- Primary Subject: Spider-Man: Brand New Day Original Main Villain Plans
- Key Update: Co-writer Chris McKenna revealed that Chameleon was originally planned as the main villain.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 18, 2026
- Quick Answer: Chameleon was almost the main villain, but Sony rejected the idea since he appeared in Kraven, leading writers to pick Jean Grey instead.
The writer of Spider-Man: Brand New Day recently revealed that Chameleon was almost featured as the main villain of the film.
While Jean Grey was the primary antagonist, the recent MCU film also featured some of the fan-favorite characters in the web-slinger's rogues' gallery, such as Tombstone, Scorpion, Tarantula, and more. Fans were wondering whether a different villain was supposed to be the main antagonist, instead of the mutant fan favorite.
As it turns out, the big bad was indeed going to be different.
Why Chameleon Is Not the Villain of Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
In a recent interview on Jeff Goldsmith's The Q&A podcast, Spider-Man: Brand New Day co-writer Chris McKenna revealed that they originally wanted Chameleon to be the main villain due to its shape-shifting features.
However, Sony prevented them from using the character since he was already used in Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven the Hunter, where he was depicted as Sergei's brother.
"We were going, ‘Well, Chameleon, but how do you do that?’ Well, they’ve done Skrulls. You’re not going to do masks. How do we do that? And then we hit upon the idea of mind control. What if Chameleon was using mind control? But then they had already used Kraven’s half-brother in Kraven. So it was like, ‘You can’t do Chameleon,’" McKenna shared.
"But that’s what got us on the path of mind control. And then mind control eventually led to us getting who was the perfect character for that role, who was Jean Grey. But that was a journey."
In case you're not familiar, the Chameleon is known as a master of disguise who can impersonate virtually anyone and uses lifelike masks, holographic technology, and mutagenic enhancement in his impersonations.
While it's hard to say whether Chameleon would have been a better villain, some have argued that Jean Grey was a better choice in hindsight given the emotional core she brought to the story and made her a great match for Peter Parker. Not only that, her appearance made fans excited for the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU.
What Is Spider-Man: Brand New Day About?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks an entirely new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves.
Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he's devoted himself entirely to protecting his city, a full-time Spider-Man, but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.
The main cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo, Marisa Tomei, Florence Pugh, and Liza Colon-Zayas.
The film is still showing in theaters worldwide. As of this writing, it has grossed more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office.
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