SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY - What’s Going On With Ned Leeds and the Rumored Villain?

There’s a couple of new rumors swinging in around regarding Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and if you’ve been wondering about what is going on with Ned Leeds or who Spidey might be up against in the movie, there’s a couple rumors to chew on.

Let’s start with Jacob Batalon’s Ned. While he played a main role of the first three films, it sounds like he’ll be taking a back seat in the next film.

According to inside scooper MTTSH, “Batalon’s Ned Leeds only makes a cameo in the most recent draft of the script.”

Given how No Way Home ended with Peter erased from everyone’s memory, I guess it makes sense he would move on. The franchise is shifting toward new territory, and it looks like Ned’s off the board, at least for now.

Brand New Day is sure to introduce a whole new supporting cast centered around Peter’s college life. That pivot includes speculation around who the next villain might be. The name rumored is Mr. Negative.

The reports around Mr. Negative picked up after Marvel’s Spider-Man video game actor Stephen Oyoung was asked if he’d been contacted about a live-action version of the character. His answer was vague, saying:

“I have not been contacted by Sony. Let me just say I know certain things, but as far as contacting me, that is yet to manifest itself,” Oyoung said.

“I have sort of a nebulous idea, but I also kind of have no idea. Marvel, and gaming, and Sony. There are so many big parts. There is so much machinery to this that even if I did know, I couldn’t tell you if I wanted to.

“What I can say, though, is, again, I am hopeful, very, very hopeful. Personally, I think there is a pretty good chance you will see Mr. Negative in the future in some sort of media, whether it is me or not.”

Word is that Into the Badlands star Daniel Wu is now the frontrunner to play Mr. Negative, and there are even claims of concept art featuring his likeness.

While the first three MCU Spidey films weren’t directly named after comic arcs, Brand New Day is. In the comics, that storyline follows Peter rebuilding his life after the status-reshuffling events of One More Day and Civil War.

With No Way Home ending on a similarly life-altering note, this next chapter could draw from that same well, even if the adaptation is more spiritual than literal.

Some fans are speculating that Sadie Sink may have joined the cast as either Carlie Cooper or Lily Hollister, aka the villain Menace. Neither character is confirmed, but Brand New Day offers plenty of room for reinvention.

There’s also a rumored synopsis making the rounds, which reads:

“Following the events of Doomsday, Peter Parker is determined to lead a normal life and focus on college, stepping back from his responsibilities as Spider-Man.

“However, peace is short-lived when a deadly new threat emerges, endangering his friends and forcing Peter to reconsider his promise. With stakes higher than ever, Peter reluctantly returns to his Spider-Man identity and finds himself teaming up with an unlikely ally to protect those he loves.”

While the synopsis doesn’t give much away, the “unlikely ally” line has triggered a fresh round of theories—some think it could be Sink’s character, others are hoping for a surprise twist from the broader MCU.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton teased what’s ahead during CinemaCon:

“I’m spending my time exploring the next stage of this amazing character with a team of the most incredible artists in the world. We’re all, just daily, nerding out over the suit, how to swing, how to create an event, an emotional story, and a ride that we haven’t really seen before.”

Tom Holland, who’s busy filming Christopher Nolan’s Odysseus, chimed in with a quick video message:

“I am so sorry I can’t be with you. I am halfway around the world shooting a movie. I know we left you with a massive cliffhanger at the end of No Way Home, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fresh start. It is exactly that. That’s all I can say.”

Production kicks off in August, and the film was recently shifted to a new release date: July 31, 2026.