Since Stranger Things and The Whale star Sadie Sink was cast in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in March, rumors and speculation about her potential role have led covered a wide range of Marvel characters. Before she joined the cast of the new Spidey film, industry insider Jeff “The In” Sneider had Sink pegged as a front runner for the MCU’s Jean Grey. Once she was cast, Sneider floated the possibility of her portraying an alternate-universe Gwen Stacey before more recently claiming he was “still hearing” Sink was indeed cast as Grey.
Of course, Sneider has also claimed he’s been told she was playing Mary Jane Watson while other insiders have heard she was cast as Mayday Parker, the daughter of Toby Maguire‘s Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst‘s MJ from Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man trilogy. Outside of those, there are still other intriguing options on the table for a young, ginger actress, who was finally spotted on set recently… kicking off an entire new wave of wild(ly wrong) speculation.
After X user @UnBoxPHD shared shots of Sink on the UK set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a new theory about who she may be playing has taken hold despite it going against everything that is known about the character.
The single shot of Sink seen above has led to theories that she will be playing Rachel Cole, a former Marine sergeant and ally of The Punisher. However, while it is accurate that Frank Castle will have someone by his side in the film, descriptions of Castle’s sidekick shared by multiple insiders have indicated the character is played by an unknown Black actress.
While Rachel Cole is a fascinating character–and also a ginger–the widley-shared reports about Sink’s role call into question that she’d be playing Cole. On my end, I’ve heard that Castle’s sidekick is indeed played by a Black actress; additionally, I’ve heard from two separate sources that Sink’s character is not who she appears to be, which has led me down a rabbit hole of my own.
Opinion only, I have begun to believe that Sink could be playing Lily Hollister or a character who incorporates the important twists of Hollister into the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
In the comics, Hollister discovered one of Norman Osborn’s hidden Goblin lairs. Given what we do and do not know about Osborn’s time in the MCU’s Earth-616 in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the idea that he established lairs around the city cannot be discounted. Eventually, Hollister was able to “shift her shape” and become a Goblin at will.
Given that audiences have no idea what Willem Dafoe‘s Norman got up to during his trip to Earth-616, it does not seem impossible that he set up a pair or two around NYC during his time.
However, until we get more concrete evidence, we’re happy to say we have no idea who Sink will be, though it is clear she’s playing someone of significance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day which hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
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