Iconic Spider-Man Villain Tombstone Will Dominate 2026 with Three Different Appearances

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2026 promises to be huge for Spider-Man fans! We’ll see three different Spider-Man projects released that year. First up is Spider-Noir, featuring Nicolas Cage, in May. Then, Tom Holland will reprise his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July, bringing him back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And finally, the second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will debut on Disney+ in Fall 2026.

I’m really excited about the upcoming projects! It sounds like, besides Spider-Man himself, each one will focus on different versions of the same villain. And it’s not one of the usual suspects like Green Goblin or Doc Ock. It’s someone a little more under the radar, though comic book fans will definitely recognize him – I have a feeling he’s going to be a huge star by 2026. It’s Alonzo Thompson, better known as Lonnie Lincoln, or as most comic readers know him, Tombstone!

Who Is Tombstone?

Tombstone, a villain created by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk, first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #36 in March 1988. He’s depicted as an albino crime boss with a past connection to Daily Bugle reporter Robbie Robertson – the two were childhood friends. Lincoln, the man behind Tombstone, earned his nickname due to his history of violence as he climbed the criminal ladder, and even filed down his teeth as a young man to appear more intimidating. While naturally strong, he later gained super strength and bulletproof skin after being exposed to a chemical gas.

Lonnie Lincoln, known as Tombstone, has been a Spider-Man enemy for a long time, working for various crime bosses like Kingpin and Hammerhead. He’s also the father of the villain Beetle (Janice Lincoln). Lately, comics have shown Tombstone as a major power player in New York City’s criminal world, and an attempt to kill him kicked off the 2023 “Gang War” storyline.

Tombstone has appeared in several adaptations, most famously as the main crime boss, known as The Big Man, in The Spectacular Spider-Man. He was also a villain in Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, but later became an ally in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. However, 2026 promises to be a breakthrough year for the character, with appearances planned in a live-action TV show, a Spider-Man movie, and an animated streaming series, bringing him to a much wider audience.

2026 Is the Year of Tombstone

The series will introduce Spider-Noir, with Abraham Popoola playing a 1930s version of the villain Tombstone. Initially, his role was a mystery, with fans guessing he might be characters like Hammerhead or Rhino, but artist Jorge Molina confirmed he’s playing Tombstone. This casting fits well with the show’s other choices, as Lamorne Morris (from New Girl) will play Robert Robertson, who has a history with Tombstone in the comics. When Popoola was first cast, details revealed his character is a World War I veteran with ambitions to climb the criminal ladder, potentially even challenging the series’ main villain, Silvermane, played by Brendan Gleeson.

Marvin Jones III, also known as Krondon, will play Tombstone in the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He previously voiced the character in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and appeared as Tobias White in the TV series Black Lightning. Not much is known about Spider-Man: Brand New Day yet, including who the main villain will be. Because the film is planned as a gritty, street-level story, Tombstone could be the central villain, pulling Spider-Man, Hulk, and the Punisher into a larger criminal plot – a storyline closer to the character’s origins in the comics.

The second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will continue the story of Lonnie Lincoln, a character reimagined from the first season. Voiced by Eugene Byrd, the series portrays Lonnie as a high school student, a star athlete, and a top student who befriends Peter Parker and joins the 110th Street Gang to safeguard his younger brother. Initially reluctant, Lonnie eventually bonds with his gang members and, by the season’s end, takes over as their leader when Big Donovan abandons them during a fight. An accidental exposure to a chemical spray granted Lonnie super strength and incredibly tough skin. The season finale suggested that he would fully embrace his role as a gang leader and that his skin would begin to transform into the character’s signature pale, chalky color.

For years, rumors suggested Kraven the Hunter’s MCU appearance was delayed because of plans for his own movie. It’s surprising, then, that we’ll see three different versions of the villain Tombstone all within one year! Perhaps Tombstone isn’t considered as important a Spider-Man villain as others, so there’s less worry about audiences getting tired of him. Regardless, it highlights how flexible comic book universes are. The same character can be interpreted in multiple ways across different stories, driven more by creative choices and storytelling needs than strict continuity.

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2026-03-28 17:05