The Punisher’s Role in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Teased by Kevin Feige
When Marvel first introduced The Piunisher antihero on the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #129 back in 1974, it came with the the introduction, “He’s different! He’s deadly! He’s — THE PUNISHER!”
Co-created by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, and John Romita, the character was initially a hired gun working for the Jackal, tasked with taking down Spider-Man over a murder he didn’t commit.
From the very beginning, Frank Castle was a lethal wildcard, and while he eventually realized Spidey wasn’t his real enemy, their relationship has always been… complicated.
Now, more than 50 years later, the Punisher is coming full circle and coming back to Spider-Man’s world, but this time on the big screen. And according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, this team-up (or clash?) is going to be something fans have never seen before.
After Spider-Man: No Way Home left Peter Parker (Tom Holland) erased from everyone’s memory, he’s finally living as the “proper Spider-Man” Feige has always envisioned… alone, broke, and patrolling the streets without the Avengers on speed dial.
“[As] sad as it is that Peter is forgotten by everyone in his life, we are seeing, for the first time in the Tom Holland Spider-Man stories, him being a proper Spider-Man.
“Him being by himself, dedicated to saving the city, and dealing with, for lack of a better term, street-level crime, as opposed to world-ending events that he faced when working with the other characters.”
This is where Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes in. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film will lean heavily into the street-level side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that means new faces, including Frank Castle. Feige explained:
“When you do that, you say, ‘Okay, who are the other street-level characters that we’ve never seen him interact with?’ And of course, I love that Punisher started in a Spider-Man comic, and that great cover.”
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, who made his MCU return in Daredevil: Born Again, is officially stepping into Spider-Man’s world. This marks the first time the character will appear in a Spider-Man feature film, a move that feels long overdue considering their comic book history.
Feige wouldn’t say too much, but he couldn’t help teasing how excited he is for what’s coming:
“I don’t want to say too much, but Destin, I will say too much, Destin is doing an amazing job right now on that movie. That starts shooting very soon, and he’s got eight or nine comic covers up on his wall in his art department that he is bringing to life in this movie, which is super cool.”
Details are still under wraps regarding the story, but rumors point to appearances from major crime-centric villains like Scorpion, Boomerang, and Tombstone, which are characters that should make any Spidey fan’s ears perk up.
Considering Punisher’s war on organized crime, his involvement feels like a natural fit. The big question is… will Frank Castle be hunting Spider-Man like in the comics, or will they begrudgingly team up to take down a bigger threat?
Given Spider-Man’s “wanted man” history after Far From Home and the Punisher’s brutal sense of justice, there’s a strong chance their first encounter won’t exactly be friendly.
But as history shows from Amazing Spider-Man #135 to countless crossovers since, these two have a way of finding common ground when the city needs saving.
Sony Pictures has locked in Spider-Man: Brand New Day for July 31, 2026, giving fans plenty of time to speculate about how this partnership will play out.
Whether Punisher ends up being an ally, an adversary, or something in between, one thing is clear, this is going to be a awesome Spider-Man story unlike any we’ve seen in the MCU.
Via: CB