Now that all the netflix shows and AoS are on disney+, I've been watching them for the first time. Yesterday I watched the second episode of Daredevil, when Jack Murdock has a boxing match against Crusher Creel.
After watching this, I remembered that Crusher Creel was a villain called Absorbing Man in the comics. Since this reference was just an easter egg that many people might have missed, I decided to create a list of villains, or pre-origin story villains, that have appeared in the MCU.
1. Prowler
I like this one, because he not only appears as a criminal but a human, which is mostly just a reference, but that he also teases Miles Morales. Combined with Electro's line in NWH, hopefully Miles will be coming soon?
2. Tinkerer
I honestly didn't know this guy was even the Tinkerer until the credits rolled, and when they showed him as "Tinkerer", I realized, "Hey, Vulture called this guy Mason, which is the Tinkerer's last name. He really was the Tinkerer!" Of course, then I forgot him until the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game came out, with a much better Tinkerer...
3. The Leader
This is an old one, but I decided to include him so this list wasn't entirely from Spider-Man movies.
Hey, remember back in the Incredible Hulk when Bruce Banner had an ally called Mr. Blue? Well, he turned out to really be named Samuel Sterns, and to be kind of a jerk.
Sterns was only helping Banner because he was going to use his blood to create various procedures. However, this never came to be, because when Abomination attacked the lab, Sterns was knocked aside and a vial of Bruce's blood slowly dripped into a cut on his forehead, causing his head to grow rapidly while he evilly smiled.
Anyone who has read a Hulk comic knows where this is going. In the comics, Sterns became a villain known as the leader, known for his large head and his super-intelligence.
While Marvel did release a comic along with the movie showing what happened to Sterns next, I still hope he appears on screen in the future. She-Hulk, maybe?
4. Absorbing Man
This guy wasn't even in a movie, and he was barely in Daredevil. But since he's the reason behind both this list and Jack Murdock's death, I decided to include him.
Creel was a famous boxer sometime while Matt Murdock was a kid. When Matt was a young man, his father, Jack, had a boxing match against Creel and won. However, because Jack had been paid to lose, a group of criminals later murdered him.
5. Scorpion
Okay, so I know a lot of these guys have been from Homecoming, but he was the only person I can think of.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Vulture makes a deal selling alien weapons to a man named Mac Gargan. Gargan in the comics becomes the villain Scorpion. See that tattoo on his neck? Clear setup.
Gargan also mentioned in the movie's post-credit scene that he was froming a group of criminals to attack Spider-Man. Since he's a part of the Sinister Six in the comics, we'll be seeing more of Mac Gargan...