, better known as the Jackal, the architect behind a small number of clones created to torment Peter Parker.
The biggest draw is obvious: Tom Holland playing Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, and potentially even Kaine!
Holland has repeatedly shown he's capable of balancing emotional drama and comedy, and giving him the chance to portray two (or three) very different versions of Spider-Man would be a fascinating, exciting challenge for the actor. It would also allow Marvel Studios to salvage one of Spider-Man's most infamous comic book stories and deliver a superhero movie unlike any we've seen before.
3. Teresa Parker
Spider-Man's origin has been told countless times, but one part of Peter Parker's family history remains largely unexplored on screen.
Teresa Parker, who claims to be Peter's long-lost sister, introduces an entirely new mystery surrounding Richard and Mary Parker. Whether she's genuinely related to Peter or something more complicated, her arrival would force him to question everything he believed about his parents.
With Aunt May gone and Peter completely alone following Spider-Man: No Way Home, introducing Teresa would also give him an unexpected family connection when he needs one most. The comics have largely dropped the ball with Teresa, leaning too heavily on her S.H.I.E.L.D. connections, but make no mistake about it: there's potential here.
2. Roderick Kingsley/Hobgoblin
The Green Goblin has dominated Spider-Man's live-action rogues' gallery for over twenty years, so is it finally time for Marvel Studios to give another Goblin the spotlight?
Rather than immediately turning Norman Osborn into the Green Goblin, the MCU could introduce Roderick Kingsley as a rival businessman who stumbles across the Goblin formula and equipment—perhaps Willem Dafoe's Goblin left his technology somewhere it could be discovered after he upgraded his suit and tech—and becomes the Hobgoblin.
It would allow Marvel Studios to deliver all the glider-flying action fans expect without repeating the same Norman Osborn story audiences have already seen twice. Kingsley is a sinister, calculating villain driven by greed and ambition rather than madness, making him a very different type of threat for Peter Parker to overcome.
1. Gwen Stacy
It almost feels inevitable that Gwen Stacy will eventually join the MCU, but Marvel Studios shouldn't simply retell The Amazing Spider-Man 2 or "The Gwen Stacy Saga" from the comics.
Instead, the studio has an opportunity to reinvent her from the ground up. Rather than existing solely to die at the hands of Green Goblin, this Gwen could become Peter's greatest love while gradually developing into the MCU's version of Spider-Gwen. That would give audiences a hugely popular superhero without relying on the Multiverse, while also differentiating her from previous live-action versions.
Some fans assume Miles Morales should be the next Spider-themed hero to take centre stage, but Gwen could offer something completely different. She'd expand Spider-Man's world, create an exciting new partnership for Peter, and ensure one of Marvel's most beloved modern heroes has a meaningful place in the MCU for years to come.