‘Spider-Man 4’s Old Script Included Scorpion and Shocker, According to Insider Rumor

The MCU’s Spider-Man 4 is currently undergoing a complete overhaul, as fans are left waiting for Tom Holland to return to the big screen as Peter Parker. One of the big questions on the minds of fans is: who will be the film’s villain(s)?

Spider-Man: Homecoming introduced Michael Keaton as The Vulture — arguably one of the best MCU villains to date. Far From Home then upped the ante with Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio. No Way Home rounded out the trilogy by jumping the shark and sticking the landing, as Holland’s Spider-Man was joined by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of the character, along with their respective villains. Spider-Man 4 has the tall task of beating that, and rumors about the scrapped script suggest it struggled to do so the first time round.

According to a Patreon post by industry insider, Daniel Richtman (DanielRPK), Spider-Man 4 would have featured two minor villains from Peter Parker’s past, and given them a much bigger role. “They are still rewriting the script for [Spider-Man 4],” Richtman began, before revealing: “The original version before they scrapped it had Scorpion and Shocker.” While Marvel Comics fans might be excited by the prospect of Scorpion and Shocker being the main villains, casual MCU viewers would be forgiven for forgetting them.

Shocker and Scorpion both appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland’s first standalone Spider-Man movie. Shocker was the unofficial alias given to Vulture’s right-hand-man, Herman Schultz, played by Bokeem Woodbine.

Meanwhile, Scorpion, played by Michael Mando, appeared in the movie’s end credits, and teased the arrival of the Sinister Six. Richtman’s scoop hasn’t been confirmed by anyone from Marvel Studios. He also didn’t reveal which villain Marvel Studios has chosen to replace them as Spider-Man 4‘s main villain(s).

‘Spider-Man 4’ is Being Overrun By Rumors

Whenever a new movie is announced, “insiders” and “scoopers” spread dozens of rumors and reports, in the hope of being right about one of them. In the case of major superhero movies, this is expanded tenfold. Just like how James Gunn’s Superman, and almost every MCU movie to date, have been at the center of casting, delay, and early-reaction rumors, Spider-Man 4 is being unofficially re-written by these scoopers, who are dropping “bombshell” after “bombshell” (note the sarcasm).

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‘Spider-Man 4’ Plot Rumors Point to Another Jam-Packed Sequel That May Upset Fans

Fans hoping ‘Spider-Man 4’ would be a ground-level story may be disappointed.

Richtman is also behind another major rumor surrounding Spider-Man 4. According to the insider, Furiosa star, Anya Taylor-Joy, is being eyed for a role in Spider-Man 4. Reports also came out last year that Taylor-Joy was being tapped to play Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, the role ultimately went to Julia Garner.

Other rumors suggest that Spider-Man 4 will continue the MCU’s journey into the multiverse. Fans have become slightly sick of the consequence-less multiverse storylines of later Marvel movies, and were hoping that Spider-Man would return to his friendly neighborhood. But, the latest report suggests that isn’t the case.

Spider-Man 4 is currently slated to be released on July 24, 2026.

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Spider-Man Homecoming 4

Release Date

July 24, 2026

Studio(s)

Columbia Pictures
, Marvel Studios
, Pascal Pictures

Distributor(s)

Sony