Spider-Man 3's Best Villain Choice Now (With The MCU's Multiverse)

With Spider-Man 3 incorporating the multiverse, the best choice for the movie’s villain is now Morlun. Compared to Spider-Man villains like Green Goblin, the Lizard, and Doctor Octopus, Morlun is a lesser-known character in the web-slinger’s rogues’ gallery. While he may be a much less popular choice than someone like Kraven the Hunter, Morlun could be the right fit to be the Spider-Man 3 villain.

There’s no word yet on who the main antagonist will be in the third solo outing for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, but at least one villain has been confirmed for the movie. Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role as classic Marvel Comics villain Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What’s so surprising about his inclusion is that instead of creating its own take on the lightning-powered supervillain, Marvel is borrowing from a franchise that’s not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What this indicates is that Spider-Man 3 will in a sense make The Amazing Spider-Man movies canon with the MCU by establishing that its world exists in a reality separate to the main timeline.

In other words, it seems that Marvel is making the multiverse a central element of Spider-Man 3. This was made abundantly clear when it was reported that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be joining the movie as well. Similar to the first MCU Spider-Man movies – which featured Iron Man and Nick Fury respectively – Spider-Man 3 too will have a special MCU guest star. Apparently, Doctor Strange will be replacing Iron Man in the mentor role. The Sorcerer Supreme’s presence further drives home the point that alternate dimensions and timelines will be the focus of the new movie. With that being the case, that completely changes the conversation regarding which Marvel Comics character should be Spider-Man 3’s villain. Here’s why the best choice for that role is now Morlun.

Morlun In Marvel Comics Explained

Morlun is one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes, but he’s far from a classic villain. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #30 in 2001 as a powerful immortal from another dimension. Morlun is a member of a mysterious race that feeds on “totems,” or people who are bonded with animal spirits. The life force of “totems” is what provides Morlun with the energy that sustains him. Apparently, Spider-Man is one of many totems in the Marvel Universe. It was revealed that the radioactive spider bit Parker intentionally so that he would inherit its powers. The bite is what made him a totem, and in turn, a prime target of Morlun, who longs to absorb Spider-Man’s totem essence.

After coming to the main timeline, Morlun relentlessly hunted Spider-Man, who was physically outclassed by his opponent’s abilities. Spider-Man lost to Morlun repeatedly, but still managed to survive through each encounter. Unable to beat him fairly, Parker tricked Morlun by injecting radiation into his body. Morlun died after ingesting the radiation when he tried to feast on Parker’s totem energy. Following his resurrection, Morlun continued to be a thorn in Spider-Man’s side for many years and served as the main villain of Marvel’s Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon crossover events. In these stories, Morlun came into conflict with several different versions of Spider-Man, but was ultimately defeated in both.

Why Morlun Is The Best Choice For Spider-Man 3's Villain

Morlun looking down and crying in Marvel Comics.

For a while now, the heavy favorite to be Spider-Man 3’s primary antagonist has been Kraven the Hunter, partially because he’s the most important Spider-Man villain that hasn’t been used yet. Even if it’s not him, there’s a strong expectation that Marvel will pick an A-list member of his rogues’ gallery, whether it be Norman Osborn, Doctor Octopus, or someone else entirely. However, none of the big names that Peter Parker fights in Marvel Comics really fit where Marvel is going in Spider-Man 3. Typically, Spider-Man movies see the Wall-Crawler taking on villains who are seen as threats to New York City, but Marvel is apparently going several levels beyond that by expanding the scale of the film to the multiverse.

Since Spider-Man 3 is breaking the mold a bit in terms of its scope, it’ll likely need to do the same with its villain. If Marvel is thinking bigger with Spider-Man 3, that significantly narrows down the list of candidates, with the best option being Morlun. Unlike Kraven and Osborn, Morlun would fit seamlessly into a story that involves multiple timelines and magic. As an evil immortal who hunts down various versions of Spider-Man across several different timelines, Morlun certainly feels like the kind of character who could make a team-up with Doctor Strange in the multiverse necessary.

How Morlun Can Fit Into The MCU

Morlun may not have the rich history in Spider-Man comics that Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Sandman, and Green Goblin have, but the struggles he’s given the Wall-Crawler have been some of the toughest battles he’s experienced in his lifetime. In fact, Morlun is notorious for handing Parker what is arguably the most gruesome beating he’s ever had in Spider-Man: The Other. His reputation for being one of the deadliest and most menacing adversaries that Spider-Man has ever faced needs to be properly conveyed on the big screen if he’s the villain that Marvel chooses for Spider-Man 3. A big part of what makes him such a terrifying force in Spider-Man comics the fact that he’s so much more powerful than Parker, who is essentially Morlun’s prey. Marvel can use Doctor Strange and his knowledge of the multiverse to help give audiences the impression that Morlun is the biggest threat Spider-Man has ever had to fight on his own in the MCU. If Morlun is on his way to the main timeline in the MCU, that would make sense of why Doctor Strange is in the movie. It could be determined that Parker won’t be able to beat him alone.

If Morlun pursues Spider-Man for the same reason he did in the comics, this will give the movie a chance to finally explore his origin story, the spider bite, and his status as a totem. As for what Morlun could be up to in the story, it’s possible that if Marvel does indeed keep the “totem” element of his comic book counterpart, he’ll be on the hunt for various versions of Spider-Man, similar to the Spider-Verse story. With The Amazing Spider-Man movies being touched on through Electro, it could be revealed that one of Morlun’s victims is Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. He could also set his sights on Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, and perhaps other versions as well, before eventually turning to Tom Holland’s character for sustenance. Being labeled a fugitive and being hunted by Morlun, Spider-Man could have his back against the wall and find himself facing off against a seemingly unbeatable foe. He may have no choice but to rely on help from Doctor Strange if he hopes to survive the events of Spider-Man 3.

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