Spider-Man: Brand New Day features Jon Bernthal's Punisher in a key supporting role. His version of Frank Castle debuted in Netflix's Daredevil, and later starred in two seasons of his own spin-off before officially joining the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again.
After taking centre stage in The Punisher: One Last Kill, Frank's story continuing on the big screen has been welcomed by fans. Ultimately, the vigilante's dynamic with Spider-Man is a highlight and an effective piece of connective tissue to those street-level TV shows.
Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple was set to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and shot a scene that was ultimately left on the cutting room floor. You can learn whether Daredevil shows up here, but did you catch The Kingpin's "cameo"?
During a scene in the alleyway where Peter Parker tries his inhibitor chip for the first time, a dumpster in the background features one of Mayor Wilson Fisk's "FISK: MAKING NYC SAFE" posters. The bottom features a phone number, "555-NOMASKS," though we can only guess how Spidey operated in the Big Apple when vigilantes were outlawed.
Fisk is no longer Mayor during the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as Sheila Rivera is shown presenting Spidey with the Key to the City elsewhere in the movie.
"It's a very hard thing to do, for Marvel to use my character," Vincent D'Onofrio previously said of Kingpin's absence from the Spider-Man franchise. "It's a very hard thing to do, because of ownership and stuff. I’m only usable for television shows. Not even a one-off Wilson Fisk movie. It’s all caught up in rights and stuff. I don’t know when that would work out — or if it ever would work out at all."
However, Marvel Studios President has since revealed, "There are things to navigate like everything else. We talked about all those characters at one point."
Could Spider-Man 5 be the Spider-Man/Daredevil team-up—for a battle with the Kingpin of Crime—that fans so desperately want? That will likely hinge on what happens in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, but a meeting between Spidey and the Man Without Fear is long overdue.
As for The Punisher, rumour has it he'll be back in Avengers: Secret Wars...
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's a Brand New Day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day is everything fans could want," we wrote in our review of the movie. "Emotional, hilarious, and heartfelt, it’s an action-packed love letter to the comics and one of Spidey’s best big-screen adventures. Spider-Man has never been more amazing."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.
The movie is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor. Executive producers include Louis D'Esposito and David Cain.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.