Spider-Man: Brand New Day botches MCU character comeback nine years in the making

If you ask me, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is just about as good as superhero cinema gets — not only the top of the Spider-Man films, but genuinely making its case to sit among the absolute best Marvel movies ever. The city itself finally feels alive on screen, with Tom Holland's Peter Parker hauling himself about a properly bustling, unpredictable New York. Familiar faces and a few surprises keep cropping up, so you get a real glimpse of what daily life would be like if you actually lived in Marvel’s Manhattan. But with so many characters traipsing through, not everyone gets their fair share of the spotlight.

Scorpion's Not-Quite-Glorious Return

One character I thought would be a much bigger deal this time around: Scorpion, played by Michael Mando. The trailers made a massive fuss about Mac Gargan’s comeback, teasing some rather slick shots and promising, finally, a proper run for the villain after his blink-and-you'll-miss-it debut in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. Nearly a decade later, he actually gets involved in the plot — but honestly, you’ll have seen most of his standout moments before you’ve even bought your popcorn. Marvel marketing at its finest, eh?

Mac Gargan’s only other previous appearance as Scorpion was back in 2017 — nine years ago.

There are a few extra Gargan scenes in the actual movie, but it's hard not to feel that his role was overhyped and underdelivered. To be fair, he does have more to do here than poor old Tombstone (played by Krondon), but in the end, Scorpion mostly exists to usher in Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey rather than take the limelight for himself. Mando is solid whenever he gets the chance — it’s just that he's sidelined a bit, again. For a villain of Scorpion’s stature, and a nine-year wait between appearances, you might call that more than a missed opportunity.

How the MCU Differs from the Comics

Now, if you know your comic book history, Gargan’s route to villainy is a lot more dramatic than the little glimpses we’re given on screen. Traditionally, J. Jonah Jameson is integral to the whole thing: desperate to beat Spider-Man at his own game, Jonah bankrolls a dodgy experiment that sees Mac injected with scorpion DNA, with predictably mad results. Mac goes full monster, physically and mentally — and spends about as much time trying to kill Jonah as he does Spidey. Some comic storylines (and a few adaptations, the MCU first time included) go with a proper mechanical suit for Scorpion instead, sometimes not even letting him get it off, which does wonders for his mental health. In the current films, Mando’s version is still a free agent, mind intact, not welded into his kit, and with no confirmation of Jameson pulling strings — though the door’s hardly closed. Given how much those two are entwined in the source material, it’s high time the films did Scorpion’s origin justice, especially if we’re waiting god-knows-how-long for his next chance to cause trouble.

Who Actually Showed Up?

• Tom Holland as Spider-Man / Peter Parker
• Jon Bernthal as Punisher
• Sadie Sink as Jean Grey
• Michael Mando as Scorpion / Mac Gargan
• Krondon as Tombstone
• J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (potentially involved with Scorpion’s origin, to be determined)