Thescreescore – Following the recent theatrical debut of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, actor Michael Mando has ignited a flurry of speculation regarding the future of his character, Mac Gargan, better known to fans as the villainous Scorpion. Mando, who first introduced Gargan as a criminal seeking weaponry in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, made a formidable return in Brand New Day fully clad in his iconic Scorpion suit, only to find himself behind bars by the film’s conclusion. However, Mando reveals that his journey with the character may be far from over, hinting at a much darker, more symbiotic evolution within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In an exclusive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Mando disclosed that he has already engaged in discussions with Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton about Scorpion’s storied comic book trajectory. Central to these conversations was the character’s infamous stint as Venom – a transformation Mando passionately describes as Gargan’s "ultimate form" and a narrative avenue he believes holds immense potential for the MCU.
"The potential growth of [Mac Gargan] is enormous," Mando articulated. "Brand New Day is level one of this character’s potential, and he has at least two or three levels up from here, one of them being the ultimate form of Venom. That’s exciting to think about for a moment, but I’ve got to let it go because it’s in the hands of Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal. They know what they’re doing, and I have to trust that." This statement underscores the actor’s enthusiasm for delving deeper into Gargan’s complex identity, while acknowledging the ultimate creative control held by Marvel Studios’ architects.
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For those familiar with Spider-Man lore, Mac Gargan’s tenure as Venom is a significant chapter. While primarily known as Scorpion since his 1964 debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #20, Gargan bonded with the Venom symbiote in the mid-2000s after it had separated from Eddie Brock. During this period, he served under Norman Osborn in notorious groups like the Sinister Twelve and the Thunderbolts, even masquerading as Spider-Man himself during the Dark Avengers era. The symbiote was eventually forcibly removed during the "Siege" storyline, compelling Gargan to revert to his Scorpion persona.
Intriguingly, the groundwork for a new Venom host has already been subtly laid in the MCU. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s mid-credits scene famously depicted Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock inadvertently leaving a fragment of the Venom symbiote behind before being whisked back to his own universe. This tantalizing tease remained unaddressed in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, leaving its cinematic fate ambiguous. Should this symbiote fragment resurface, the prospect of Mac Gargan bonding with it, rather than introducing another iteration of Eddie Brock, presents an exciting and unexpected twist for audiences, promising to significantly "shake things up" in the established narrative.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day itself was a bustling affair, featuring a diverse array of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, including Boomerang, Tarantula, Ramrod, Tombstone, and the enigmatic ninja clan, The Hand. The film initially presented Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey as a formidable telepathic threat, possessing others, before revealing Trammell Tillman’s Bill Metzger, head of the Department of Damage Control, as the true orchestrator of the chaos.
While Tom Holland has confirmed ongoing discussions for a potential Spider-Man 5, the project has yet to receive an official green light. Furthermore, Peter Parker’s involvement in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars remains speculative. Meanwhile, fans seeking an alternate take on the character can find a distinct version of Scorpion, with a vastly different origin story than that seen in Brand New Day, in the animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The potential for Michael Mando’s Scorpion to embrace his "ultimate form" as Venom, however, looms as one of the most intriguing possibilities for the MCU’s future web-slinging sagas, leaving fans eagerly anticipating what Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal have in store.
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