Marvel Studios' upcoming slate of movies and shows highlight that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is back on track. Fresh off major wins like Deadpool and Wolverine, Agatha All Along, and Thunderbolts*, the franchise can look ahead to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Vision Quest, and The Punisher Special Presentation. Yeah, the next few years are going to be awesome for Marvel.
It's clear that the franchise is pulling out all the stops as the Multiverse Saga's conclusion looms, both in a bid to reignite interest in the storyline after a number of lackluster projects and to ensure that the grand finale of the Multiverse Saga in the upcoming Avengers movies delivers on all fronts. And in the midst of all these successes comes giving the fans a number of things they've been longing to see.
From the long-awaited return of Daredevil in his own series to the impending arrival of the classic X-Men, the studio has been treating us all very well. Now, they will reportedly give us an unlikely crossover we've been hoping to see.
Jon Bernthal's Punisher now expected to feature in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It sounds like the rumors of Jon Bernthal's Punisher and Tom Holland's Spider-Man teaming up might be about to come true. As reported by The Direct, insider John Rocha stated on podcast The Hot Mic with fellow insider Jeff Sneider earlier this year that he had heard from "a very strong source in the business" that Spider-Man: Brand New Day would feature Holland's webslinger and Bernthal's Punisher taking on the Hulk.
Why the Hulk? Because Marvel is reportedly eager to return the Hulk to his more unhinged days after the response to the Professor Hulk that we have seen in the franchise since 2019's Avengers: Endgame has not been well-received by audiences. And with that, reports claim that Savage Hulk might be the variation of the character who appears when we next see him.
And speaking of appearances, this rumor has gained a lot of steam in recent weeks as it has just been revealed by Nexus Point News that Mark Ruffalo is now expected to reprise his role as Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It's not entirely clear what kind of role he might play, as fans have been theorizing that he might serve as a mentor to Peter since MCU veterans have done so throughout Spidey's previous Homecoming trilogy. Others have suggested that he might know Peter's parents or Uncle Ben since the Hulk wouldn't remember that Peter is Spider-Man after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw Doctor Strange make the world forget that Peter Parker ever existed.
But it might, in fact, prove that the green one is actually involved in an antagonistic role in the upcoming movie, potentially confirming this long-standing rumor. It also might explain who the potential rumored male villain of the movie is. Brand New Day reportedly has a male and female villain, with a recent report claiming that Marvel / Sony have offered Nicole Kidman the role of the latter. That hasn't been officially confirmed but it is worth pointing out considering the mysteries surrounding the film's villains.
Meanwhile, The Punisher is fresh off making his official MCU debut this year. Bernthal appeared in two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again and will likely return in the second season next year. He's also set to star in his own standalone Special Presentation for Disney Plus, which also has a 2026 release date. Bernthal himself is set to co-write the script, which makes sense considering his history with the character.
Bernthal made his debut as the character in the second season of Netflix's Daredevil when Frank Castle showed up in Hell's Kitchen to wreak havoc on the criminal underworld (and also cause problems for Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock). He then went on to headline his own Netflix series, starring in two seasons of The Punisher (before the streamer cancelled it after the end of its deal with Marvel). His reunion with Cox's Daredevil earlier this year marked the character's official debut in the MCU (while also retroactively making his Netflix series canon to the continuity as well). Now, he can interact with other MCU heroes outside of the more grounded ones who appeared in the Netflix shows.
While The Punisher is one of Spider-Man's allies (and occasional enemy) in the Marvel Comics, it's almost hard to imagine the two interacting on-screen in a Spider-Man movie simply due to how opposing the tones of the projects they appear in are. While Spidey can get serious from time-to-time, it's hard to imagine Frank Castle fitting into the more mainstream part of the MCU due to his violent tendencies (and overall moody disposition). But hey, nothing like a potentially raging Hulk to bring two unlikely characters together.