After taking a decade-long break from Spider-Man movies, Scorpion star Michael Mando is back as the pointy-tailed villain Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But it sounds as though the baddie may just stick around this time, and maybe even reach his full “potential” as one of Venom’s hosts.
“The potential growth of [Mac Gargan] is enormous,” said Mando to The Hollywood Reporter. “Brand New Day is level one of this character’s potential, and he has at least two or three levels up from here, one of them being the ultimate form of Venom.”
First introduced to the Spider-Man comics in 1964, Scorpion is a private investigator turned professional criminal who uses his full-body battle suit fitted with a stinger to take down his enemies, mostly Spider-Man. However, down the line, Mac became the third host of the alien symbiote known as Venom. We have already seen Tom Hardy take shape as reporter Eddie Brock, who becomes physically attached to the alien entity in Sony‘s Venom film franchise. However, Brock has yet to join the MCU.
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Mando made his MCU debut in Tom Holland’s first Spidey movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming. The 2016 film saw Scorpion, real name Mac Gargan, engage in dodgy dealings with Michael Keaton’s Vulture, which eventually landed him in prison. But, despite the Homecoming post-credits scene teasing Vulture and Scorpion’s plan for revenge, Scorpion was absent from Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home. All the while, Mando was working on Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul.
However, now he is back, it sounds as though Mando is keen to stick around. But the star doesn’t want to jinx anything. “That’s exciting to think about for a moment, but I’ve got to let it go because it’s in the hands of Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal,” added Mando. “They know what they’re doing, and I have to trust that… I don’t try to predict my destiny in any way.”
Marvel may want to utilise all it can from the new Spidey movie. Brand New Day has so far smashed all expectations, kicking off its theatrical run with an unbelievable opening weekend, marking the biggest domestic opening ever in the US.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now. For more on Spidey, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review, Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained, and our list of Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter eggs and cameos.