Spider-Man: Brand New Day finally unveiled Tombstone’s MCU costume in full. From the beginning, fans’ biggest hope for Brand New Day was largely a street-level saga that kept things personal for Spidey and New York. While the No Way Home sequel is blending in fantastical elements, such as Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Marvel Studios is fulfilling those hopes with the MCU debut of a brand new mob boss who is even capable of rivaling Kingpin: Marvin Jones III as Tombstone.
Blokees unveiled a new range of Spider-Man: Brand New Day action figures (via MCU Film News), which includes a toy for Marvin Jones III’s Tombstone. The figure shows the mob boss armed with two large guns and in a striking red suit, in the best look yet at his MCU costume after he was omitted from both trailers.
This isn’t the first toy to spoil the Big Man’s design, as LEGO also unveiled a look at the MCU’s Tombstone in the “Spider-Man Prison Transport Chase” set. As the two toy Tombstones carry the same giant, dual-wielded guns, it seems they will be a key part of his arsenal in Brand New Day, not just a fun merch addition.
Fans are still waiting for a true look at the MCU’s Tombstone in live-action, and they may be until Brand New Day hits theaters in July, but, based on the toys revealed so far, there’s no denying that he looks plucked out of the comics.
Brand New Day won’t be Marvin Jones III’s first go-round as Tombstone, having previously voiced the Big Man in Into the Spider-Verse. Interestingly, Kingpin’s enforcer is expected to return in Beyond the Spider-Verse, meaning that Jones will play two different Tombstone Variants under a year apart from each other.
Despite being played by the same actor, Tombstone looks vastly different between the two adaptations, with a more undead, zombie-like appearance in animation and perhaps a more grounded feel in the live-action MCU.
Gamers also crossed paths with Tombstone in Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man, in which he was a drug trafficker and biker gang leader who used a substance that made him immune to pain. Clearly, the PlayStation-exclusive Tombstone bore a very different, bulkier design than usual to reflect his biker connections.
Recently, Abraham Popoola brought his own version of Tombstone to life in Spider-Noir, serving as the super-powered enforcer to Silvermane. The World War I veteran developed strong, alligator-like skin during German experiments, although he was cured and reverted to his ordinary self during the series.
Brand New Day isn’t even the last time that fans will see Lonnie Lincoln from Marvel Studios this year, since he will also return in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2. This fall’s sophomore season will continue the saga of its alternate-reality Lonnie Lincoln, who was roped into the 110th Street Gang in high school, rose through the ranks, gained superpowers, and teamed up with Spidey.
While the MCU and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man universes are somewhat similar, their Tombstones couldn’t be much more different. The animated high schooler is, of course, younger, and yet to truly become a villain, as he remains an ally to his superhero classmate for the time being.
Fans don’t have long to wait until Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31, with Tombstone just being one member of a massive new rogues’ gallery. The MCU blockbuster’s villainous front is large, but so is its heroic one, as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is joined by Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk.
Is Tombstone the Secret Villain of Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
Marvel Studios has been keeping Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s main villain a mystery throughout its marketing campaign. For now, it seems unlikely that Marvin Jones III’s Tombstone is the top-secret big bad, but one scooper has hinted that the Big Man is somehow “crucial” to Brand New Day‘s narrative.
Interestingly, the very same scooper, The Cosmic Circus’ Alex Perez, claimed that Tombstone will have a “Thanos-like” role as an “overarching” villain in Spider-Man’s next MCU trilogy, starting with Brand New Day. As such, the Big Man’s presence on this occasion may be more about setting up future sequels.
Perez also teased on X that Tombstone is more of a “character, not villain,” comparing his role in The Spectacular Spider-Man. In the beloved animated series, Tombstone operated from the shadows and instructed various foes to distract Spider-Man while he continued his criminal operations, which could be happening already in Brand New Day, thus explaining why it has so many villains.
