Jacob Batalon, who played Spider-Man: No Way Home, teases the possibility of playing villains in future film roles. Batalon, who is now portraying the titular Reginald in Syfy’s comedy series Reginald the Vampire, is best known for his depiction of Ned Leeds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ned plays as Peter Parker’s best buddy throughout the MCU, featuring notably in all three Spider-Man films and making cameo performances in two Avengers movies. Both a comic relief and a loyal friend, Ned has been a mainstay in the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise.
Unfortunately, the conclusion of No Way Home heralded the end of Ned’s time as Peter’s best buddy. Toward the end of the film, Peter is forced to erase himself from everyone’s memory in order to stop villains from other realities from breaking through the multiverse to find him. This also meant that Ned and Peter’s girlfriend, MJ, would have no recollection of their life with Peter. This was demonstrated when Peter attempted to speak to both of them at the end of the film, and MJ did not appear to recognize him. While it’s unclear how Ned will progress in subsequent Spider-Man films, his return is still a possibility.
Jacob Batalon hinted at a future role as a villain in an interview with the Dark House podcast. Batalon did not expressly mention the MCU or any other project, but he did strongly imply that he is preparing for an antagonistic role in the future. Check out what Batalon said when questioned about portraying a villain character below:
“You know, I’d love to. I feel like as an actor [when I was in drama school] I really gravitated more towards really dark dramatic things as opposed to comedy and things of like that nature but I found, you know, playing Ned and Reginald, it has sort of given me this light where I wasn’t seeing things so negatively and I wasn’t thinking so deeply or darkly about things.
I’m looking forward to doing a lot of other things, which you know people may not see me doing right now. But yeah, those things are in the works for sure.”
Ned Leeds is already linked to a Spider-Man villain
Batalon’s words have a probable connection to his position as Ned Leeds in the MCU’s Spider-Man movie. In the comics, Ned becomes the Hobgoblin, albeit a version of the character brainwashed by the genuine Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley. In the comics, however, Ned is not Peter’s best buddy, instead working as a reporter with him at the Daily Bugle. While the friendship between Peter and Ned has been destroyed owing to the end of No Way Home, it’s still feasible that the MCU might change up how Ned’s role as the Hobgoblin originated due to this different dynamic.
It’s intriguing to imagine that Batalon, who is better renowned for his humorous parts, would be preparing to portray a villain in a forthcoming film or television show. While it is unknown whether Ned would turn into the Hobgoblin in the future, stories abound about how he could become Peter Parker’s next major foe. Whether or whether his first role as an enemy comes from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Batalon’s skill in darker roles from theatre school will undoubtedly wow when the time comes.
Source: Dark House