Is the MCU getting their own Doctor Octopus and Norman Osborn? The latest Spider-Man rumor suggest there may be some familiar faces in store.
The MCU is setting Spider-Man to go places that the hero has never gone before on the silver screen. And given the hero’s last installment focused so heavily on the hero facing off against his most iconic enemies from across the multiverse, many assumed that this meant franchise staples like Norman Osborn and Doctor Octopus may be left on the chopping block.
Yet it seems the rumor mill has some different information when it comes to Spider-Man’s most iconic villains. The recent round-up from Alex Perez at the Cosmic Circles reveals that Marvel is still planning to introduce their own versions of Norman Osborn and Doctor Octopus in the MCU. In fact, fans may already have some hints as to how they’ll be implemented.
“Yes, definitely,” Perez remarks when asked if the two villains will make their debut in the franchise sometime down the line. “And the way that Marvel is handling it in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is going to mirror what the MCU will do for Spidey’s story moving forward. It won’t be a 1:1, but the story beats are going to parallel, kind of like how some story beats in the MCU parallel the stories in What If…?“
How The MCU Will Adapt Key Spider-Man Villains
Out of the two, Doctor Octopus has the simpler origin to run-down. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man sets him up as a disgruntled OsCorp employee fired by Norman Osborn. If this rumor is right, it seems that the MCU is shaping the two up for a turf war in the live-action Spider-Man trilogy, echoing recent adaptions like the Playstation games.
As for Norman Osborn, there’s a lot that can’t be covered in one article. However, from his ties to Doctor Octopus and his amicable relationship with Peter, it’s likely that the MCU won’t be turning him into Green Goblin until the final film in the next trilogy. Even then, it’s possible that plans change and Norman remains a good guy.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters July 31st, 2026. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding Spider-Man’s Marvel Cinematic Universe future, and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
