6 Overlooked Spider-Man Villains Who Could Finally Make Their Live-Action Debuts In 2026

A number of under-the-radar Spider-Man villains could finally get some much-needed attention in 2026. With two live-action projects on the horizon for the wallcrawler this year, there’s more opportunities than usual when it comes to bringing Spider-Man’s world to life. In fact, it’s already been confirmed that several Spider-Man antagonists who have never appeared in live-action will do this year.

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will face Tombstone, and promotional artwork indicates Boomerang and Tarantula will be on hand as well. Not only that, but we’ll be seeing Scorpion in costume for the first time, a decade after Michael Mando played Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

On the TV side, Spider-Noir is set to introduce a live-action Silvermane and what is presumably a proper Molten Man. Between the upcoming MCU film and Prime Video’s Nicolas Cage-led TV series, there’s all sorts of options for characters who could show up, including B-list characters who often don’t get the appreciation they deserve.

Man Mountain Marko

Despite being a lesser-known villain in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, Man Mountain Marko has better odds than most of his contemporaries, in terms of a potential shot at a live-action appearance. Introduced in 1969, Man Mountain Marko is a gangster with superhuman strength and the original second-in-command of Silvermane.

A character who has committed some truly atrocious acts in Spider-Man comics, Man Mountain Marko would fit into Spider-Noir’s world tonally, not to mention his deep connections to Silvermane. The marketing for Spider-Noir has made it clear that Silvermane will be a prominent figure in the show’s overarching story, quite possibly filling the role of its main villain.

Obviously, he’ll have other gangsters at his beck and call, and it would stand to reason that Man Mountain Marko – based on his comic book history – will be among them. Utilizing Man Mountain Marko would give Silvermane someone to interact with during his villainous activities, while also giving Ben Reilly a challenging fight for when he inevitably clashes with Silvermane’s forces.

Hammerhead

Although he lacks the fanfare of characters like Kingpin, notorious crime boss Hammerhead is a longtime Spider-Man villain and a character in need of a live-action role at some point or another. Spider-Noir is easily the best-possible avenue for the character to date, in light of its 1930s setting.

In addition to possessing an unnaturally shaped head that he can use as a weapon, Hammerhead is known for having the personality, mannerisms, and fashion sense of a 1920s gangster. This aspect of the character would either be removed from a modern-day take on Hammerhead, or would risk coming across as out of place.

But by putting Hammerhead in Spider-Noir, he’d seem right at home. What’s more, organized crime will clearly be a big part of the story, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Hammerhead was introduced as one of the crime bosses Ben Reilly will meet in New York City.

Big Wheel

First appearing in 1978’s The Amazing Spider-Man #182, Jackson Weele is a villain who conducts criminal operations by piloting a gigantic, armored wheel invented by the Tinkerer (a character already represented in the MCU thanks to Spider-Man: Homecoming).

Due to his name, modus operandi, and ineptitude at fighting Spider-Man, the Big Wheel has become the subject of jokes among comic fans. For better or worse, Jackson Weele is a supervillain most fail to take seriously.

However, the over-the-top nature of the villain would make for a thrilling yet humorous action sequence in a live-action Spider-Man movie. If Spider-Man: Brand New Day is going to pit Peter against multiple low-level villains, the Big Wheel would be a great fit for a fun, standalone fight scene with a great deal of destructive potential.

Beetle

Abner Jenkins aligns perfectly with Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s villain roster. He, along with Boomerang, Tarantula, and Scorpion are all street-level supervillains who operate as mercenaries. If the latter three are in the film because they’ve been hired to take down Spider-Man, it’s possible that Beetle will be on hand too.

It’s not hard to imagine a character like Beetle in the MCU, especially given the first two Spider-Man movies’ reliance on technology to justify their villains’ capabilities. Beetle fits into a similar category, thanks to his Iron Man-esque suits. His older suits were equipped with suction cups and wings, two aspects of his design that would allow the MCU to distance him from Iron Man if necessary.

In Marvel Comics, Beetle becomes the leader of a team called the Sinister Syndicate. Like the Sinister Six, they fight Spider-Man, but the difference is that this isn’t their sole purpose, nor are they made up of his greatest villains. That’s also true for Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s villain lineup (so far), so Spider-Man battling Beetle and his Sinister Syndicate is still a possibility.

The Enforcers

A trio of characters who would work in either Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Spider-Noir, the Enforcers are the oldest villain team in Spider-Man comics.and recurring figures in storylines associated with Marvel’s criminal underworld.

Comprising Montana, Fancy Dan, and Ox, the Enforcers are essentially hired hitmen, each with their own skillset or purpose. Ox’s role is simple, as he represents raw power with his immense strength and size. Fancy Dan, on the other hand, relies more on skill, whether it’s with a gun or in hand-to-hand combat. Finally, there’s Montana, who fights with a lasso like a cowboy.

All three were reimagined in the Spider-Man Noir universe, and could get similar treatments in Prime Video’s show. That would make sense, particularly with Spider-Noir’s Silvermane being the target of assassination attempts. These could have been perpetrated by the Enforcers.

Or, the three characters could be hitmen that Silvermane himself controls. If that happens, they could function as henchmen for the villain in his conflict with Ben Reilly, allowing them to show up as recurring, secondary antagonists that he fights over the course of the season.

Vermin

Originally introduced as a Captain America villain before being repurposed as an enemy to Spider-Man, Vermin is a sewer-dwelling, monstrous creature who was once human. Capable of controlling rats and dogs, Vermin is a force to be reckoned with, so much that Spider-Man needed Captain America’s help during his first bout with the villain.

Vermin’s vicious behavior and cannibalistic lifestyle in the sewers of New York City would make him a darker alternative to Curt Conners if Spider-Noir wants to offer its own spin on the classic Lizard storyline in Spider-Man comics.

Ben Reilly may be dealing with organized crime through most of the show, but some of his cases could take him into different territory. The series could offer a single-episode storyline where he investigates mysterious, savage killings that culminate in the character facing off with Vermin.

With Spider-Noir poised to be much bleaker than previous Spider-Man stories, it’s in a position to present an appropriately comic-accurate adaptation of the bestial villain.