Spider-Man: Brand New Day was supposed to mark the official MCU debut of Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple. The Ahsoka star became the connective tissue for Netflix's Marvel Television shows, racking up appearances in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Defenders.
Shortly before the movie's release, Dawson confirmed that Marvel Studios had cut her scene. Now, thanks to @JuanEditzs—who has become a reliable source for leaks—we have some insights into what her role entailed (spoilers for the movie follow from this point on).
It seems the rumours that she only had a single scene were accurate, as Claire was going to bump into Peter Parker right after he woke up in the hospital. He'd have had his mask on, and met Claire while she was looking at an X-Ray.
A "cute" interaction followed, and it sounds like a pretty small cameo. Similar to Eman Esfandi playing "The Boyfriend," it may have come about because Ahsoka Season 2 was being filmed in Pinewood at the same time as Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Another scene that was filmed but ultimately cut saw the doctors ripping open Spider-Man's suit, leaving his mask on. It's said that Claire was potentially present for that, as well, but this implies that the moment Peter wakes up for the first time—sans mask—to find Frank Castle waiting for him was a result of reshoots.
While Claire was missed, it's hard to argue that Peter's interaction with the tearful Punisher was the best way to handle his waking up after inadvertently being gunned down. Hopefully, Dawson's scene/s will be released on Spider-Man: Brand New Day's eventual Digital/4K Blu-ray.
While the MCU's "Night Nurse" was absent, we did get another big Defenders connection with the presence of The Hand. In a brief new featurette, Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton explains their role in the movie.
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'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.