Eddie Possehl is a dynamic and driven writer/director with a passion for the written word and all things film, television, comics, and games. His passion for storytelling led him to establish his own production company in hopes of achieving his dreams.
His dedication to his craft has attracted renowned talent like Yuri Lowenthal to collaborate with him on his projects. As he grows and improves, Eddie is a shining example of a self-starter.
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Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.The newest installment in the Tom Holland Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is finally here, and it is considered the best of the franchise. This fourth Spidey production in the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t just a great film, but** it is a gigantic treat for any fan of the Wall-Crawler’s comic book mythology**.
It’s more than clear that Holland and director Destin Daniel Cretton love the source material, and that not only shows through the quality of the movie, but also in the cameos they include. There are plenty of characters in this project that are not only references to classic niche Spidey villains, but also other MCU characters and notable actors in the industry.
Comic book fans know the one and only Cindy Moon as one of the newer additions to the Marvel Comics Spider-Family, Silk. However, many may not realize that the character actually is part of the MCU, first introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and surprisingly makes a return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
When Peter Parker attends the university being taught by Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) at Empire State University, Cindy happens to be in the class and gets a little featured moment. This is an incredibly small cameo, but it’s interesting that, of all Peter’s old classmates to find themselves in the project, they chose Cindy… Who knows, a Silk project was in the works for a while, so this could be some subliminal messaging from Sony and Marvel Studios.
Right off the bat, when Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins, a montage kicks off that depicts where Peter has been in the four years since Spider-Man: No Way Home. During this, fans of the Spider-Man comic books get to see some quick recreations of classic books from the hero’s mythology, which includes some niche villains.
Even some fans of the source material might not know who Ramrod (Billy Clements) is, and no one would blame them for it. For one quick moment, **Spidey fans get to see the recreation of *Amazing Spider-Man #221 (1981) ***— an iconic and memorable Ramrod cover. This is just one of a good couple of comic book cover recreations, and it’s a very fun one. It’s one thing to utilize bigger foes in a sequence like this, but giving some attention to the smaller players is abundantly respectable. Everyone knows Scorpion, but who knows Ramrod? That’s right, no one.
Another Spider-Man villain that is smaller and may not be known by a few is Tarantula. Within the opening montage, Cretton brings the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #134 (1974) to the screen. Anton Miguel Rodriquez is a classic foe who, in the original appearance, was a very political character. Creator Gerry Conway (may he rest in peace) cited the political upheavals in South America during the 1970s as part of the inspiration for the character.
With a history like this, it’s fun that the director decided to introduce him to the MCU and bring some variety in for the enemies of the movie universe. The Tarantula mantle would go on to be carried on by a few others throughout the years, so he has a more prominent role in the books than the likes of Ramrod, making this a special appearance for the smaller number of fans of him.
After the events of Daredevil: Born Again — where Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) was finally arrested and lost his position as mayor — someone needed to take up the mantle of the leader of New York City, and Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara) was perfect. Acting only in the television series before this, the newest Spider-Man movie is her first MCU cinema appearance.
When it’s quickly shown that Spider-Man received the key to the city, the one to give it to him is Rivera herself.** **When Fisk was arrested, she became acting mayor, and it’s cool to see that was still the case in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With people pretty much begging to see more street-level heroes in the world of the Web-Slinger, it’s a treat to see another character aside from Punisher (Jon Bernthal) from Daredevil: Born Again appear.
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
After appearing as the fan-favorite Star Wars character, Ezra Bridger, in the Disney+ streaming series Ahsoka, actor Eman Esfandi became a lot more well-known to general geekdom. Only appearing once, Esfandi plays Michelle Jones-Watson’s (Zendaya) new boyfriend,** **who brings a lot of emotional conflict for Peter Parker. It causes him so much distress that he goes for a swing and falls a *little *too far before thwipping another web, making it pretty obvious how much hurt he’s feeling.
A lot of people assumed that if Cretton and co. were going to bring Esfandi in to play a character, he’d be a lot more of an important role, but the actor makes a pretty small appearance. So small, in fact, that he doesn’t even get a name in the credits. One can only hope that, moving forward, “The Boyfriend” becomes more of an important character, bringing more emotional conflict to the story between Michelle and Peter. He could be a great antagonistic figure in the next project, with Michelle possibly being part of a future love triangle between the three.
One of the goofiest and most fun smaller Spider-Man villains is the one and only Boomerang. Recently, the boomerang-wielding baddie had a great role in the main plot of Amazing Spider-Man (2018), in which Peter has to actually be a roommate to the classic Spidey villain.** **While he is commonly treated as a joke — his role in Amazing Spider-Man (2018) was hilarious—he can also be a very dangerous guy who has, on occasion, given the hero a run for his money.
This is another character that gets a one-shot moment in the opening montage, but is a special treat for readers who have been invested in the Wall-Crawler for a while. This almost makes one wish that they could have given a little more action to the blue-clad bad guy. Maybe one day in the future, right, Kevin Feige? With the fifth Spider-Man movie hopefully on the way soon, Boomerang is a potential villain who could be considered for the next rogues roster.
While the web-swinging Wall-Crawler has a long history of fighting the New York City underground crime ring, which is primarily led by Wilson Fisk, one of his other crime lord baddies, Tombstone — played by Marvin Jones III in* Spider-Man: Brand New Day — is extremely underrated. Being a main antagonist in* the legendary The Spectacular Spider-Man television show**, fans really enjoy this tough-as-nails crime boss who’s got a strong grip on the underworld of New York City.
He gets a cameo — which is longer than most of the other villains in the montage — at the top of the film, where he and Spidey trade a couple of lines of dialogue with each other. Spider-Man fans have said for quite some time that if he isn’t going to face Kingpin in the MCU, they should bring in Tombstone. Finally, they have, and they’d be smart to bring him back in the future, especially with an acting titan like Marvin Jones III. With Fisk in jail now, he also may be the only option, at least for the time being. He’s a bit stronger than the other crime lord, as well, with nearly impenetrable skin, making him an extremely difficult foe to face on a physical level. A toe-to-toe confrontation was hinted at in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but if fans and general audiences get lucky enough, they’ll actually get to see a confrontation in the future — so long as they go and greenlight another Spidey movie.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) has become a total fan-favorite ever since she was introduced in Black Widow and then became even more of a main character in 2025’s Thunderbolts*. Peter and Yelena are, in some ways, very similar, and a crossover between them was a great idea. While their two interactions in the movie aren’t super long, they have some great interactions, and their dynamic is perfect.
This also really hones in on the fact that Spidey is far more street-level now, with the New Avengers leader considering Peter’s issues as “small potatoes”. It’s also a real treat to see that the young hero still has some connections with the big dogs in The Avengers. Yelena’s two cameos are such a fun time, and not only that, but** they also convey some extremely important information within the plot, making them not just moments for a giggle or two, but genuinely integral inclusions**.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
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Destin Daniel Cretton
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
