So far, Spider-Man’s MCU tenure is two-for-two on great villains. Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes had understandable motivations, since he just wanted to provide for a family in a world that had turned against him, and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck revels in the flamboyance of his illusions.
Both villains have been at the center of shocking plot twists: the Vulture turned out to be the father of Peter’s love interest, and Mysterio turned out to be a bad egg who conned his way into earning Peter’s trust to nab Stark Industries’ best drone tech. The future looks bright for Spidey’s MCU foes. Here are 10 Actors We’d Like To See Play Villains In The Next MCU Spider-Man Movie.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Kraven the Hunter
Director Jon Watts himself has said that he wants Kraven the Hunter to be the villain in the MCU’s next Spidey movie, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be the perfect choice to play him. He has the grizzled look, the gruff charm, and the acting chops to pull it off.
Morgan is no stranger to comic book roles, having played Negan in The Walking Dead, the Comedian in Watchmen, and Thomas Wayne in Batman v Superman, but since he’s a big comic book fan (and Marvel has deep pockets), he probably wouldn’t mind stepping back into those waters to play Kraven.
Aaron Paul as Electro
Electro already appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but despite Jamie Foxx’s best efforts, he was crushingly disappointing. If the MCU is building up the Sinister Six (even though they’re one member down), then they’ll need to introduce Electro – and they’ll need to get the character right.
When he debuted in the comics, Electro used his electrical powers to become a petty crook. Aaron Paul has already played the kind of role to uproarious acclaim in Breaking Bad. If he could bring an endearing Jesse Pinkman-esque humanity to the role of Max Dillon, then a fantastic villain would be born.
Dove Cameron as Black Cat
Despite a planned appearance in Sam Raimi’s canceled Spider-Man 4 and a teaser in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Felicia Hardy has yet to go full Black Cat on the big screen, so it’s about time. In the comics, Black Cat is a romantic interest for Spider-Man, so whoever is cast will have to be close to Tom Holland’s age and also fit into a love triangle with Peter and MJ.
Zendaya’s fellow Disney Channel star Dove Cameron not only has the look (and the range, given how convincingly she dual roles as polar-opposite twins in Liv and Maddie); she also has Marvel experience, having played Ruby Hale in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Gwen Stacy and Ghost-Spider in voice roles.
Tom Hardy as Venom
This one’s kind of obvious, since Tom Hardy is already playing Venom in his own solo franchise for Sony. And while those movies might not technically be considered a part of the MCU canon, it would be a bad idea to get someone else to play Venom in Marvel’s own franchise. Hardy is the actor audiences see as Venom, and despite his unusual accent, he’s a great Eddie Brock.
Venom needs to appear opposite Tom Holland’s Spidey at some point. Where Spider-Man is a straightforward hero and his previous MCU villains have been straightforward villains (who both think they’re heroes in their own way), Venom is an antihero, so it would shake things up.
Numan Acar as the Chameleon
Dmitri Smerdyakov was already played by Numan Acar in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and despite rampant fan theories, he wasn’t revealed to be the Chameleon. Instead, he was shown to be a seemingly good-natured associate of Nick Fury. However, interestingly, Far From Home’s Fury turned out to be Captain Marvel’s Talos in disguise.
Kevin Feige has teased that, although the Skrulls were shown to be good in Captain Marvel, “Just like not all humans are bad, and not all humans are good, I think Skrulls probably have a variety of moralities amongst them.” Perhaps Dmitri is also a Skrull in disguise, and he’ll use his shapeshifting ability to become the MCU’s Chameleon. Since he’s already been introduced in an intriguing way, this would be the best way to go about it.
John Cena as the Rhino
There are some versions of the Rhino where a little guy wears a big, bulky suit, suggesting that the actor playing him doesn’t necessarily have to be well-built. But frankly, it would just work better that way. Paul Giamatti’s Rhino didn’t work in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, because he’s not physically formidable and a giant gray suit didn’t change that.
John Cena has proven himself to be a capable blockbuster action star in the surprisingly great Bumblebee movie, and his recent casting in Fast & Furious 9 has proven that his acting career is more than just a fleeting phase.
Vince Vaughn as the Kingpin
Vincent D’Onofrio did a fine job of playing Wilson Fisk in Netflix’s Daredevil (although, if there’s a criticism to be made, it’s that he humanized him a little too much), but since Netflix’s Marvel franchise is dead, the role will probably have to be recast, and while it may not seem so at first, Vince Vaughn is an ideal choice.
He proved he can play a fearsome crime boss in True Detective and a bald badass in Brawl in Cell Block 99. Combine the two and what do you have? Wilson Fisk. Plus, all of Spidey’s villains in the MCU thus far have had a comedic quality, so it would make sense to have a Kingpin who isn’t out-and-out terrifying and can get in a joke or two.
Michael Mando as the Scorpion
Better Call Saul star Michael Mando already appeared as Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Throughout that movie, he grew to really hate Spidey, and he even appeared in the mid-credits scene. He approached Adrian Toomes in prison and asked if he knew Spidey’s real identity, because he had some guys on the outside who were ready to kill him.
However, Toomes denied knowing Spidey’s identity and that seemed to be the end of that. Of course, following Far From Home’s own mid-credits bombshell, everyone will know Spidey’s identity, so Gargan should become the Scorpion in your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler’s next solo outing in the MCU.
Christoph Waltz as Doctor Octopus
Let’s just clarify, first of all, that Alfred Molina nailed the role of Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2. The genius intellect, the snarking villainy, the tragic downfall – he played the part perfectly. If there was any chance that the MCU would cast Molina to reprise his role (they did bring back the similarly role-suited J.K. Simmons, after all), then that would be the call, but unfortunately, it seems unlikely.
Having said that, the great Christoph Waltz would probably have a different, but equally fantastic take on the character. It wouldn’t be entirely comic-accurate, but then nothing in the MCU really is.
Matthew McConaughey as the Green Goblin
Matthew McConaughey has been persistently rumored for the role of Norman Osborn (and Norman Osborn has been persistently rumored as the MCU’s next big bad after Thanos), and it’s easy to see why. McConaughey’s cool Southern charm would fit the part of a slick, corrupt businessman like a glove.
Osborn is one of the richest, smartest, and most powerful characters in the Marvel universe. He needs a truly great actor to sell that and McConaughey is the guy. As shown by reams of fan art, his face even suits the Green Goblin mask. With box office flops like Gold and Free State of Jones, McConaughey needs a hit to kickstart the next stage of the “McConaissance.” Perhaps joining the world’s biggest superhero franchise as an iconic villain is the way to go about it.