Everything You Need to Know About 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'

During the Marvel Studios Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Jon Bernthal made an appearance, sharing exclusive footage of the Punisher (Bernthal) interacting with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) for an excited crowd. In the midst of their Avengers: Doomsday prep, it was good that they made sure to show some love to Queens’s own Peter Parker, as Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures event five years in the making.

In the shadow of those SDCC 2026 announcements, it makes sense that one may get caught up in the Doomsday of it all and forget where we left off with 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, itself a massive part of this Multiversal madness we are in. In an effort to bring you up to speed on the next installment of Holland’s Spider-Man saga, here’s a look at everything you need to know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day before it hits theaters on July 31, 2026.

Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with one of the more consequential resets in the history of the MCU. After losing Aunt May in part because his enemies knew his secret identity, Peter asked Doctor Strange to cast a spell making the entire world forget he was Spider-Man; the magic worked on everyone, including his closest friends. Peter walked away from all of it, choosing not to reintroduce himself to the people he loved, and set up a bare apartment alone.

That ending mirrors a pivotal arc from the comics. In 2007’s One More Day, the demon Mephisto wiped the world's memory of Peter's secret identity as part of a deal to save Aunt May's life, effectively erasing his marriage to Mary Jane Watson in the process. The era that followed, 2008’s Brand New Day, found Peter stripped of his ties to the Avengers, starting over from scratch, which is where we are in Brand New Day (the film, not the comic storyline): Peter, on his own, holding down New York City as Spider-Man.

Not at all! Both Zendaya and Jacob Batalon return to reprise their roles as MJ and Ned, respectively. In the year since No Way Home, Ned created a “Spidey Tracker” app that follows Spider-Man’s whereabouts; he remembers being saved by Spider-Man in the past, and wants to connect with the city’s savior. Jon Bernthal reprises his role as Frank Castle / The Punisher (likely riding into the MCU on the same train Daredevil arrived on).

Punisher isn’t the only visitor from the larger MCU either; Mark Ruffalo is here as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk, and as you may have seen in the trailer, this will mark the return of The Hand to the MCU. You will even be able to see Michael Mando’s Scorpion, who hasn’t been active since being arrested in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) has been the biggest question mark around the film; her role, which has not been officially confirmed, has been heavily speculated to be Jean Grey, who has made appearances in both previous X-Men film franchises, although other theories have said that she may be Typhoid Mary, a Marvel Comics character who has interacted with Daredevil, Spider-Man, and others.