As was the case with Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be one wild ride. While it doesn’t appear as though director Destin Daniel Cretton is adapting any one particular story arc or beloved Spidey comic, he seems to be pulling from the character’s greatest hits.
From what can be gleaned about the film from set photos and well-sourced reports, Tom Holland’s Spidey will be overwhelmed in the film, dealing not only with a slew of street-level thugs and crime bosses but also with a bloodthirsty Frank Castle and a rampaging Hulk. And now…undead ninjas.
Following up on previous reports that a horde of ninjas were involved in a prison break scene filmed some time ago, insider Daniel Richtman has confirmed the identity of the group and they are who we thought they were: The Hand.
One of Marvel Comics’ most well-declveloped and fascinating secret societies, The Hand played an overarching role in Netflix’s Defenders-verse series, though they weren’t portrayed particularly true to their comic book counterparts. Given Cretton’s ambitious approach to Brand New Day, it seems likely that will be rectified. Richtman’s report indicates that they’ll be decked out in their traditional red shinobi shōzoku in the film, which will be a big jump from barely being able to see them on screen in Daredevil. But, who’s in charge of the occult assassins these days?
It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.
–Jon Bernthal on The Punisher Special Presentation
While talking about his role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which hits theaters on July 31, 2026, Bernthal stated that The Punisher will stream on D+ “around that same time.”
“Around that same time, there will also be this Punisher special that’s coming out, that I think will be as high-octane Punisher as you’ve ever seen,” said Bernthal. While it’s not officially confirmed that the special presentation is set before the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, there’s enough evidence to support a reasonable assumption that it is, making a June or early-July streaming debut the most likely scenario.
It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story.
-Marvel Television Top Dog Brad Winderbaum
Co-written by star Jon Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green, The Punisher will be the third Special Presentation to stream on D+, joining Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. All signs point to the feature being incredibly violent, which has caused some consternation about how the character could blend seamlessly into the world of a very friendly Wallcrawler. Bernthal addressed those concerns as well.
“I think what was really important to me and to Destin and to Tom is that we believed that The Punisher could walk off of the Spider-Man set and could walk onto the special set, and I do believe that we achieved that,” Bernthal explained. Without directly stating it, Bernthal seems to be implying that, as is the case in the comics–and with Daredevil’s appearance in She-Hulk Attorney at Law–characters can be malleable in order to fit the environment in which the story is set.
With the first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday set to release this month, Disney has just revealed the composition of one of the film’s core teams. As part of a larger Disney showcase held in Italy, Sam Wilson’s team of Avengers has been revealed…and it includes a very unexpected member.
As seen in the video below–which also features the Fantastic Four, New Avengers and X-Men, Sam’s Avengers will include Thor, Ant-Man, Shang-Chi, Falcon and the God of Stories, Loki.
Interestingly enough, a variant of Loki recently went by the moniker of Avenger Prime in Marvel Comics Avengers Forever and Avengers Assemble events.
The current iteration of Loki in the MCU has MUCH in common with Avenger Prime Loki and indeed fans have theorized that the character, last seen at the Citadel at tht End of Time in the Loki Season 2 finale, might take on such a role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
With the teaser set to drop soon, we’ll see just how much Marvel Studios is willing to let out of the bag!
Millie Bobby Brown is no stranger to rumors about her involvement in MCU things. Her visit to the set of Avengers: Infinity War had fans convinced she was joining the franchise. Rumors persisted that Brown was set to play Eternals Peter Pan analogue, Sprite, and while Brown teased that she’d had discussions with Marvel Studios, that role went to Lia McHugh and Brown has spent the last several years filming Stranger Things Season 5, limiting her availability for other major projects.
The return of the directors Anthony and Joe Russo to the MCU to helm Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars has lead to renewed rumors and speculation that Brown, who the lair directed in the Netflix’s Electric State, would join the MCU now that shes closed the book on Stranger Things. The directing duo have made no bones about their admiration for the young actress, saying they would “put her in anything” they make moving forward.
Millie is on the list for every project. You just can’t ask for a bigger star right now. And [she is] somebody who is passionate about the work, passionate about promoting the movie, passionate about getting up every day and coming to set, making the crew feel good, she has adopted hundreds of dogs, she brings them to set with her; it is like everybody is having an emotional care day with he dogs. She is just lovely. Yeah we will put her in anything.
-Russo Brothers
Though there’s been no word of Brown joining the cast of either film just yet, it’s possible she’s poised to join one or both film, with additional photography planned for Doomsday this spring ahead of principal photography for Secret Wars. However, even as Marvel Studios prepares to end its current saga, work is already underway for the next, which will feature a heavy dose of mutants…and new rumor suggests that Brown may be in line for a key role as a member of the studio’s first team of X-Men.
According to social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello, Marvel is considering casting Brown as one of the core members of the team, though stops short of naming the role.
In May, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier signed on to direct what he’s called a “complex” take on the X-Men. With the Russos rumored to be joining the Marvel Studios’ Parliament to help oversee the “Mutant Saga,” could Brown be in the mix for Kitty Pryde, a character Feige has long been rumored to want to have at the center of Marvel’s X-Men stories? She certainly carries a ton of cache with young audiences and, at 21, fits the bill for the studio’s “youth-focused reboot.” Casting on X-Men should get heated up after the New Year–it not even in the next few weeks–so this particular rumor may resolve itself one way or another relatively soon.
Following the takeover of New York City by Mayor “Kingpin” at the end of Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock vowed to out together an army to stop his archenemy from destroying the city. Whole the new season was a hit, it felt frustrating at times, surely in part to it being almost entirely overhauled in mid-production. According to one of the show’s producers, Sana Amanat, any issues that impacted Season 1 were not an issue while making the sophomore season.
While it’s clearly a much more subdued color scheme than the drastic black and white contrast, it is unmistakable. With a show (and fanbase) so unbelievably obsessed with darkness, it’s probably as close as we’ll get to the outlandish Bullseye costume from the comics but it’s a solid step forward from the first iteration.
Months after being cast in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Sadie Sink‘s role is still the subject of speculation among fans and insiders. Reports and rumors have pegged the Stranger Things star as Jean Grey, Mayday Parker, Gwen Stacey and even the shape-shifting insectoid deity Shathra. Even after appearing on set in the UK, Sink’s role remains a mystery and how it’s taken a new twist.
According to Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye, Sink has joined the cast of “the next Avengers picture.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to open on July 31. There has been much speculation about the role Sink has in the Spidey film, and frankly, I do not know the answer, but I do know that she’ll join the cast of the next Avengers picture that shoots here in London later in 2026.
-Baz Bamigboye
Though Bamigboye’s wording obfuscates the message to some extent, it would seem as though he’s referring to Avengers: Secret Wars which is, of course, NOT the “next Avengers picture,” but will shoot “later in 2026.” Of course, with the Russos preparing to shoot additional photography on Avengers: Doomsday early next year, it is possible Sink will appear in that film instead–or in both!
The news certainly calls into question the nature of Sink’s role and would seem to launch Jean Grey and Mayday Parker back to the top of the list. The latter becomes especially interesting with the recent report of Tobey Maguire returning to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. Whatever the case, while surprising, it’s not shocking that the studio has cast an actress of Sink’s caliber and demand in something more than a one-off.
Tobey Maguire‘s appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home was rumored long before the film opened in theaters but despite plenty of legitimate proof that the star was in the film, legions of fans refused to believe it until he walked through his portal. And while folks may not have believed Maguire was part of the project, it turned out he and Andrew Garfield were instrumental in pulling things together.
The film’s writers, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, revealed that Maguire and Garfield had significant input on the way their characters shaped the film, making sure the focus stayed on Tom Holland‘s Peter while the other two Spideys helped Holland on his journey.
He was really excited to be back. You could tell it really meant a lot to him. Him putting the suit on again. Us getting back together. It was awesome.
-Tom Holland on Tobey Maguire’s return as Spider-Man
Since the film, fans have become fascinated with the idea of seeing more of Maguire‘s Spidey, whether back in the MCU or in a fourth Sam RaimiSpider-Man film. While the latter remains an intriguing option, a new report indicates that Maguire will be suiting up again quite soon.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Man will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, set to be in theaters in December 18, 2026.
Maguire’s name has been floated for both Doomsday and the follow-up, Avengers Secret Wars, for some time now. The possibility of Maguire sharing the screen with members of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men–specifically Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine–seems to appeal to audiences. Richtman’s report doesn’t indicate if that’s set to happen in Doomsday or if Maguire is expected to return for Secret Wars but with Incursions ending universes, there’s a pretty clear entry point for just about any character into the next two films.
UPDATE: It seems that Deadline’s poorly worded article mislead many of us into thinking Giacchino was back for a new Marvel project. Upon further review, it looks as though the project referred to as his follow-up to Werewolf By Night is a unrelated project at Warner’s.
Over the past decade, Michael Giacchino‘s distinct scores have helped shape the MCU’s first Spider-Man trilogy, 2016’s Doctor Strange and, most recently, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In between, Giacchino found time to direct the studio’s first Special Presentation, the wonderfully violent Werewolf By Night.
Well, I will say that we’re starting to introduce some cool characters that are in the darker side, the more monster side and the supernatural and the occult, in a very organic way as you’re seeing these characters pop up. I think in very organic ways, it feels like there could be ways to continue those stories in ways that feel very fresh and new and keeping our toe in that horror side of things.
While discussing how he scrapped and rewrote the score for The Fantastic Four: First Steps after viewing the film’s final cut, Giacchino revealed that his next project with Marvel Studios will be a follow-up to Werewolf By Night which he will direct.
Interestingly enough, in February 2024, insider Daniel Richtman reported that Giacchino was being eyed to direct Midnight Sons. While it’s development has never been officially addressed by Marvel Studios, it’s been believed to be in the works for several years and rumored to see characters such as Jack Russel, Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone team up with Blade and others from Marvel’s roster of horror characters and, reportedly, take on Sacha Baron Cohen‘s Mephisto.
Given the volume of reports and rumors over the years, Midnight Sons does seem like the most reasonable assumption for Giacchino’s next project; however, Fede Alvarez has also been rumored to be interested in the film as well and it still hasn’t even been officially announced by the studio. Regardless, whether it’s ultimately Midnight Sons or something else entirely, it seems as though fans will (sort of) soon be getting what they asked for with Giacchino back behind the camera.
While most folks might not even know that a team of heroes known the Great Lakes Avengers exist in the Marvel Universe, some of those that do might think of the group of oddballs count among their number some of the most powerful heroes found on Earth-616.
In 2017, Freeform began development on a New Warriors series that would have seen a couple members of the GLA make their way into what would certainly have been considered a non-canon project similar to Runaways and Cloak and Dagger. While the series never got off the ground, one character from it, Mister Immortal, made a cameo appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. And now, a new rumor suggests he’ll soon be joined in the MCU by another incredibly powerful member of the Great Lakes Avengers, the most wonderfully dysfunctional government-recognized super-team based out of Wisconsin.
According to social media’s busiest bee, My Time To Shine Hello, OG GLA member Doorman will appear in Marvel Television’s Wonder Man.
Doorman, Doorman, does whatever a door can.
When you’re talking about Marvel Comics’ Doorman, you’re talking about one of the great punchlines—and then one of the great cosmic surprises—of the entire Marvel Universe.
The Great Lakes Avenger
Doorman, real name DeMarr Davis, made his debut back in West Coast Avengers #46 (1989), a John Byrne creation who, on the surface, seemed like a joke waiting to happen. DeMarr is a mutant, but not one who could level a city block or fly at Mach 5. His initial power? He could turn his body into a portal that connects two parts of the same room, essentially letting people pass through him to get to the other side of a solid object.
Yes, that’s right. He’s a human door. Highly situational, right?
Despite his seemingly limited powerset, DeMarr remains one of the team’s most cynical and long-suffering members, constantly comparing their low-stakes adventures and general incompetence to the “real” Avengers.
An Angel of Death
Here’s where the story gets a whole lot more interesting—and a lot less funny.
His mutant ability isn’t just “turning into a door”; it operates by tapping into the Darkforce Dimension, the same spooky, interdimensional energy source used by characters like Cloak and the Darkforce user known as Deathurge.
In a surprisingly dark twist for a GLA member, Doorman was killed by the cosmic villain Maelstrom. However, his connection to the Darkforce got the attention of the cosmic entity Oblivion–the personification of all that will not be. Oblivion resurrected DeMarr, not as a hero, but as his new Angel of Death.
His new gig as a psychopomp—a guide for souls—came with a massive power upgrade:
Supernatural Durability and Intangibility.
Light-Speed Flight (often on ethereal skis—still a punchline, but a fast one).
Darkforce Constructs. So like Green Lanterns but with Darkforce.
The ability to sense and interact with the spirits of the dead.
A major increase in his intelligence and cosmic awareness.
Despite being a servant of Oblivion, Doorman managed to keep one foot in the world of the living, occasionally returning to his friends in the GLA. He’s a character who combines low-brow comedy with genuinely high-stakes, cosmic responsibility, making him a unique figure in the Marvel lineup.
MTTSH gave no further details on Doorman’s role in Wonder Man but it does seem unlikely he’ll be major character in the series. Interestingly, actor J.E. Burton is listed in IMDB as having an unknown role in Wonder Man and bears at least a passing resemblance to Doorman. We’ll all find out together when Wonder Man streams on January 27, 2026.
With principal photography in Avengers: Doomsday having wrapped and additional photography not expected to get underway until early 2026, directors Anthony and Joe Russo have had time to get the post-production process started, pulling the movie together out of the hours and hours of footage. On top of that, rumors persist that the directing duo is helping to prepare a trailer for the film, with the expectation of it running ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash. While that hasn’t been confirmed by Marvel Studios (and likely won’t be anytime too soon), it is sensible and the emergent rumors about what it might include have seemed reasonable as well.
Without another Marvel flick in theaters until Spider-Man: Brand New Day next July, the studio will want to make sure a first look at Avengers: Doomsday makes a splash. New details about the rumored trailer make it sound as though it will do just that.
Following up on word that Robert Downey Jr‘s Victor Von Doom will be a full-blown Universal monster in the film, longtime insider Kristian Harloff has shared a new batch of details on the trailer and the film.
According to Harloff, the final incursion that leads to the destruction of the Multiverse will include three worlds. And after Doomsday arrives, a key new location will be created: Battleworld.
In the 2015 Marvel Comics event Secret Wars, the patchwork reality knownas Battleworld was created by Victor Von Doom. Doom assembled fragments of other realities destroyed by incursions into a kingdom ruled over by him as its God Emperor.
Battleworld has been rumored to be included in the two-part Multiverse Saga finale but this is the first time details about its creation have been shared.
Though Harloff–who claims to be withholding additional information–did not go on to name the realities involved in the final incursion, it seems likely that Earth-616 (Sacred Timeline), Earth-828 (Fantastic Four) and Earth-10005 (Fox X-Verse) would be the most likely trio given what we know about the film. There is, however, plenty of room for error in that assumption.
Source: Kristian Harloff
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