At this stage, we're sure most of you will know the identity of the character Sadie Sink plays in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but just in case, here's your spoiler warning.
On the surface, a non-Phoenix possessed Jean Grey may seem like an odd choice of villain for a Spider-Man movie (or any Marvel movie, for that matter), but the character was chosen to be Brand New Day's main antagonist for a very specific reason - and probably not the one you might think.
Though BND does lay the groundwork for Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot in some minor ways, Jean's involvement doesn't directly set up the long-awaited movie in the way most fans expected.
"The comics are connected all the time between X-Men and everything else," producer Amy Pascal tells Deadline. "We didn’t pick Jean Grey because she was part of the X-Men, we picked Jean Grey because [director] Destin [Daniel Cretton] came in and said, 'If you guys want to do a movie that is about the way people feel isolated, even more today than ever, because of our technology and everything else, and not just young people, but everybody. But it has afflicted young people so much. If we can do a movie that is about how reaching out and making a connection to someone is the most important thing that you can do, then I understand how to do this movie.' And he was the one who said, 'I really think it would be great if the villain could be a teenager,' instead of all the monsters we’ve done in the past. Because the other truth about Peter Parker is, the best stories are when the villains have the same problem that he does in the anonymity and feeling isolated. It just seemed like the right story to tell for today, because it’s something that we can all relate to."
Sink is expected to return as Jean Grey for Avengers: Secret Wars before going on to co-lead the X-Men reboot with whoever ends up landing the role of Cyclops. As for a fifth Spider-Man movie, nothing is official just yet, but Pascal is hopeful that director Destin Daniel Cretton will be back to take the helm if a BND follow-up does happen.
With Brand New Day performing better than anyone could have predicted at the box office, Pascal was also asked how she feels about the notion of "superhero fatigue."
"No, I don’t think any of that is ever a real thing. If you make a good movie that people can relate to, I think they relate to it and they want to see it. People go to movies emotionally. They go to movies about characters that they care about and Spider-Man is at the top of the heap. And to be honest with you, I don’t really think of these movies as superhero movies. Tom gave a beautiful performance in this movie. I think we had so many fantastic actors. The beautiful thing that Destin did in the movie is all the different stories, whether it was the story of Sadie Sink’s character or Punisher story or Bruce Banner. All of them have the same problem: They are all living this kind of life of isolation where there’s something inside them that they can’t control. I think that the best movies are when the whole thing is a cohesive unit and every character is telling the story that you want to be telling about Peter."
Following the record-breaking success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins a brand new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult and living alone after erasing himself and the memories of him from those he loves. In a New York that no longer knows his name, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to protecting his city as Spider-Man full-time.
But as the demands on him grow, he is put under increasing pressure. This triggers an unexpected physical change that threatens his existence, while a strange wave of crime emerges - and gives rise to one of the most dangerous threats he has ever faced.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day 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. The cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.