Spider-Man 4’s Actor Teases Hobgoblin Amid Fan Speculation of His Villainous Turn

Jacob Batalon has sparked renewed speculation about his role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day after posting a photo with a villain-themed action figure. The image quickly spread on social media, prompting fresh theories about his MCU character. The buzz comes as the film moves forward without confirmed casting details from Marvel Studios.

Jacob Batalon poses with Hobgoblin toy amid Spider-Man: Brand New Day filming

Jacob Batalon shared an image of himself holding a Hobgoblin action figure in what appears to be a toy store. The post, shared on Instagram Stories and tagged with his handle @lifeisaloha, shows Batalon posing with the figure. It is from Marvel’s Spider-Man toy line.

The image circulated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where user @MyTimeToShineHello posted it with the caption “#SpiderManBrandNewDay ? ?” on August 12, 2025, garnering over 1.4 million views.

Batalon portrayed Ned Leeds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). In Marvel Comics, Ned Leeds is depicted as the supervillain Hobgoblin. This has fueled recurring fan theories that Batalon’s character could follow a similar path on screen.

In a May 2024 interview with CBR while promoting his horror film Tarot, Batalon addressed ongoing rumors about a fourth Tom Holland-led Spider-Man film and whether Ned Leeds could become Hobgoblin.

“I’m open to anything, and I think we all are open to anything,” Batalon said. “Unless you’re like a superhero, like big time, one of the main ones they’re trying to make movies about, you don’t really know what’s going to happen… I would hopefully [return]. I’m down for anything. I would love to be a part of something special again.”

On the subject of becoming Hobgoblin, Batalon said, “Honestly, I’m not sure. Again, we may have talked about things, for sure, but I don’t know if it would’ve really led to anything serious about being a villain, or anything like that.”

At the time, Marvel Studios had not confirmed any casting for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Batalon’s Instagram post was his first public reference to Hobgoblin during the film’s reported production.

Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net