It's safe to say that Spider-Man is, without a doubt, one of the most popular superheroes ever created. Despite that, it's been nearly half a decade since we last saw him save the day in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fortunately, Tom Holland's rendition of the character will steal the spotlight once again in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but there have been plenty of scenarios over these past five years when fans couldn't help but ask: Where is Spider-Man when you need him most?
The Kingpin took complete control over New York, and it seems Peter Parker just decided to ignore the whole situation. And what about that time Void plunged the city into literal darkness? Well, surely the wall-crawler had something more important to do, because he didn't help the New Avengers stop this incredibly dangerous threat. In fact, Spidey has never appeared in a project outside of his own standalone franchise, except for the Avengers movies (and Civil War, which was technically an Avengers-level movie).
Since Sony holds the rights to Spider-Man, Disney can't freely use him in TV series like Daredevil: Born Again or movies like Thunderbolts*. That's why the web-slinger hasn't dealt with many city-ending threats. However, Tom Holland would like to break the streak by having Spidey appear in the most unlikely of projects.
Tom Holland would like to portray an R-rated version of Spider-Man in a Punisher show
The friendly neighborhood hero and the Punisher will share the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But why stop there? In the latest issue of Empire Magazine, Tom Holland stated that he would like to keep the momentum going and appear in a Punisher show:
"I would love to pop up in one of [the Punisher’s] shows, Let’s see what an R-rated version of Spider-Man looks like. I’m so grateful for Jon for taking the leap and being a part of the film, and I would love to repay the favour."
Tom also revealed that one of his favorite aspects of Brand New Day is the relationship between his character and Frank Castle. Additionally, he teased that the two could become a recurring duo going forward:
"I think one of my favourite aspects of this new film is the relationship between The Punisher and Spider-Man. It’s no secret that I absolutely love Jon Bernthal, and sharing the screen with him and building this new onscreen relationship was so fun (...) I wouldn’t be surprised if Spidey and the Punisher become a recurring duo."
Superhero fans have been asking to see Spider-Man appear in other MCU projects, especially those featuring street-level characters. Granted, a team-up between him and Daredevil would make more sense on paper because the two have similar values and refuse to take a life. However, that's not to say there haven't been occasions where Spidey has been more violent than usual.
The friendly neighborhood hero wasn't so friendly after the Kingpin ordered his assassination, but the sniper's bullet ended up hitting Aunt May instead. Overcome with rage (and under the influence of the Symbiote Suit), Spidey nearly beat Wilson Fisk to death in a very gruesome way. A similar scenario happened when the wall-crawler would've killed the Sin-Eater with his bare hands, had Daredevil not intervened.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe delivers some of its best (and certainly its most unique) projects when it experiments with different genres and characters. Werewolf by Night, Wonder Man, and WandaVision have been some of the most refreshing superhero projects we've had in recent years, and they all did something out of the ordinary. So, the idea of watching a black-suited Spidey be a little more violent than usual in a Punisher project could certainly pay off. That's not to say the wall-crawler should kill, but maybe he can break a few bones here and there.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Sony will let the web-slinger appear in an MCU show (otherwise, it would've happened already). On the bright side, many iconic heroes have appeared in the Spider-Man movies, and it seems that won't stop any time soon—especially not in Brand New Day, where the Hulk is confirmed to show up, and rumors suggest that Jean Grey and Yelena Belova will also appear.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on Jul. 31, 2026.
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