Marvel knows exactly how to bring the first Spider-Man villain in the MCU, as one story already showed how to make the Chameleon a major threat, someone who could bring some flair and spectacle to the big screen with his shape-shifting powers. Although the Chameleon has lost prominence as Spidey’s antagonist over the decades, he is poised to play a vital role in the next Spider-Man film.
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider – written by Stephanie Phillips, with art by Palolo Villanelli – pits the hero against the Chameleon, whose powers have gone out of control, causing him to imitate the abilities of Spider-Man’s greatest villains.
Even more worrying, while Spider-Gwen may be able to take on Spider-Man’s villains individually, the Chameleon’s new powers allow him to mix and match his abilities. This essentially makes him a one-man Sinister Six, which would make a perfect movie villain, as he would be able to call upon all the abilities of the previous villains Peter had fought against.
One story proves that Chameleon has everything he needs to be the MCU’s next big Spider-Man villain
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider – Written by Stephanie Phillips; Art by Paolo Villanelli; Color by Matt Milla; Ariana Ariana Maher Lyrics
Fans have previously speculated that a version of Chameleon could appear in the MCU as a Skrull, but however the character’s origin and purpose change, Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider effectively provides a roadmap for how Marvel Studios filmmakers should portray the characterin order to make him a serious threat. In his earliest appearances – and at different points in the Chameleon’s history – he has been a legitimate adversary of Spider-Man and other Marvel heroes, although how dangerous he is is often underestimated or disregarded.
Consider the enemies the MCU Spidey has faced so far. None of the villains Peter faced in his own film could actually face him physically, except for the Green Goblin. Both Vulture and Mysterio couldn’t hope to fight Peter in a physical confrontation. But Chameleon could. Not only would Chameleon have access to Vulture and Mysterio’s powers, but there’s really no reason why he couldn’t have the Avengers’ powers as well, if Marvel decides to give him his mutant power set.
The MCU Could Make Spider-Man’s Original Villain Its Biggest Antagonist
First appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #1 – Written by Stan Lee; Art by Steve Ditko
Chameleon is a very strange villain because he’s honestly not very well known. Although he has appeared in many Spider-Man stories before, he is not an A-list villain that people would be quick to point out. He’s certainly not a big name like Lizard, Doc Ock, Venom or even Vulture. But at the same time, Chameleon has an undeniable special place in Spider-Man’s history, because although he may not be as popular as the villains mentioned above, he he does predate them, as Chameleon was the first supervillain Spider-Man faced.
Chameleon has been around to fight Spider-Man longer than anyone else, but he’s never gotten the respect he deserves. Having Chameleon take center stage in an MCU movie could be the way to fix that.
This means that the Chameleon has been around to fight Spider-Man longer than anyone else, but has never gotten the respect he deserves. Having Chameleon take center stage in an MCU film could be the way to fix that, and it’s not like he doesn’t have the power to play the role. If Marvel decides to adapt his current powers from Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spiderso he would certainly have no problem facing Peterespecially when he is at a point with no friends and no allies.
Chameleon is arguably Spider-Man’s most underrated villain
The MCU could earn him some long-overdue respect
The smartest way to follow Spider-Man’s arc in the MCU right now would be with a villain who can fuel the character’s isolationn. Chameleon can be anyone, including Peter’s former friends and allies. He could pretend to be Dr. Strange and tell him that the spell was reversed, he could pretend to be Mary Jane who suddenly remembered him. There is tons of directions Marvel could take. Most importantly, the Chameleon could easily prove to be of Spider-Man physical correspondence. No matter what direction Marvel takes, Chameleon would be the perfect villain.
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider is now available from Marvel Comics!