All New (And Returning) Comic Characters In The 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Trailer, Explained
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) is already set to be one of 2026’s most anticipated blockbusters, with comic fans poring over the newly released trailer for any clue about the film. Building off the events of the previous movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Peter Parker finds himself alone in the world but still dedicated to helping others as Spider-Man. While wrestling with his own internal pain over losing his friends and contending with all the villains New York City can throw at him, a mysterious transformation seems to be at play.
As one of the last MCU films to come out before the next Avengers movies, expectations are high for Peter Parker’s latest adventure. That’s why any tease was going to be obsessively looked over, especially as it seems to be slipping in some potentially notable new faces among the familiar heroes and villains we’ve met before. Here’s every comic character we spotted in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer—and where we’ve seen them before.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man
One of the most important and iconic superheroes of all time, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is set to return to the big screen in a big way with Brand New Day. Introduced in Captain America: Civil War (2016) before headlining his own trilogy of films, the Tom Holland incarnation of the Wall-Crawling hero will embark on a brand new chapter in the upcoming blockbuster.
Without the support system or technological advances he had at his disposal in previous films, Peter will go through a more difficult and lonely journey that the trailer promises will forever change him, not just emotionally, but possibly physically. With the MCU coming to a fresh climax in the form of Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), the new film seems to set up Spider-Man as a major hero for the grander MCU.
MJ & Ned
Spider-Man’s girlfriend and best friend have been his most consistent supporting characters in the MCU, with the pair retaining their importance in Brand New Day. However, things are different now that they—along with the rest of the world—have forgotten Peter Parker’s existence.
Going to school and leading perfectly average and content lives, Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned still seem poised to be the emotional core of the upcoming film, albeit in a more bittersweet way, with clips in the trailer hinting that the pair may eventually begin to recall the connection they previously had. This will also be the first Spider-Man movie since Holland and Zendaya, who are an actual couple in real life, got married, making that distance even more notable on a subtextual level.
Frank Castle/The Punisher
Marvel’s most brutal anti-hero, The Punisher, actually debuted in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man as a pawn of the villainous Jackal. So, it’s fun that fans are finally getting to see the pair interact on the big screen in Brand New Day. Punisher and Spider-Man seem familiar enough to casually banter and bicker in the middle of a massive firefight, matching the kind of dynamic that they’ve had in other adaptations, like Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994).
Jon Bernthal is reprising the character after playing him in Daredevil (2015) and two seasons of his own spinoff, The Punisher (2017), albeit with a slightly softer edge. While rumors have swirled over the full extent of Punisher’s role in Brand New Day, it could be as simple as Matt Murdock’s brief appearance as Peter’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
Bruce Banner/The Hulk
As one of Marvel’s biggest heroes, sometimes literally, Bruce Banner will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The human alter ego of The Hulk is a soft-spoken, brilliant scientist who has become one of the few remaining connections to the original Avengers in the current MCU. His appearance in the trailer suggests that Banner has shifted away from his “Professor Hulk” form that appeared in Avengers: Endgame (2019) and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), at least in educational circumstances.
Similar to Punisher, the trailer doesn’t really reveal how much of the movie will actually feature Banner, or if he will Hulk out at any point. Still, this connection to The Avengers could be a subtle way for Brand New Day to start moving some of the more prominent characters into position shortly before the multiverse-threatening events of Doomsday and Secret Wars go into effect.
Scorpion/Mac Gargan
One of the lingering threads from Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) that had yet to be pulled was the tease of Mac Gargan. So, it’s exciting to see him fully appear as the villainous Scorpion in the Brand New Day trailer. As one of Spider-Man’s older villains, Gargan has been reimagined in the MCU as a gang leader who previously worked with Vulture.
Michael Mando played the character in Homecoming, with the post-credits scene for that film hinting at his desire for revenge against Spider-Man. It seems that since the events of that film, Gargan has upgraded his Scorpion suit, complete with a massive, lethal tail that he can swat Spider-Man around with. Scorpion is part of a genuine rogues’ gallery for Spider-Man in this film, which is exactly what fans have been wanting to see.
Boomerang/Fred Myers
As one of the most obscure Spider-Man villains to make it into a feature-length film, Boomerang is a fun deep-cut to pull from the comics. At this point, it’s unclear when the battle with Boomerang happens, but it’s still a fun reference that could potentially pay dividends.
In the comics, Fred Myers is an Australian professional baseball player who becomes a costumed villain, outfitted with a number of lethal gadget boomerangs.Boomerang actually headlined The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, which is one of the best comedy books Marvel has done in the 21st century and an adaptation that could neatly land in the MCU. While it’s a long shot, it would be great if this Boomerang appearance paid off as more than just a cameo.
Tarantula/Anton Miguel Rodriguez
Another somewhat obscure villain from the deeper echelons of the Marvel Universe, Tarantula is like Boomerang and briefly appears in a quick battle with Spider-Man. The scene seems to be a direct recreation of Spider-Man’s first confrontation with The Tarantula in Amazing Spider-Man #134, making it one of the many cover recreations featured in the trailer.
In the comics, there have been multiple versions of Tarantula, but the first was Anton Miguel Rodriguez, a South American terrorist and revolutionary who battled Spider-Man repeatedly. He was eventually killed in a storyline where he transformed into a Man-Spider hybrid, although he has been briefly revived in the past. Given that the trailer hints at Peter’s own transformation, this may make Tarantula deceptively important to the events of the new film.
The Hand
One of Marvel’s many villainous organizations, The Hand has actually appeared in the MCU already as the overarching villains that unite The Defenders (2017). However, it seems that they are back in some capacity to face off with Spider-Man. The undead warriors have been a frequent problem for countless Marvel heroes, making them another perfectly bizarre complication for Spider-Man’s life.
Their mystical aspects could also make them useful victims of a less guilt-inducing rampage if Spider-Man were to lose control of himself in battle. It’s a potential fun use of The Hand, if that is indeed them. The alternate theory is that these warriors are instead connected to the Ten Rings, which could be a fun way to link director Destin Daniel Cretton’s new Marvel film with his previous one, Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings (2021)
Sheila Rivera
One of the more surprising MCU cameos in the Brand New Day trailer is Sheila Rivera, a minor character in the larger universe. Sheila has appeared in Daredevil: Born Again (2025) as one of the supporting government figures working for Wilson Fisk in his capacity as the Mayor of New York City. Thus, Sheila giving Spider-Man a key to the city in the trailer suggests that things might be getting easier for superheroes in the public eye after whatever happens in Season 2 of the dark Disney+ thriller.
Here, Sheila’s appearance seems to imply that either this film takes place alongside the events of Daredevil: Born Again, or that Sheila will escape the events of that show in relatively one piece.
William Metzger
Another interesting character teased in the Brand New Day trailer is Bill, played by Severance (2022) star Tramell Tillman. The character could be any number of Marvel characters, but the current speculation among fans is that he’s playing William Metzger, a minor character from the original comics. William Metzger wasn’t even a Spider-Man character, but rather a radical anti-mutant activist who came into conflict with The X-Men.
Considering that the mutants have been steadily teased as a major aspect of the MCU going forward and the persistent rumors that this film will introduce some potential new X-Men characters, Metzger’s presence in the narrative could be an interesting way to draw Spider-Man into that space and potentially set up a bridge for Spider-Man’s own mutation to be somehow connected to The X-Men.
MJ’s New Love Interest
One of the more bittersweet aspects of MJ no longer remembering Spider-Man comes to a head when Peter is at a party being hosted by MJ and Ned. At one point, MJ flirts with a man, suggesting that she’s in a relationship. It’s possible that this character is just a throwaway bit player, similar to the other boy vying for MJ’s attention during Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). However, it’s also possible that he is a specific character from the comics, like Paul.
Mary Jane’s most recent love interest in the comics is particularly disliked by fans, making this an unlikely turn unless fans are supposed to dislike the character. It’s also possible that this is a quiet way to introduce other Marvel characters into Peter’s orbit, reflecting the intersection of Peter’s personal and superhero lives despite his best efforts.
Sadie Sink’s Mysterious Character
The biggest question mark in Brand New Day remains Sadie Sink’s role. The Stranger Things (2016) star is reportedly a major character in the film, but the trailer largely omits her. Some speculate that she’s the big bad, an adaptation of characters like the Spider-Queen. Some rumors have even hinted that she may be connected to The Punisher somehow. Others suggest that she’s playing Jean Grey, the MCU’s first formal introduction of an X-Men character ahead of a fresh reboot for the shared universe.
This could potentially explain the mysterious character held in captivity, as well as the sudden and speedy mind-control moments that seem to happen at one point in the trailer. Sink’s character remains one of the biggest question marks in the film for fans, but we’ll find out once and for all when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
