More Than a Villain: Interviewing Martin Li Voice Actor Stephen Oyoung

Stephen Oyoung played Mister Negative in the Insomniac Spider-Man video games and hopes to reprise him in the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The internet agrees, given the positive response on social media. Oyoung's performance was a nuanced rendition of a tragic villain, seeking revenge on Norman Osborn for giving him deadly powers while taking away his family. In addition to voice-over work, Oyoung filmed motion-capped references for the 2018 and 2023 Spider-Man games respectively.

Oyoung has also worked as a film actor, stunt coordinator, and fight coordinator. His most recent film will be Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. He dialed in from Bangkok, Thailand for this interview.

SUPERJUMP 

So let's talk about Mister Negative, a character who debuted in 2007 and is now eighteen years old. Martin Li can heal with his touch or corrupt good people, depending on who meets him in civilian or hero guise; he's also an immigrant in the comics canon, meaning his role as a villain requires nuance. When you first voiced Mister Negative, what did you hope to bring to the role? What nuance did you want to introduce for a character with a wonderful gift and terrible curse?  

Stephen Oyoung

A sense of humanity. I wanted the audience to connect with him as a person, to empathize with his struggle. It's tempting to paint him as a two-dimensional character: he's good/ he's bad. But obviously, as actors, we always want to make the character as interesting as possible. What I tried to do is to not put too many frills on his behavior when he's being the philanthropist. I tried to bring a naturalism to it that would be realistic. After that, I felt like I could really lean into the bad side. 

There’s a temptation to really play him two-dimensionally; he’s either a hundred percent good, then he switches, and he’s a hundred percent bad. The creative director behind the studio [Insomniac Games], Bryan Intihar, had a great method to it. He said, “Just be yourself. Don’t put too many frills on it". We actors like doing that to catch the audience’s eye. But with Mister Negative, I think it was as important to play him as naturally as possible. Then we can lean into this meaty part. 

As a villain, it’s so much fun to chew the scenery as a bad guy. As Mister Negative, though, you get to be heroic and also the villain in the same show; that is very rare.

SUPERJUMP

In another world, he’d be the American dream and a success story.

Stephen Oyoung

That was another thing to highlight, the immigrant story. I am a child of immigrant parents who came to America from Asia; it was almost a one-to-one story. In that regard, it was easy to play because it was me. Maybe Insomniac and Sony saw that, and that is why the character himself in the video game, it was modeled off of my face. They didn’t have to do that, which is why I’m very grateful to Sony and Insomniac for making that choice. 

That is one aspect of his storyline, that he is an immigrant. Obviously, that is an American story, and that is my story. You definitely want to portray that.

SUPERJUMP 

There are talks of Mister Negative appearing in the newest  MCU Spider-Man movie, Brand New Day, which will premiere in 2026. You've mentioned wanting to reprise the role. If you had total script control, how would you debut Mister Negative or any MCU character that you could play? 

Stephen Oyoung

I think it's just a matter of screen time. To let the character breathe. Maybe explore his backstory. Fill out his life for the audience. 

Selfishly, as an actor, you want to be onscreen as much as possible. It’s killing two birds with one stone; it’s good for the character, and a chance to explore backstory. There are also quiet moments where you see the humanity playing out. Once the audience gets to connect with the character as a human being, then the stakes become so much higher. 

SUPERJUMP 

Anything specific from the games that you'd like to see?

Stephen Oyoung

The train sequence (laughs)! The train fight. I think it was one of the first fights that I filmed for the video game. Spider-Man train fights are iconic, but I would love to film that. I’m excited to see what Brand New Day has in store for everyone.

SUPERJUMP 

I hope that you get cast as Mister Negative.

Stephen Oyoung

Thank you (laughs). I hope so too. This is the first time I’ve had this kind of support from people online. These kinds of rumors have been spreading since the video game came out. Every four years, six months, there’s another rumor, but this was the first time I feel like I have this much support from people on the Internet. It’s very popular, and I appreciate that.

SUPERJUMP 

You also have a prolific martial arts and media career, complete with Wushu training and fencing expertise. Out of curiosity, are there any Wushu styles that you prefer to practice? 

Stephen Oyoung

I trained in Changquan (Northern Style), so I'm a big fan of that. I love the look of Fanzi Quan, made famous by Jet Li. And another style I love is Xing Yi Quan. I guess I’m a sucker for anything Jet Li! 

SUPERJUMP 

Can you tell us more about your time as a stunt performer and fight coordinator? How do the two careers compare to acting?  

Stephen Oyoung

I cut my teeth in this business through stunts. I will always have a soft spot for it. With stunts, you have to be absolutely skilled at what you do. It made me appreciate the talent involved behind the scenes. With that, it's also very humbling because they are the unsung heroes. Often times nameless and faceless. As opposed to acting, where it's front facing. And acting is very subjective, whereas with stunts, it's either you hit your mark or you didn't. Everything has it's own challenges but they are both very rewarding.

SUPERJUMP 

Your acting debut was in 2012. It's now 2025. How do you feel Hollywood and film have changed since then? 

Stephen Oyoung

There's more representation and at the same time more globalization. So you're not just competing with the same pool of people, you're competing with the world. But the stories are richer, with many more interesting perspectives. Also, tech has taken over the business. So there are new challenges but also opportunities there.  

SUPERJUMP 

It's a scary time to be Asian-American, especially in a creative field. Many artists and actors want to prove themselves against a biased crowd. Do you have words of advice or solidarity for this year's performers? 

Stephen Oyoung

You can only control yourself, so run your own race. That's all you can do. And you're not alone in experiencing challenges. We're all in the same boat. There should be some comfort there. 

Oyoung thanks fans who have asked for him to play Mister Negative again in Brand New Day. Casting is still up in the air, but it's touching how iconic his performance of Martin Li has become.

Stay tuned to SUPERJUMP for more interviews with creators, developers, and so many other personalities in the gaming space!