With Spider-Man's first solo entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally upon us, over the past couple of weeks, there have been conflicting reports about what exactly his place -- and that of his supporting characters -- is in the larger MCU. While we know that whomever appears in Spider-Man: Homecoming is officially a part of the MCU, the same cannot be said for the recently announced Venom movie starring Tom Hardy and the in-development Silver Sable and Black Cat movie. Marvel and Sony have gone back-and-forth on where these characters stand as far as the MCU is concerned.
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It was recently announced that Venom and Silver and Black are a part of the Marvel Universe, but not exactly its Cinematic one. Whatever that means exactly is anyone's guess, but it hasn't stopped us at CBR from going into wishful thinking territory. Whether the Sony movies will in fact be part of the MCU or not, we decided to look to the future of the Spider-Verse in the MCU, and looked at who in Spider-Man's supporting cast could have a role to play in the Homecoming sequel. Join us as we take a look at 15 characters from the Spider-Man comics we would like to see appear in the MCU next.
SPOILER WARNING: This articles contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
15 MILES MORALES
While it may have been easy to miss from his brief appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Donald Glover played the role of a man named Aaron Davis, a low-level criminal who is the uncle of another famous Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Davis even goes on to mention that he has a nephew, which seemingly all but confirms that Miles actually does exist in the MCU.
Whether this was simply an Easter egg or setup for the future, we would absolutely love to see Miles appear on-screen, in his now classic black-and-red Spider-Man costume. Peter and Miles may be similar in some aspects, but each has his own individual strengths, as seen in the Spider-Men comic book series. Miles may be coming to the screen in an animated movie, but we want to see him swinging next to Peter Parker in the MCU.
14 SCORPION
Second only to Batman, Spider-Man has the most recognizable rogues gallery thanks to his many appearances on the big screen, in video games and in cartoons. In live action, we have seen the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, Venom, the Lizard and Electro, but there are still many more villains out there we haven't seen yet.
Mag “The Scorpion” Gargan already briefly appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the mid-credits scene would seem to hint that he may show up again. While he doesn't have his iconic armor yet, as we know, the MCU is a place that is no stranger to advanced science and exoskeleton armor. We saw that Mac was already trying to get his hands on this sort of tech, and he may get his wish in the movie's sequel.
13 SILK
Cindy Moon was very recently introduced in Marvel comics as a character with ties to Spider-Man, ties that stretched all the way back to his origins. In fact, it was revealed that Cindy had also been bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter his own powers. She had been hidden and locked away for her own protection, but it didn't take long for her to swing to freedom and establish a superhero identity of her own.
With this new cinematic version of Spider-Man, it would be feasible to introduce Cindy as another result of the radioactive spider-bite, while taking some liberties from the comics as to her origin. Not only could this allow for flashbacks to Peter's origins, we could see Cindy come under Peter's tutelage, and with her at his side, Peter would have the opportunity to have someone who understands exactly what it's like to be Spider-Man.
12 CHAMELEON
The Chameleon is another villain we haven't seen yet in live action, and one that would be very welcome in this ever-expanding tapestry of villains. As fans know, the Chameleon has the ability to take on the form and face of anyone he chooses, making him a very different kind of threat for Spider-Man.
While he may not be the most dangerous in a physical fight, he could put Peter Parker through the ringer very differently by putting his face, or his mask, on and go about tarnishing the name and reputation of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Such a challenge would be different from the ones we've seen Spider-Man undertake and it would be very interesting to see how a young Peter Parker would find a way out of this.
11 J. JONAH JAMESON
Spider-Man: Homecoming starred a young Peter Parker attending high school, and it looks like the movie's sequel will continue that trend. While Peter may not be looking for a job just yet, it would still be possible to see the introduction of a very famous character from the Spider-Man comics, J. Jonah Jameson, the famous editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle newspaper.
But if the Homecoming sequel chooses to ignore the photographer/newspaper aspect of the comics, than maybe Jameson could be introduced differently. As a matter of fact, just a few years ago, in the comic books, Jameson was elected as mayor of New York City. The sequel could take this cue straight from the comics, and introduce a mayor who isn't all that fond of the city's newest hero.
10 BEN REILLY
The character of Ben Reilly was the result of a long, drawn-out, infamous yet classic Spider-Man storyline titled The Clone Saga. Originally created as a clone of Peter Parker to help the villain known as the Jackal destroy him, Ben would later take on the mantle of the Scarlet Spider as a superhero. We don't know if the MCU producers would ever dare approach The Clone Saga, but if anyone could make it work, it's them.
We're certain that Tom Holland would be more than up to the challenge of appearing twice on-screen, as both Peter and his clone, and it could be very interesting to see how the convoluted story could be streamlined for a movie. We could even throw it back to the Chameleon as well, and have a third Peter Parker running around New York city.
9 MORBIUS
Michael Morbius is a classic Spider-Man villain. He was a scientist looking for a cure for himself, tried it, and it turned him into a monster instead: Morbius, the Living Vampire -- with heightened strength and senses, pale skin, a thirst for blood and fangs. He doesn't want to be a villain, seeing as how he isn't a bad man, but his need for blood -- for survival -- is too strong.
If the Spider-Man sequel was looking for another smaller, self-contained story, Morbius could be a great choice as one of the villains. This could give the film a darker, even horror-like vibe that could be different for a Spider-Man film. Besides, with Morbius' victims turning into vampires themselves, Peter could be looking at a full-blown Queens infestation that he would have to deal with.
8 SPIDER-WOMAN
Superhero. Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. Spy. New Avenger. While bearing the female version of the "Spider-Man" moniker, Jessica Drew has actually little in fact to do with Spider-Man. The origin of their powers are unrelated, and though they have a similar power-set, Jessica has the added ability to discharge bio-electric blasts to take out her opponents, and she can also glide--not fly--through the air.
But that doesn't mean that they don't know each other. Spider-Man and Spider-Woman have crossed paths many times before, fought alongside each other and were part of the New Avengers team together. In the MCU, Jessica could surface and seek out Peter Parker as a former member of S.H.I.E.L.D. after its fall back in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Maybe she could even bring Nick Fury along with her. And a job offer.
7 MADAME WEB
Spider-Man's very own corner of the Marvel universe is filled with different types of characters, villains and allies that mostly are powered by science. But sometimes, there is room for mysticism. Cassandra Webb fits into that category, an elderly woman gifted with telepathy and clairvoyance and ally of Spider-Man in great times of need.
Just like in the comics, we wouldn't expect her to have a main starring role, but she could have a brief appearance at the start of the next Spider-Man movie where she is depicted as a strange old lady babbling to Peter about the dangers to come. This would be enough for Spider-fans to take notice, and the opening of the mystic doors could lead Spider-Man to visit the Sanctum Sanctorum and the Master of the Mystic Arts himself, Doctor Strange.
6 MIGUEL O'HARA
Though he's not the most well-known character out there, there are many fans of Miguel O'Hara, a Spider-Man who comes from the future. The year 2099, to be exact. Now, of course, the far future seems like a pretty farfetched idea, considering the current state of the MCU. But after the Infinity War movie, we don't know what the overarching plans will be for the MCU going into phase 4.
Maybe we'll catch more glimpses of the future. Maybe Kang the Conqueror will become a threat from the future. Maybe Doctor Strange will open a portal to a different timeline. Whatever the reason, we could see a glimpse of Miguel O'Hara and better yet, he could either have his very own movie set in the future, or he could very well crossover into the present time to team-up with Spider-Man.
5 THE SUPERIOR OCTOPUS
We've already seen Doctor Octopus as a Spider-Man villain in live action, as an evil scientist. One of the more recognizable Spider-Man villains, even to those who don't read comics, Doc Ock has an incredibly long history with Peter Parker and the MCU Spider-Man just wouldn't be the same without one of his most classic villains. But we could see him join the MCU in a much different manner.
In fact, comic book readers have very recently been introduced to the Superior Octopus in the pages of the currently-being-released Secret Empire event. This version of Doc Ock surfaced after his original body died, and he is now a younger, healthier, much more athletic version of himself as a clone. He is currently under the employ of Hydra and with Hydra already well established in the MCU, it would be easy to introduce this new comic version of this classic Spider-Man villain.
4 THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN
The Sinister Six have long been a staple in the Spider-Man story, a team-up of his most famous villains, united to bring an end to the superhero they all hate. Usually comprised of characters like Electro, Sandman, Doctor Octopus and a few others, the comic books introduced a very different version of the villainous team in the pages of The Superior Foes of Spider-Man: Boomerang, Beetle, Overdrive, Shocker, Speed Demon.
Most are characters unknown to the general public, and all of them would be easy to bring to the screen. Homecoming even went so far as to introduce Shocker, so we could then catch up with him in the sequel after he has made some new friends that could help him break out of prison. This quirky team of villains quickly became very popular, and the MCU could benefit from featuring a beloved team of villains like them.
3 DEADPOOL
This one may be the biggest longshot in the history of crossovers, but after Sony and Marvel struck a deal to have Spider-Man in the MCU, could it be possible for Fox to reach the same type of agreement with one of their most popular characters? If any X-Men could crossover into the MCU and make it work, it would be Deadpool, seeing as he could break the fourth wall to do it.
Deadpool and Spider-Man have a long history of team-ups in comics, a friendly rivalry that sees them poke fun at each other constantly. Homecoming gave us the perfect, quippy Spider-Man, and seeing him trade blows and insults with the likes of Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson would not only be a treat to every Marvel fan out there, it would also be comedic gold. Besides, we've already sort of seen a Hellicarrier in Deadpool right? We're halfway there!
2 SPIDER-GWEN
Now that the Doctor Strange movie has opened the doors to the Marvel version of the multiverse, an infinite amount of alternate realities parallel to our own, we could very well see the Spider-Man sequel attempt to adapt another very popular comic book event: Spider-Verse, an event that saw Peter Parker team up with many different versions of himself to fight a threat unlike any other.
This would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Spider-Gwen, the Spider-Woman from an alternate Earth. The character was introduced only a few years ago and her popularity led to her own title and statues and action figures. Spider-Gwen proved popular from the start, and the MCU could capitalize on that by bringing in one of the great recent additions to the Spider-Man universe to live-action.
1 SPIDER-MEN PAST
Speaking of alternate realities and alternate Spider-Men, there are already two other actors out there who audiences have seen play Peter Parker: Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Both have played Spider-Man for two and three movies respectively, so they each have their very own experience in the red-and-blue spandex.
Bringing in Garfield and Maguire as different versions of Spider-Man would be a great way to bring back these actors to the Spider-Man fold. It would allow Garfield to return to a role he never got to properly tie off as a more reckless Spider-Man, and we could see Maguire return as an older version of the superhero. He could be an experienced and battle-hardened mentor to Tom Holland's Peter, one who has sacrificed and lost everything. Then, we could have a truly proper Spider-Verse movie.
Which Spider-Man character do you want to see in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!