All the New (And Returning) Comic Characters in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer, Explained

Spider-Man: Brand New Day catches up with a much more melancholy Peter Parker who, while fulfilling his duties as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, is very much going through life alone. But when he starts experiencing weird symptoms and a second spider-y puberty, things get complicated.

Adding to this is a pretty stacked cast ranging from former friends to foes, and even the occasional frenemy. While the MCU doesn’t always follow the comics to a T, many of the characters shown in the trailer are easily recognisable by Marvel comic book fans. So, here’s a run-down of all the comic book characters (or, in some cases, those inspired by comic book characters) you might have missed in the Brand New Day trailer.

1. Peter Parker

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Spider-Man movie without Peter Parker. While his last trilogy centred on him as a high school student, things are a lot different for him now. Not only is he in college, but he’s also completely alone after Doctor Strange cast a spell to make everyone forget him. 

It was a tragic but necessary sacrifice to save the multiverse, but based on what Peter is experiencing in the trailer, it looks like he has bigger problems…

2. MJ

In the comics, ‘MJ’ is an affectionate nickname for Mary-Jane Watson — one of Peter’s primary love interests. While MJ in the MCU movies was also Peter’s love interest, she isn’t Mary-Jane Watson — she is a separate character named Michelle Jones-Watson. 

Still, her name was clearly designed to be a homage to the comic book character. But when all is said and done, the MCU MJ no longer remembers Peter and has seemingly moved on from him. 

3. Ned

Ned was introduced as Peter’s best friend in Spider-Man: Homecoming — but tragically, he doesn’t know who Peter is anymore. This means that, while Peter carries all this emotional weight, the pair have virtually no relationship. 

The Ned in the MCU movies is pretty different to the one in the comics, with the latter being a Daily Bugle reporter. In the comics, Ned ends up becoming the supervillain Hobgoblin, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen in the MCU. 

4. Bruce Banner

The OG Avenger is returning to the big screen in Brand New Day, and it looks like he will have a pretty pivotal role in uncovering whatever is going on with Peter. In an ideal world, Bruce would Hulk out and help Peter defeat the frankly ridiculous number of villains he’s facing in this movie, but he seems to be acting in more of an academic capacity. 

5. Frank Castle

Along with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher was part of the Netflix Marvel universe before making the jump to the MCU — The Punisher even had his own show. Based on the trailer, he and Peter seem to be fighting on the same side — though it looks like Peter is keen for him not to get involved. 

He’s also the focus of an MCU special presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, coming out in May.

6. Tarantula

When Tarantula appears in the Brand New Day trailer, it is only for a moment. But the bladed shoes make it unmistakable. Many characters in the comics took the Tarantula moniker. The most notable was Anton Miguel Rodriguez, a terrorist who ended up turning into a spider-like creature himself. 

If the MCU were to go down this route, he’d at least have something in common with Peter.

7. Boomerang

Like Tarantula, Boomerang, who is otherwise known as Fred Myers, is an established Marvel villain who appears in the trailer only briefly. 

According to the comics, he throws boomerangs specifically because, before becoming a supervillain, he was a baseball player with a good pitching arm. Sure!

8. Scorpion

Scorpion first appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming. When we left him, he was in prison, and it’s unclear how he got out as of yet. He differs from his on-screen counterpart because, while this version of Gargan was already a criminal, the Mac Gargan in the comics was originally a private investigator. 

Either way, if the trailer is anything to go by, he is continuing to be a thorn in Peter’s side. 

9. The Hand

During the trailer, Peter could be seen having an epic battle with a bunch of red ninjas. Fans of the Daredevil comics and Netflix TV show will recognise this group as the Hand. The ancient ninja clan are known for their links to organised crime and use of the Substance, which can bring people back from the dead. After Matt Murdock’s appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it looks like Daredevil’s and Spider-Man’s worlds are colliding even more. 

10. Jean Grey (Rumoured)

We still don’t know exactly who Sadie Sink is playing in Brand New Day, but the most consistent rumour is that she will be playing the mutant Jean Grey. In the trailer, we can see people’s bodies get taken over by some kind of unseen force. 

Clearly, there’s some telekinesis going on somewhere, and given that the MCU have now made mutants part of the canon, it’s the most logical explanation. 

11. William Metzger (Rumoured)

Speaking of mutants, some are speculating that William Metzger, a known anti-mutant activist from the comics, could be arriving in Brand New Day. According to the rumour mill, Tramell Tillman’s character, who is described as ‘Bill’ in subtitles, is heading up the Department of Damage Control. 

In the trailer, Bill talks about them being faced with a danger they “can’t control.” This is intercut with the aforementioned scene of a force taking over people’s bodies, adding fuel to the fire that Bill might be talking about one mutant in particular…

12. Paul Rabin (Rumoured)

During the party scene, MJ can be seen getting close to another man who, presumably, is her new boyfriend. There’s a lot of speculation over who this guy could be, but one theory is that he could be Paul Rabin, who, in the comics, became Mary-Jane Watson’s new squeeze after she and Peter ended up in different realities.