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“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can”, goes the iconic song of Marvel’s resident webslinger, and it turns out that includes crossing paths with the stone-cold vigilante Punisher, aka Frank Castle, in live-action. The villain is set to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Jon Bernthal returning to the role.
The announcement comes after the character’s introduction to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again, played by Bernthal, who first suited up in Netflix’s 2016 series Daredevil and continued into his own two-season Disney+ spin-off, The Punisher. Story details about the upcoming web-slinging adventure remain sparse, but word on the grapevine suggests potential appearances of several villains, including alien symbiotes and even different versions of the Hulk.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks the fourth instalment focused on Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, following 2017’s Homecoming, Far from Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021). Helmed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton, it takes place after the events of the third entry, in which public knowledge of Peter Parker as Spider-Man was erased.
Reprising their roles alongside Holland are Zendaya and Jacob Batalon as MJ and Peter Parker’s best friend Ned, respectively, although the extent of their contributions remains unclear. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink will also appear in the superhero pic in an unspecified role.
Previously, Bernthal has spoken publicly about how he and Holland helped each other with their audition tapes for 2017’s Pilgrimage during the audition preparation process for their Marvel roles.
“We did a film about seven or eight years ago,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “That was where both Tom did his audition for Spider-Man and I did my audition for Punisher. We actually made each other’s audition tapes on that film.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theatres on 31 July 2026.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Ting Wei
