Every Spider-Man fan should absolutely watch one incredibly slept-on MCU show before Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Releasing next year in 2026, the fourth Spider-Man movie and first chapter of a whole new MCU trilogy for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has just begun filming. As such, some very recent reveals have made one show very important for the Webslinger’s next adventure.
We don’t yet know the full plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, though key cast members have been confirmed including Zendaya, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Sadie Sink, and more. It’s also been confirmed that Michael Mando will be reprising his role as Mac Gargan aka Scorpion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, making a recent MCU show a must-watch.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Features Its Own MCU Scorpion
In 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan was arrested after making a deal for weapons made from Chitauri and Ultron-based tech created by Michael Keaton’s Vulture and his crew. Thanks to Spider-Man’s ill-advised intervention and the FBI already conducting a sting, Gargan received some serious injuries to his face before he was placed into custody and imprisoned.
Gargan then began planning his revenge on Spider-Man from behind bars, as seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming’s first post-credits scene. However, Mando’s Gargan hasn’t been seen since in the primary MCU timeline, nor has he been equipped with any armor to make him The Scorpion, as seen in the original comics.
That said, this year’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man does have a Mac Gargan who becomes a full-fledged Scorpion in the MCU, albeit animated and in an alternate timeline.
In this alt-reality featuring key differences like Norman Osborn being Peter Parker’s mentor rather than Tony Stark, Gargan is outfitted with tech by Doctor Octopus, including a green armor rig with a deadly prehensile tail, one powered by unstable gamma energy that ultimately fused the armor to his body.
Despite not being voiced by Michael Mando, this alternate MCU Gargan is clearly inspired by the one seen in live-action, and is just as unhinged while his crew engages in a major gang war with the 110th St. Gang.
Thanks to his upgrades, Gargan nearly kills Spider-Man in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, a brutal victory that forces this timeline’s Peter Parker to truly question if he’s ready and willing to lead the life of a superhero in light of this first major failure.
While Spider-Man does eventually beat Scorpion with help from Tombstone, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s Scorpion is the perfect testament to how intimidating and dangerous Mando’s Scorpion can be next year in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Earth-616’s Scorpion Will Likely Be Different In Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It remains to be seen how the main MCU timeline’s Mac Gargan will get out of jail, or what his plans will be for Spider-Man.
While it’s likely that the Mac Gargan of Earth-616 will finally get Scorpion armor of his own, it’s doubtful that it’ll be coming from Doc Ock as seen in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. That said, the gamma element could still play a factor, and could perhaps be the reason for Bruce Banner/Hulk’s involvement in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
At any rate, Scorpion being such a great villain in the MCU’s recent animated series is a very great sign for Mando’s live-action version, while also being a great show to hold fans over until Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s release next year.
All episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1 are streaming on Disney+. Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases July 31st, 2026.
