Jon Bernthal's Punisher Is Joining Spider-Man: Brand New Day, And That's Perfect For Peter Parker

Although much of the attention for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" hitting theaters on July 25, 2025, as well as "Avengers: Doomsday" currently in production, we just got perhaps the most intriguing update regarding "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Emmy-winner Jon Bernthal is set to make his big screen debut as Frank Castle/The Punisher in the upcoming film, set to be helmed by "Shang-Chi" director Destin Daniel Cretton.

That's right. Jon Bernthal's Punisher will finally be making his first appearance in an MCU film, and most fittingly, it will be in a "Spider-Man" movie. While fans continue to speculate about whether or not "Brand New Day" will be the right story for Tom Holland's Peter Parker following the tectonic shift in his life after the events of "No Way Home," the addition of Frank Castle provides some exciting avenues to explore. It also hints towards some uncharted territories for both Parker and Castle, as they are both in the midst of a major change within their grounded worlds.

Francis "Frank" Castle, aka The Punisher, was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The character first appeared in "The Amazing Spider-Man" issue #129, which was published in February 1974 under the subtitle, "The Punisher Strikes Twice." In his debut, The Punisher was initially established as a Spider-Man villain, but he became so popular amongst readers that his character eventually spawned his own series. The antihero has since been adapted into three different live-action films, including a forgotten 1989 cult film that starred Dolph Lundgren in the role, as well as two other iterations that starred Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson.

Eight years after the release of "Punisher: War Zone," Marvel Television reintroduced the beloved antihero in "Daredevil" season 2, where Jon Bernthal made his debut as Frank Castle as he became an uneasy ally to Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox). His initial appearance in that series led to his own spinoff standalone show, "The Punisher," which ran for two seasons before Netflix pulled the plug on its entire collaboration with Marvel Television. However, after years of anticipation, Bernthal made his triumphant return as part of the official MCU canon in the first season of "Daredevil: Born Again," and even with few guest star appearances, his performance reignited excitement amongst fans, and his future was already looking bright, thanks to the announcement of a Marvel Special Presentation centered on the character.

Peter Parker already had his first onscreen encounter with the MCU's more grounded, street-level threats in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," where he met Matt Murdock, Attorney at Law, who was looking to represent him following the public revelation of his identity. The jury is still out on whether or not he will encounter Matt Murdock's alter-ego in "Brand New Day," but the addition of Frank Castle/The Punisher bodes well for that potential team-up. Given that the gritty criminal underworld of the MCU's New York City is being further established in the wake of "Daredevil: Born Again," it is clear that Marvel Studios is looking to bring some of that darker realism to Tom Holland's Spidey, who has already had his fair share of fantastical adventures thanks to his experiences with the Avengers as well as teaming up with two Multiversal variants in his last standalone film.

One of the major criticisms lobbed against Tom Holland's Spidey flicks is that he is always involved with another major MCU character in his story. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) have all respectively played a major part in Peter's standalone films. While "Brand New Day" is shaping up to follow suit, and may even boast more MCU connections, the addition of Frank Castle is perhaps the most direct tease of the continuing maturation of our beloved webhead. Once you bring in arguably the darkest and most gutwrenchingly raw antihero in all of Marvel Comics into your film, it is clear that "Brand New Day" will not evoke the same lighthearted coming-of-age adventures of Jon Watts' trilogy of films. If nothing else, Peter is going to be further tested on his convictions and heroism once he meets Frank for the first time, and the prospect of Jon Bernthal's world-weariness coming face-to-face with Holland's Spidey is admittedly the most exciting development to come out of this new film.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" will swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.