Despite us seeing many photos of Tom Holland's web-slinger (and a certain tank), much of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a mystery to us. The Punisher, Scorpion, and Tombstone are all set to factor into the story, but there are several actors whose characters haven't been identified.
Among them is Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear). We have good reason to believe she's playing a cop based on a few blurry shots of her on set alongside Spider-Man, with the prevailing theory being that she's the MCU's Jean DeWolff.
A new rumour from scooper Daniel Richtman may contradict that, as he's reporting that she's playing a character called Cathy who will serve as a sidekick to both Spider-Man and The Punisher.
Could she be the female ally we've assumed Sadie Sink is playing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day? It's certainly possible, though there's no one in Spidey's corner of the Marvel Universe called Cathy. However, she may be Kathryn O'Brien.
Created by Garth Ennis, she was tasked by the CIA with capturing Frank Castle but ultimately developed feelings for the vigilante. Kathryn? Cathy? Look no further than the MCU's MJ to see how Marvel Studios has frequently reimagined characters for the Spider-Man franchise, similar to how Ned is a mix of Ned Leeds and Ganke.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to be a street-level story, and as Peter Parker moves on from high school and his old life dealing with Avengers-level threats, we're expecting a whole new supporting cast.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu teased filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton's Spider-Man plans.
"We’ve exchanged a lot of words and had a lot of conversations about it. It was more so leading up to it, because we were all shooting at Pinewood in London," the Avengers: Doomsday star teased. "So it was special just to be in that world, and even though he wasn’t directly on my project, it was still really great to see him ramping up again."
"He’s such an incredibly thoughtful director, and everyone over there is super lucky to have him. And even in what he’s shared with me, it just proves why he’s the right director for the job," Liu added. "He’s got all the toys in the universe to play with on this one, but he’s really character and story first. So, like everybody else, I just can’t wait to see it."
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 a fresh supporting cast, including Mister Negative, Jackpot, Menace, and Carlie Cooper.
In the MCU, 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 also been some chatter online about the Symbiote factoring into the story, potentially setting the stage for Mac Gargan to don the alien costume as Venom.
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 plays Spider-Man in a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Zendaya (MJ), Sadie Sink, Michael Mando (The Scorpion), Tramell Tillman, Marvin Jones III (Tombstone), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), and Liza Colón-Zayas. Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh is expected to return as Yelena Belova.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.