2025’s newest version of a classic Spider-Man villain finally gives the character the upgrade that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy setup and then never actually used. Tom Holland’s version of Peter Parker has been around for almost a decade now, but the number of MCU Spider-Man villains that have appeared in the main timeline since his debut is still relatively limited. While the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a huge number of Spider-Man antagonists, the number that originate in the focal MCU world is far fewer, putting more focus on those who’ve appeared so far.
This sheds a favorable light on the MCU’s Vulture and Mysterio – both of whom were the starring antagonists of the MCU Spider-Man movies they respectively appeared in – but not every villain is so lucky. Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan is a notable example of a key Marvel villain the franchise has essentially wasted thus far, with the MCU timeline having never made good on its promise of actually making him into the Scorpion despite actively setting up to do so. However, the first of the MCU’s 2025 releases delivers a new version of the character whose story goes quite differently.
The MCU’s Scorpion Almost Got An Upgrade Thanks To Vulture
While the MCU’s Scorpion first appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, it was without the suit that gives him powers and justifies the Scorpion name. Spider-Man encounters Mac Gargan on the Staten Island ferry, where the character is preparing to buy weaponry from Adrien Toomes, also known as the Vulture. Though it at first seems that audiences are set to see Gargan don the Scorpion armor as a result of this, it doesn’t come to pᴀss, as Spider-Man is able to stop the transaction taking place – albeit at the cost of Iron Man confiscating Peter’s hi-tech suit after he endangers himself.
The ending of the movie appeared to promise that Scorpion’s villain heyday was just on the horizon, though, as Toomes and Gargan cross paths once again in Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s mid-credits scene, this time both in jail after the events of the movie. In it, Gargan expresses his grudge with Spider-Man, and attempts to join forces with a seemingly complicated feeling Vulture, who appears to still hold his own grudge against Peter despite not revealing the young hero’s secret idenтιтy to Mac.
While this set up the potential for Scorpion’s suit upgrade to still happen, the main MCU timeline has never followed up on this promising tease. After Morbius brought Michael Keaton’s Vulture to the Sony Spider-Man Universe – only for him to be awkwardly brought back by the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home – it seems likely the MCU may wish to avoid ever coming back to this storyline, since it involves reminding audiences about this point in time, and potentially is far more complicated than delving into the rest of Spider-Man’s huge villain roster.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Finally Shows Off The Scorpion Upgrade We Never Got
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man episode 6 manages what the main MCU timeline never quite got to in 8 years – namely, giving Scorpion the power upgrade of his suit, this time from Doctor Octopus, and showing the real danger it makes him into. The show’s alternate MCU universe version of Mac Gargan follows a relatively similar path to the main movie iteration, wherein the character is at first a more conventional criminal, this time being the leader of a gang known as The Scorpions.
While already a threatening figure to begin with as a result of his clear love of violence, Mac becomes more intimidating after he gains his armor and robotic tail in episode 5, which he quickly shows he knows how to use in episode 6. After gaining his suit, Gargan is not only able to decimate the 110th Street gang, but also Spider-Man himself, cracking one of the eyes on Peter’s suit, breaking through a considerable amount of Spider-Man’s webbing, and then stabbing through Spider-Man and his suit – something that Norman Osborn outright states shouldn’t have been possible.
Even more harrowing is the detail that Gargan seems to be scarring himself with the force he makes the suit put out, but has little to no reaction to this. The superheated armor appears to scald and wound his skin, but Scorpion is shown to be unconcerned with the immense pain he is experiencing so long as he can win against his opponent. All in all, this paints a picture of Scorpion that makes him look not only considerably powerful but truly ruthless, too, demonstrating just how impressive and imposing the villain can be when he has his proper tools.
The MCU’s New Scorpion Is Exactly What The Character Deserves
The Scorpion is a key member of Spider-Man’s villain lineup in the comics, having both an extensive history with the hero, and many major storylines that feature him opposing the web-slinger. As such, showing off just how scary and strong Scorpion can be in the show does right by the character and helps to display the significance of a figure who’s been arguably overlooked on-screen, especially after the main MCU timeline ignored the setup for him for so long despite putting the pieces together in Spider-Man’s first solo movie.
The final two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1 are set to release on February 19, 2025.
While Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is set in an alternate universe – meaning this Scorpion setup can’t really be used by the main MCU world – the franchise’s willingness to finally depict the Spider-Man character in a way that gives him his full terrifying due may bode well for the future. This is especially true if Spider-Man 4 does indeed focus more on Peter’s street-level hero adventures again, much as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man itself does, meaning there’s always a chance the MCU’s movies take a leaf out of the show’s book when it comes to the Scorpion himself.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
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February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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