With only a few months until Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters, we still don't know who the movie's primary antagonist is.
Hammerhead seems to be the most popular suggestion, but with the Department of Damage Control, Sadie Sink's mystery character, and even a Savage Hulk in the mix, we're very much in the dark.
Michael Mando's Scorpion is another contender, especially as we know Mac Gargan is eager for revenge after the events of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. In that movie, he was badly injured by the wall-crawler and appeared in a post-credits scene attempting to intimidate Adrian Toomes into revealing Spidey's secret identity.
Early promo art for Spider-Man: Brand New Day showed an unmasked Scorpion with a scaffolding-like tail. That design didn't go down well with many fans, but it's a piece of imagery that's recently resurfaced both on t-shirts and an upcoming action figure.
However, a closer look at the trailer confirms that Scorpion's tail is more in line with his comic book counterpart's, but it's not all good news.
The full suit/mask combination doesn't really resemble what we'll see in the movie, especially as parts of Gargan's clothing beneath his exoskeleton are on full display in the trailer. Going by that alone, we can't discount the possibility that The Scorpion will never don a helmet or mask. For some fans, that's a deal-breaker (it also begs the question of why Gargan wouldn't want to protect his face).
There's always a chance that he has two costumes, and that the one shown in the trailer is an upgraded design that will prove a bigger challenge for the web-spinner. He may even go "full Scorpion" by donning head-to-toe armour. Ultimately, with no way of knowing how big the villain's role will be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day—he'll likely do more than show up in the montage with Tarantula and Boomerang—we can only speculate.
Regardless, for those of you who hate the see-through, hydraulic tail that's still showing up in merchandise, you can rest assured that it's one of those early concepts that made it to the toy stage, but not into the movie's final cut.
Take a closer look at Spider-Man: Brand New Day's conflicting Scorpion designs in the X posts below.
Following the record-breaking success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins a brand new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult and living alone after erasing himself and the memories of him from those he loves.
In a New York that no longer knows his name, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to protecting his city as Spider-Man full-time. But as the demands on him grow, he is put under increasing pressure. This triggers an unexpected physical change that threatens his existence, while a strange wave of crime emerges - and gives rise to one of the most dangerous threats he has ever faced.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.
The movie is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, 2026.