Spider-Man: Brand New Day Adds Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher

Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day will feature Jon Bernthal’s Punisher in his big-screen debut. For years, Spider-Man was kept separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and wasn’t allowed to play in that big sandbox of heroes and villains. In 2015, Sony and Marvel struck a deal to bring the character into the MCU and as a result, he has been able to hang out with Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury. It has been a fruitful partnership and one that has allowed for some dream team-ups. However, some fans really want to see a few key crossovers, namely between Spider-Man and Daredevil, but also The Punisher.

While there’s a lot of ambiguity over whether or not Daredevil will ever share the screen with Spidey in a proper capacity, we are getting at least one of those. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Jon Bernthal will join the cast of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Plot details are under wraps, but it does indicate that this film may skew more grounded than the last three Spidey films, which is something that fans have been clamoring for after seeing Peter Parker go to space and contend with multiversal villains in his previous trilogy. The report also notes that Zendaya and Jacob Batalon will return as MJ and Ned, respectively, but it’s unclear how significant their roles will be.

Whether Spider-Man: Brand New Day will deal with Kingpin’s war against vigilantes remains to be seen, but it seems hard to imagine it won’t at least be referenced. The Punisher was locked in a cage in Kingpin’s dungeon at the end of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, though he escaped in a post-credits scene. This is easily the most significant piece of casting for the film yet as the only other notable person cast for Spider-Man 4 so far is Sadie Sink, but her role is being kept a big secret. Some believe she could be Jean Grey, others think it may be a Spidey love interest like Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane Watson (different from Zendaya’s Michelle Jones).

The Punisher is getting his own Disney+ special co-written by Bernthal, but there’s no word on when that will release or what it will look like. It’ll be interesting to see how Bernthal’s hard-R take on the Punisher fits into a family-friendly PG-13 Spider-Man film. Perhaps he won’t be toting a ton of guns or slitting anyone’s throats, but it remains to be seen. Reagrdless, it’s only going to fuel speculation over what exactly is going on in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is slated to release in theaters on July 31st, 2026. Holland and Bernthal will also star in The Odyssey, releasing just weeks prior on July 17th, 2026.