5 Spider Man Brand New Day Villains Ranked From Most to Least Obvious

Spider Man Brand New Day villains are so beautifully complex and human that, even though they’re Spider Man’s enemies who turn against him, they still have understandable, reasonable motives. 

WARNING: HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD

In the aftermath of Peter Parker’s friends losing their memory of him, Parker faces new and far more threatening crimes alone, and the loneliness pushes him towards darker instincts than ever before.

The highly anticipated film starring newly married Tom Holland and Zendaya unsurprisingly broke box office records just by bearing both of their names alone (as well as the Marvel brand name of course). But the film does its due diligence by successfully living up to the hype. 

There are so many well-constructed elements of this film, from the casting to the plot, the themes to the character development. There really isn’t much to fault the film for. 

But there is one element of any superhero film that can really determine if it’s something amazing or the same ol’ predictable plot we’re used to: The villains. 

In fact, nearly every character in the film has a villain arc if you really think about it.

Let’s go through each villain and flesh out why they were so beautifully complex and effective, from most obvious to the least.

Spider Man Brand New Day | 5 Villains From Most to Least Obvious

1. Jean Grey

When Jean (Sadie Sink from Stranger Things) is first introduced to the scene, it’s stunning to see that a small teenage girl is the source of all this chaos. 

She speaks in the croaky voice of the elderly, in the gravely tone of the criminal, and all along, she has an unsuspecting quality about her, protected only by a low-hanging cloak. 

We learn of her unceasing pursuit of a top-secret entity called V-Max, and she destroys anyone who gets in her way of obtaining it. She completely disregards the people who get hurt along the way, as long as she gets what she wants, which is not uncharacteristic of your average teen if we’re being honest. 

Later, we learn that V-Max is not some top-secret government file but is rather the last thing her beloved sister saw on the AC unit in the testing room where she was murdered. 

To live completely isolated in the world, neglected by your parents, and forcefully stripped away from the only person who knew and accepted her, Jean Grey’s heart had reasonably become hardened. 

Not until Spider Man connected with her humanity does she realize that she doesn’t have to be alone any longer. 

Now, to develop empathy for the source of much of the film’s chaos means that the writers of this film did the dang thing with creating this complex character. 

To empathize with a villain is to create a layered character with believable character development rather than merely a vehicle through which the superhero can display their full arsenal of abilities. 

It shows an attention to detail that really elevates the story and makes it feel more real and 3-dimensional. 

2. Bill Metzger

Now, this villain — I would be lying if I said I didn’t see it coming. 

I recently watched the Apple TV original series, Severance, and now, seeing the same actor, Tramell Tillman, I couldn’t help but mistrust him immediately. 

I also felt a little bad for him because, at this point, he is mentally typecast in my mind; I can’t see him leading in a rom-com or even being a kind, honest person in real life. 

That’s how good he is at these cunning roles. 

Bill Metzger is a lead government official within the Damage Control department. 

Although he presents as Spider Man’s ally at the beginning of the film, partnering with him to help the Department of Defense protect the city from its dangerous new threat, Jean Grey, we later learn that he is the catalyst for her villain origin story.

He’s fighting a villain that he’s created. 

He kidnapped Jean’s sister, Sarah, locked her in a glass cage, and performed scientific experiments on her endlessly and cruelly until she passed away; the last thing she saw was the vent over her head. 

It’s also revealed that Metzger has been leading the Department of Defense in producing weapons against Spider Man that can be deployed in case he ever gets out of hand. 

Which is why, when Spider Man pieces together Metzger’s deceitful ways, he’s met with new defensive tactics that specifically refute his powers. 

Now, Metzger’s actions completely disregarded the free will of the Grey sisters, but he did so with the belief that he was serving a greater good and protecting the nation at all costs. 

Even the defenses built against Spider Man come from the same intent – simply doing the job he’s paid to do.

So although he is a villain and is guilty of inhumane and deceitful practices, his reasoning and motives are understandable.

3. Peter Parker

Yes, the superhero himself becomes the villain at some point. 

A big plot point that drives the heart of the film is the fact that Peter Parker’s closest companions have completely forgotten who he is due to a spell that Parker worked with Dr. Strange to enact.

Because of this, Parker has been living alone and in isolation for years, having no life outside of his superhero gig. 

Seeing his friends move on, live lives without him, and seeing MJ, his former girlfriend, with another man drives Parker’s mind to new depths and further deepens his loneliness. 

Because of his lack of human interaction and connection, he starts to become more Spider and less Man. 

It speaks to human nature too and just makes you reflect on what things in the world are making us more animal versus human.

Just a thought to throw out there. People say humans are nothing more than animals, but I would say that this film disagrees with that sentiment, and so do I. 

As Parker struggles to find out how to regulate his humanity levels again, he’s interrupted by another one of Jean Grey’s attacks. 

Here, Parker’s spider side is completely unleashed, causing him to nearly kill a member of the police force who trusts him and works closely with him. A glimpse of his villainous potential surfaces. 

Thankfully, he notices it early and works to build an inhibitor to control it. 

4. The Hulk

Bruce Banner makes a small but mighty appearance in this film. Jean Grey uses her mind control powers on him to break through the inhibitor that he made for himself, which stops him from becoming a monster. 

While this inhibitor is broken, Banner (now in Hulk form) is unstoppable. He fights against who is supposed to be his ally, Spider Man. 

Somehow Spider Man breaks through the Hulk’s mental defenses by reminding him who Bruce is and who Bruce loves. 

I think this level of villainy is closely related to Spider Man’s in that it’s not driven by evil motivations that mean well but rather by monstrous instincts that are poorly controlled. 

5. Frank

Now, I must admit, I had no idea who Frank was when he popped up on my screen. Sorry to that man. But because of my affiliations with more avid Marvel followers, I learned that he’s The Punisher, a vigilante with his own moral code.

From the beginning of the film, it’s clear that Spider Man and Frank have a love-hate relationship where they tend to step on each other’s toes. 

As the film progresses, so does their relationship. They both grow soft spots for one another. 

At the film’s climax, Frank tries to stop the mental freeze that Jean Grey has put on the vast radius of the city. 

To do this, he fires a missile from miles away into the building, aiming at Jean and ending up hitting Spider Man himself. 

Now, labeling Frank a villain is a stretch, I know, but what I will say is that he was acting on limited information and almost killed Spider Man in the process. 

If he had known that Jean was actually the victim in this circumstance, his aim would have been different. 

So Frank’s villain classification is that he did a dangerous thing, although he was acting on good intentions. 

If we define villainy by the heart, he wouldn’t qualify here, but if by actions, he was an unintentional opp. 

So what does this mean?

I think the fact that so many characters walked the line between hero and villain shows that there’s actually not much of a degree of separation between the two. 

It’s all about how the power is used and who defines the word “good” for you. 

If good is defined by what makes you feel good or what works best in your world, it can end up hurting other people and still be okay in your book. 

But if your “good” zooms out of yourself and is standardized, then you’re more likely to fall in the hero category (don’t get me started on Thanos, though).

I see it as humbling, and the most pertinent illustration of the famous Spider Man quote: with great power comes great responsibility. 

In Conclusion

Spider Man Brand New Day villains bring new levels of depth and complexity to the franchise. 

It develops rich characters with arcs substantial enough to make you wish the film didn’t have to end so soon. 

A much-needed step-up from the previous installment of the Saga, Brand New Day invigorates a brand new excitement for more of Spider Man’s story.

And it dares you to wonder: where are you the hero in your life, and where are you the villain?

Rating: 9.5/10

Any villains I missed? Who doesn’t deserve to be on the villain list? Let me know in the comments below!

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Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

IMO