Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) is one of 2026’s most exciting superhero movies, and fans are eager to find out who exactly Sadie Sink is playing. The Stranger Things (2016) star is confirmed to be at the heart of the new film, but it remains unclear at this time if she’s playing a hero, a villain, a side character, or a love interest. Given the open-ended nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man trilogy following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), it really could be anything.
This hasn’t stopped rumors from spreading about potential reimaginings of comic villains, fresh takes on fan favorites, or deep cuts to help lay the groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday (2026). This has only been amplified following the leak of an apparent trailer for the film, which gave a few small clues about a female character who seems to be speaking to Spider-Man—and seems to be aware that he’s Peter Parker. Given what’s been speculated on so far and given what we know about the MCU, here are some of the potential characters that Sadie Sink could play in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Shathra
One of the most prevalent theories for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has argued that Sadie Sink will play a relatively minor but powerful villain from the Spider-Man mythos, Shathra. Debuting in 2002, Shathra was a fundamental deity from Earth-001, who attempted to weave a Great Nest at the heart of all existence, only for her sister’s Great Web to be chosen instead. A murderous force of nature with a grudge against any and all people connected to the Web of Life and Destiny (like Spider-Man), Shathra’s human cover identities of Sharon Keller and Annabelle Adams could be the initial presentation of Sadie Sink’s character before the reveal of her true identity.
While this would be Shathra’s first on-screen appearance, it would also build off of her recent appearance as a villain in the “End of the Spider-Verse” storyline from the comics. She could also factor into Brand New Day as part of the fallout of Peter Parker’s actions in Spider-Man: No Way Home, explaining why she’s seemingly capable of knowing who Peter Parker is and about how he protected his friends by altering the world’s perception of him. For fans of the more multiversal elements of the superhero genre that Shathra represents, make sure to check out mind-bending and reality-hopping titles like Loki (2021) and What If…? (2021).
Chameleon
While Shathra might be the most powerful villain for Sink to potentially play, she could also be a lower-level threat to the larger universe, such as Chameleon. One of Spider-Man’s oldest enemies, the Russian freelance criminal and master of disguise, could easily be reimagined for the MCU as a quiet power player with ties to the Black Widow program. It would also give the MCU its own take on the concept following the lackluster returns of the Chameleon’s big cinematic debut in Kraven the Hunter (2024).
There’s also precedent for the character to be reimagined as a woman, something the MCU has grown more comfortable with in stories like Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). Chameleon would also make sense as a prospective character who could investigate and figure out who Spider-Man is, even after everyone forgot about Spider-Man, all while reflecting a more grounded approach closer to Vulture than multiversal tears. It could be a lot of fun to see Sink play with the flexibility of the character, given her own range as a performer.
Alistair Smythe
An out-there concept, but a potentially intriguing one, could cast Sadie Sink as a reimagining of Alistair Smythe. A minor character in the comics but a fan-favorite tragic villain in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994), Smythe’s father was behind the creation of the robotic Spider-Slayers. When they were seemingly killed, Alistair swore revenge.
As a bio-enhanced figure, a gender-swapped version of Alistair played by Sink would be an intellectual equal to Peter Parker in an interesting way, as well as carry on the “human enhanced by tech” trend that has defined the MCU Spider-Man’s personal threats. It could also explain the rumored casting of Sarah Snook, who could be playing the film’s version of Alistair. Doing this would give the MCU a lot of room to play with the character, due to their limited presence in the original comics that it’s adapting.
Jean Grey/Marvel Girl
One of the most popular theories about Sadie Sink’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day has suggested that she won’t actually be playing a Spider-Man character, but will instead be one of the first notable X-Men to appear in the MCU. Theories have been swirling for a while that Sink will play the MCU’s Jean Grey, setting up a more important role in the franchise’s future by pairing her up with an established icon like Peter Parker.
It would also explain why Sink has been confirmed for an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, which seems to be already in the process of becoming a launching pad for the X-Men into the MCU. Sink’s character could be aware of Peter Parker’s identity through the use of her telepathy. Fans of Jean Grey and those curious about the kind of arc Sink could have can look to the original live-action X-Men trilogy to animated fare like X-Men (1992) and X-Men Evolution (2000), the latter of which even has a teenage Jean that could be an inspiration for the MCU’s version if this theory is correct.
Felicia Hardy/Black Cat
One of the earliest theories about Sadie Sink’s character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day argued that she could be a new love interest for Peter Parker. Given the reported street-level focus of the story, this led to plenty of fans suggesting that Sink could be playing Black Cat. Felicia Hardy is one of Peter Parker’s most consistent love interests, a master criminal with a moral core who effectively becomes Catwoman to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man.
It would be a fun excuse to let Sink showcase her action chops while also giving her plenty of room to play around with the femme fatale archetype. Fans curious about this character and her relationship to Spider-Man can check out her important supporting arcs in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. However, a film adaptation of the character and her dynamic with the Wall-Crawler could mimic the dynamic between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle in The Batman (2022).
Gwen Stacy/Ghost-Spider
Another popular theory for Sink’s role is that she will play a new incarnation of Gwen Stacy. One of Peter Parker’s earlier love interests, Gwen’s death at the hands of the Green Goblin has remained one of the foundational tragedies of the character for decades. Although Sink is a natural redhead, she could dye her hair to match the character’s typical blonde, or, similar to how Zendaya didn’t necessarily physically resemble the original comics MJ, Sink could just be playing a redheaded version of Gwen.
Conversely, if the movies aren’t trying to replicate the tragic version of Peter and Gwen’s romance from The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), the film could instead introduce Sink as the live-action version of Ghost-Spider. A multiversal hero from a world where she got the powers instead of Peter Parker, “Spider-Gwen” has become an especially popular character among fans after her cinematic debut in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and in the Marvel Rising (2018) series of animated films. This could be a multiversal tie-in or a chance to introduce the MCU’s version of Gwen as a fellow superhero.
May Parker/Spider-Girl
Fans of the reality-hopping from Spider-Man: No Way Home have been keeping their fingers crossed that the Spider-Man (2002) or Amazing Spider-Man universes could return, and Sadie Sink playing May Parker, aka Spider-Girl, could be the key to that. The daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in an alternate future, May headlined one of Marvel’s longest-running female-led comic books and has appeared briefly in multiverse-hopping adventures.
May is a fun character with just the right mix of Peter’s snark and MJ’s resilience, a perfect follow-up for Sink after her tenure as Max in Stranger Things. While it’s also an unlikely choice, it would pay off the multiverse elements introduced to No Way Home and could set up Sink to play an important role in the likely multiverse-heavy Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Madam Web
One potential (if unlikely) explanation for Sadie Sink’s character being capable of understanding who Peter Parker is would be introducing Sink as a version of Madame Webb. The original incarnation of the character was an old seer with ties to Spider-Man through the Web of Destiny, an old woman very similar to her depiction in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Other characters have been associated with the role, though, like Julie Carpenter. Still, Sink could be playing a similar character, more of an expositional figure who underscores Spider-Man’s importance in the events yet to come. It’s also potentially a means for Marvel to try and reclaim the concept following the less-than-stellar reception to Sony’s Madame Web (2024) and introduce its own take on the character to the mainline MCU.
