Spider-Man: Brand New Day Rumor Sparks Major Fan Reactions

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Art Sparks Major Fan Reactions To Sinister Six Theory

Tom Holland filming Spider-Man: Brand New Day

By Jennifer Chu Published Feb 18, 2026, 7:54 PM EST Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Leaked artwork featuring multiple Marvel villains triggered a whirlwind of rumors and excitement about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, specifically the Sinister Six.

Earlier this week, some art, which has since been removed, sparked discussions about Tarantula, Boomerang, and Scorpion and their potential roles in the highly anticipated MCU movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Although the validity of the art has not been officially confirmed, the presence of these iconic supervillains has fans believing that the movie could assemble a new iteration of the Sinister Six.

The Sinister Six was a team of villains originally created by Doctor Octopus in an effort to defeat Spider-Man. The original group included Doc Ock, Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and Sandman. While the three villains featured in the leaked banner weren't in the original lineup, the team was notorious for constantly changing its roster. So, an alternate version of the Sinister Six for Spider-Man: Brand New Day wouldn't really be that surprising.

After the leak, fans rushed to Reddit to concoct theories about whether there would be a new Sinister Six and what it would mean for the MCU. The majority of users were excited about the team being introduced in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Several stated that a showdown between Peter Parker and the Sinister Six would be perfect for the upcoming movie and the future of the franchise in general.

Check out their reactions below:

I'm 100% certain that the Sinister Six will be the villains of Spider-Man 6 which will probably be Holland's final movie. The MCU kills most of its villains and surprisingly none of the MCU Spider-Man villains have died so far (yes, Mysterio too). It can't be a coincidence. I'm betting on the team being Vulture, Mysterio, Scorpion, Shocker, Rhino and Kraven or Mister Negative (whoever ends up being the secondary villain of SM5). - HearTheEkko

Spidey vs Sinister Six is something I can see being the finale for the franchise. It would be perfect. - ZekeorSomething

The Sinister Six for Spidey 6 would be perfect. And by then he’ll have a pretty solid lineup of returning villains to form the group. Vulture, Shocker, Mysterio, Scorpion, maybe Kraven for Spidey 5? Then in Spidey 6 someone like Mr Negative or Kingpin assembles them. - JokerFaces 2

However, others were a little more pessimistic about the new potential development. Some fans believe that the team is overrated and that they wouldn't add any real value to the MCU, as other projects, such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, have already done something similar with the Sinister Six.

Thing is the Spidey vs Sinister Six story has become pretty overused and saturated by now. We already kinda had that in NWH + Insomniac's Spider-Man + Into the Spider-Verse and now it looks like we'll get something similar here too. - SmaugRancor

Spider-Man Far From Home's Jacob Batalon as Ned LeedsImage via Sony

Ned Leeds' Involvement With The Sinister Six

While the Sinister Six appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day had not been confirmed by Sony or Marvel at the time of this article's publication, fans seemingly believe that they will show up in some capacity. Despite the skepticism, there is another clue that might be hiding in plain sight regarding these theories. The character Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) becomes Hobgoblin in the comic books. And, Hobgoblin was a member of the Sinister Six at one point in the comics. While no one has confirmed whether Batalon's iteration of the character will take a villainous turn, it could very well happen.

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day will premiere in theaters on July 31, 2026.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Like Follow Followed Not Yet Rated Superhero Action Adventure Release Date July 31, 2026 Director Destin Daniel Cretton Writers Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee Producers Amy Pascal, Kevin Feige, Rachel O'Connor, Avi Arad, Louis D'Esposito Prequel(s) Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man