The Marvel Cinematic Universe was originally envisioned as a big, interconnected series of projects that shared the same overarching narrative. No character would be left behind by the time the big crossovers came, and surprising team-ups would occur every step of the way. While that promise became true in many ways, there's no denying that there have been a few corners of the MCU that have remained mostly isolated to this very date.
The Netflix Marvel series may have acknowledged the events of The Avengers, but characters like Daredevil and Jessica Jones never crossed paths with the likes of Iron Man and Captain America. Years passed, and their adventures were relegated to the small screen and nothing else. For a time, it even seemed like there was no future for the street-level heroes when the Disney and Netflix deal came to an end. But now that Daredevil: Born Again has brought all of these characters into the MCU, there is no shortage of exciting crossovers waiting to happen, and the first one will take place next year.
It's been officially confirmed that Jon Bernthal's Punisher will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As if the prospect of watching Frank Castle team up with (or maybe even face) Peter Parker wasn't exciting enough, another hero will reportedly be added into the mix as well, and they have finally opened up about the exciting crossover that "might" be upon us.
Mark Ruffalo discusses the excitement of sharing the screen with Jon Bernthal's Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
At the premiere of HBO’sTask, Mark Ruffalo had the chance to talk with The Hollywood Reporter and address the reports of his appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While the man behind Bruce Banner played coy and said that he doesn't know if his involvement is "real" yet, he shared his "hypothetical" excitement about sharing the big screen with Jon Bernthal's Punisher:
"But I love [Jon] and we have a common friend in Lena Dunham, believe it or not, who just adores him (...) I can’t wait to work with him, he’s so funny and he’s such a great actor. He plays that character like nobody else. I’m really excited to meet him, I’ve never met him!"
For someone who doesn't know with certainty whether he's participating in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he seems pretty convinced that he'll work with Jon Bernthal. So... yes, it really seems like Hulk will definitely have a role in the movie and get to meet the Punisher, which will make for an interesting pairing.
Both anti-heroes have taken a life before and been chased by authorities more times than we can count. Unlike Bruce, however, Frank has complete control over his actions and is fully aware of the damage he causes. That might create a lot of friction between all three characters, including Peter, even before any of them get to use their special abilities. But while Frank would seem to be the odd one out in this situation, it would appear he won't be the one causing trouble this time around.
Renowned insider Daniel Richtman revealed that the reason the wall-crawler and the Punisher will team up is to put a stop to Savage Hulk. Of course, this prompts the question of how a "regular" man, such as Frank, will hold his own against a weapon of mass destruction. Fans have theorized that maybe the tank we've all seen in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day set videos and pictures belongs to him, but we'll have to wait and see.
This will mark the first time a character from the Marvel Netflix series appears on the big screen for a significant role (after Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock returned in Spider-Man: No Way Home for a brief cameo appearance), and it makes it all the more special that he'll cross paths with an original Avenger, who's been in the MCU since Phase 1. Furthermore, this also opens up the door for more exciting crossovers in the future. For quite some time now, it has been rumored that Marvel wants the Kingpin to fight the wall-crawler. Reports even indicate that the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Brand New Day will set up this upcoming battle.
Of course, if Spidey gets to share the screen with Punisher and Kingpin, it would only be a matter of time before Daredevil makes his grand entrance as well. On the bright side, we won't have to wait long to discover what the MCU has in store for all of these characters and whether they will really meet.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on Jul. 31, 2026.