Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to drop next year, and the most recent addition to the cast has caused huge hype online.
Deadline has confirmed that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Frank Castle, AKA Punisher. The character briefly teamed up with Matt Murdock in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, though the two butted heads frequently.
Castle’s violent nature is something quite unexpected for the fourth Spider-Man film. However, there’s reason to believe this news may be building towards something even bigger in the MCU – a story superhero fans have been awaiting for years.
Let’s take a deep dive to discuss more.
Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man: No Way Home below
What role could Punisher play in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
The trade magazines that broke the news of Bernthal’s role did not disclose anything about how his character would intersect with Peter Parker. However, every Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland has had at least one ‘mentor’ for the hero.
Homecoming was Tony Stark/Iron Man, Far From Home was Nick Fury, with Quentin Beck/Mysterio also playing the role (admittedly, for nefarious means), while Far From Home was Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange, and Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men.
Frank Castle is certainly a left-field choice to be a mentor, considering his methods are much more radical than Peter’s. The Hollywood Reporter writes that it could mean a grittier story, perhaps with less multiverse and alien action, and more street-level villains.
The last Spider-Man film left Peter more alone than ever, with both Ned and MJ forgetting who he was, and Aunt May dying to save her nephew. So, perhaps having a mentor who was more ruthless and violent could make for a compelling story, with Peter struggling with his morals.
Another option is to have Castle play more of a villain role. When he was first introduced in the comics in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974, he was an assassin sent to kill Peter, so this could play into the film.
Also, don’t forget that in the post-credits scene of No Way Home, Tom Hardy’s character Eddie Brock left behind a small piece of symbiote. Historically, we’ve seen several instances of Peter turning ‘bad’ thanks to this alien life-form latching onto him.
Castle could encourage that behaviour, and perhaps Peter will need a voice of reason (perhaps Matt Murdock?) to make him see the light.
Frank finished Born Again seemingly breaking out of Kingpin’s private prison at Red Hook Pier. He did this by luring in a guard who idolised him – you may remember that many of Fisk’s secret task force co-opted Punisher’s skull logo for their own thuggish behaviour.
Punisher is set to have one standalone episode on Disney+ and will also appear in season 2 of Born Again. Fisk will continue to be a main villain in the show, and an enemy of Frank’s… but could Peter be dragged into this conflict as well?
One line from season 1 does provide some hope.
The Kingpin called out Spider-Man in Daredevil: Born Again
At the start of Daredevil: Born Again, Wilson Fisk clawed his way back to the top, having landed the coveted job of Mayor of New York City.
Marvel Television
One key policy of his campaign was that he would outlaw vigilantes – those who take the law into their own hands – in the city. Obviously, this is a problem for Matt Murdock as Daredevil, but it may impact another NYC resident.
In his New Year’s Eve speech, which was broadcast on the screens of Times Square in episode 2, Fisk drew attention to the unsafe streets of New York, and gave the following quote – pay attention to the part in bold:
“Thank you, New York. Vanessa and I, we offer our deepest regards. It’s humbling to be sitting here, speaking to you as mayor this evening. Beginning of the new year, and most importantly, a new era for the greatest city in the world. This city is in shambles. Crime, poverty, a feeling of uneasiness, as if any moment, things could explode.
“But New Yorkers are tough. We know how to take care of ourselves. We don’t need a gun-toting vigilante who wears a skull on his chest, or a man who dresses in a spider outfit, or a guy who wears devil horns to save us. No. We’ll be our best once again.”
In that last part he calls out both Punisher (Frank Castle) and Daredevil (Matt Murdock), but he also refers to Spider-Man – AKA, Peter Parker.
Sony
The third Spider-Man film, No Way Home, concludes with Doctor Strange erasing Peter’s identity from the minds of everyone who met him – that includes Matt Murdock, who gave him some law advice earlier in the film.
However, a news report from J. Jonah Jameson confirmed that Spider-Man is still active in the city – people know that the mysterious masked hero fights crime, and clearly, Wilson Fisk has taken notice.
So, why is this such a big deal?
Fisk is originally a Spider-Man villain
While Netflix fans will know Fisk as a foe to Daredevil, he made his Marvel Comics debut in The Amazing Spiderman #50 back in 1967.
He’s also starred as a villain in other Spidey properties such as the nineties Spider-Man animated series, and Into the Spider-Verse.
Fans of the MCU have longed to see Tom Holland and Vincent D’Onofrio go head-to-head on screen, but that’s not yet happened. The fact that Matt has technically met Peter before (even if he doesn’t remember it) provided hope that a Spider-Man and Kingpin face-off could be where the MCU is officially heading.
Castle joining Spider-Man: Brand New Day only seems to reinforce these rumours even more.
The two superheroes teamed up in the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on Disney+, with actor Charlie Cox stepping into the voice-acting booth, further fuelling fans’ desires to see a crossover between the two Marvel properties.
Creatives behind the scenes haven’t given too much away, though.
Marvel Studios has downplayed a Spider-Man Vs Kingpin story
The chance of Tom Holland making a cameo in Daredevil: Born Again is unlikely, and that’s due to a rights issue between Disney and Sony. Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum explains more on the Phase Hero podcast:
“I’m not sure exactly what the rules are, but I think they have long-form television rights at Sony… he can do like 30-minute animation, I think.”
That’s not to say that another deal couldn’t be hashed out for season 2, which is filming now and due for release in March 2026… the same year as Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31 July 2026).
But what about the Daredevil leads appearing in a Marvel movie with Peter Parker? Well again, the latest reports aren’t looking too promising. Fisk actor Vincent D’Onofrio gave the following quote to Meltdown Press in February when asked about their involvement with Spider-Man 4:
“Well, for you, we’re not. You can ask that because we’re not in Spider-Man 4, or at least nobody has told me that we are.”
Again, it could be an elaborate double bluff, but that’s the only word we have thus far. Separately, Charlie Cox shared his enthusiasm with GQ in 2025 in regard to being involved in a future Avengers film (such as Doomsday or Secret Wars), which could also star Tom Holland:
“I would love to be in one of the Avengers films, or another Spider-Man, or something like that. For a couple of reasons. One, because over the years I have become a geeky fan of the character, and I weirdly, for the character’s sake, feel like it’d be really cool for him to get that kind of upgrade”.
Marvel 2024 / Giovanni Rufino
So even if Peter Parker doesn’t meet Daredevil and Kingpin in Born Again season 2 or Spider-Man 4, either of the Avengers films could still be an option.
Keep in mind also that some rumours about Spider-Man: Brand New Day have suggested that Peter and Frank will team up to fight, bizarrely, The Hulk – in particular, a more savage version.
However, we recently saw a superhero fight a Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, so this would be an odd choice over Kingpin.
But don’t forget Marvel’s track record of misleading fans with fake trailer footage and Andrew Garfield lying through his teeth in every interview when questioned about returning as Peter Parker. The hope is still alive for a Peter Parker vs Wilson Fisk showdown until we hear otherwise.
