Earlier today, more photos from the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day swung online. We've seen enough of the wall-crawler to last us a lifetime (not that we're complaining), so the first shot of Stranger Things star Sadie Sink's mystery character was welcomed.
As a reminder, since being cast in Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: No Way Home follow-up, Sink has been rumoured to be playing Jean Grey, Carlie Cooper, Mayday Parker, Firestar, Gwen Stacy, and Mary Jane Watson.
Seeing as Sink has red hair in these photos, we can discount Gwen (that character is unlikely to get her due in live-action until the animated Spider-Verse trilogy concludes). While any of the other characters listed above could be wearing camo pants, it seems obvious now who the actress is really playing: Rachel Cole-Alvez.
In the comics, just hours after Rachel Cole's wedding to surgeon Daniel Alves, a gang war erupted, resulting in the deaths of twenty-nine people at their wedding reception, including her new husband.
Following her recovery, the Marine sergeant teamed up with The Punisher to take her revenge on the criminals who destroyed her life. It was a short-lived partnership, but one that saw her cross paths with Spidey during the "Omega Effect" crossover.
Multiple scoopers have reported that The Punisher will have a female sidekick, and that Sink's character will be someone Peter Parker trusts, before she's outed as an antagonist. Shathra never really made sense for Spider-Man: Brand New Day unless that role has secretly been cast.
Instead, one of the wall-crawler's college classmates secretly being Frank Castle's protégé—who Peter is forced to fight as Spidey—adds up. It's also a classic Spider-Man trope.
Camo pants aside, Sink's character has seemingly sustained a gunshot to her leg. It may be a trick of the light, but that looks a lot like a bloody, bullet-shaped hole to us. It's also the sort of wound someone like Rachel might be on the receiving end of. We're also sure it's no accident that the top half of Sink's costume has been carefully covered up...meaning we don't get to see a certain logo.
Even with The Hulk in play, Spider-Man: Brand New Day should be a grounded adventure. The Punisher, being joined by a young woman whom he intends to make just like him, should present some fascinating moral dilemmas for this movie's leads. Plus, as Spider-Man attempts to pull her back from a dark path, he'll surely realise it's the same one he's on as he devotes himself more to being "Spider-Man" than "Peter Parker" after his friends and loved ones forgot him, thanks to Doctor Strange's spell.
You can take a closer look at that apparent bullet wound in the X post below. Mail Online has also shared some additional shots of the destruction on set, which you can find by following that link to the site.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shares a title with a divisive era of storytelling, which, thanks to a deal with Mephisto, saw the wall-crawler get a fresh start when his marriage to Mary Jane Watson ended and his identity became secret again. He faced many new sinister foes during that time and was surrounded by an overhauled supporting cast, including Mister Negative, Jackpot, Menace, and Carlie Cooper.
Instead, all signs point to Spidey teaming up with (and at some point fighting) The Punisher to take on a Savage Hulk, with The Scorpion thrown in for good measure.
Several other villains are reportedly set to appear in the movie, including Tombstone, Tarantula, Boomerang, and Ramrod. There's been some chatter online about the Venom Symbiote factoring into the story, potentially setting the stage for Mac Gargan to eventually don the alien costume.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland leads a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, Tramell Tillman, Marvin Jones III, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh has also joined the cast.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.