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Spider-Man has one of the most varied and wonderful rogues galleries in all of comic book history. Peter Parker regularly goes toe-to-toe with heavy-hitters like Green Goblin, Venom, and the Kingpin. But he also has a host of unimpressive weirdos, including the Gibbon and the Kangaroo. For the most part, they all stay in their place. Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus will always be the biggest threats, especially as Venom has become a hero and the Kingpin fights Daredevil, the rest of the Sinister Six, including Electro and Mysterio, can have an arc here and there, and then everyone else fights for the scraps.
But a new promo for the MGM+ series Spider-Noir suggests that the hierarchy of power among Spider-Man villains has changed. It’s not so much that D-lister Silvermane gets to be the show’s big bad, nor the muscle he sends to fight Nicolas Cage‘s hardboiled take on Spider-Man. It’s that Tombstone gets highlighted, just months before he’s slated to be a major problem for Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Loosely adapted from the comic book series Spider-Man: Noir by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Marko Djurdjević, and spinning out of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Noir stars Cage as Ben Reilly, a 1930s private investigator who can do whatever a spider can. As this latest promo shows us, Ben will be going up against the gangster Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson), who relies on a trio of toughs to do his dirty work, including Sandman (Jack Huston), Megawatt (Andrew Lewis Caldwell), and Tombstone (Abraham Popoola).
Tombstone, of course, isn’t a new thorn in Spidey’s side. First introduced in Web of Spider-Man #36 (1988), by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk, he’s been a regular player in stories about the New York underworld. Born Lonnie Lincoln, he grew up with Daily Bugle editor Robbie Robertson and was constantly teased for being a Black child with albinism. The bullying led Lonnie to a life of crime and to embrace his appearance. Taking the name Tombstone, he filed his teeth to sharp ends and built an imposing physique.
For most of his history, Tombstone’s been a constant C-lister. While the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man made him that show’s version of Kingpin (and got Keith David to provide the voice!), he hasn’t appeared in any of the live-action movies, nor does he get more than a couple of arcs or side missions in any cartoons or games.
However, that’s starting to change. Lonnie Lincoln was a major supporting character in season one of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, where he’s voiced by Eugene Byrd. That series imagines Lonnie as an extraordinarily talented good kid who befriends Peter Parker. The first series ends with him being forced to participate in the local gang, and being exposed to chemicals that will certainly transform him into the imposing Tombstone.
Moreover, Tombstone’s rumored to be the chief antagonist of the next MCU film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Played by Marvin Jones III (who also voiced the character in Into the Spider-Verse), Tombstone will be one of the many baddies who tangle with the overworked Spidey, including Boomerang and the Hand. How will that fit into a story that’s also about the Hulk, Punisher, and probably Jean Grey of the X-Men, as well as his regular pals MJ and Ned? We’re not sure.
But it’s clear that Tombstone is having a moment, and the next part will be in Spider-Noir. This Tombstone “links the comic book character to a very grounded backstory,” says Popoola, promising something unique from even the versions in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Brand New Day. In fact, he sounds unique from any other C-list hero, which can only help Tombstone move further to the top spot of evil among the sinister foes of Spider-Man.
Spider-Noir streams on MGM+ on May 27, 2026.
The post Spider-Noir Gets Tombstone to the Screen Before Brand New Day appeared first on Den of Geek.
