All Of Scorpion's Powers In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', Explained
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) has been criticized for not having a real villain. But realistically, the movie has more than a few, including one fans have been hoping to see for years: the Scorpion. But even though he was only in the film for a short time, the iconic enemy left us with some questions.
Mac Gargan first appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) as just an ordinary dangerous criminal, but longtime fans know that he was gearing up to become the deadly Scorpion. With him back in the MCU and answering the question of where he's been, what are his abilities in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Marvel Comics?
What Can Scorpion Do In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'?
Scorpion is first seen again in Brand New Day's opening sequence during his montage of villain fights. In a snowy battle, he returns and uppercuts Spider-Man with his tail before a piano hits him. He's next spotted being mind-controlled by Jean Grey and being even more deadly, but all the while, we never know what his story is.
In the mid-credits of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Gargan had connections to help him kill Spider-Man, and that was later revealed to be a suit designed to give the villain an edge. This suit came with a massive prehensile tail with a shark hook that resembled a scorpion's. Using his arms, Gargan could use the tail to do whatever he wanted.
Gargan otherwise has no powers, but the tail gives him an advantage and can keep up with Spider-Man's movements with ease. Ultimately, his lack of powers doesn't hold him back because his brutality and criminal mind are all he needs to use the tail to its most evil of its abilities.
Scorpion Has More Powers In Marvel Comics
When Scorpion first appeared in Marvel Comics, he was a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to see how Peter Parker could get such great photos of Spider-Man. As his efforts failed, Jameson paid Gargan to be the subject of an experiment that melded his DNA to another animal, a scorpion.
Now in a suit with a tail he could control, Gargan became the Scorpion at the cost of his sanity. The villain spent most of his career trying to get revenge on Jameson for how his life turned out, and various media would add to his lore, from his suit being stuck on him to him getting more and more animalistic, losing touch with his humanity.
Scorpion was also one of the villains who could easily beat Spider-Man time and again due to his ferocity. This only got worse when he temporarily bonded with the Venom symbiote. Needless to say, Scorpion had a unique history as a victim who turned into a genuinely terrifying villain. The worst part was that his ruthlessness and lack of strategy made him as unpredictable as villains like the Lizard but even more dangerous.
Scorpion Can Continue To Change In The Future
In recent years, the Scorpion has become an important part of the Spider-Man mythos, having a dedicated level in Marvel's Spider-Man on the PlayStation and, more recently, as a major villain in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025). He's more than proven how threatening and unhinged he can be, and the little bit of him we see in Spider-Man: Brand New Day sets up a very scary enemy.
When it comes to the brutality, Scorpion is capable of it. The only thing he's missing is a deeper reason to lose it, and that could come in future films. For example, he could chase more power and change his DNA to get more like a scorpion and become more violent.
He could also enhance his suit, making it attached to him permanently, breaking his mind and focusing his efforts on killing Spider-Man or even J. Jonah Jameson if he's tied to this next evolution. As of now, Scorpion lacks abilities that a traditional supervillain has, but his tail makes him a deadly force. But showing him fight and lose it could also set up a chance for him to get more power and get even scarier in the MCU.
