Spider-Man Will Never Be the Same With Holland: The Franchise's New Hero Will Finally Turn It Dark
There will be much less giggls than before.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will open a new chapter for Peter Parker, but with a much darker tone. This is clearly indicated by the main newcomer to the cast: Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, better known as the Punisher.
For Bernthal, this will be the Punisher’s first full-fledged appearance in a big movie within the MCU. Previously, he played the iconic antihero in the Daredevil and Punisher series on Netflix, and also recently appeared in the Daredevil: Born Again series. Now, Castle is taking to the streets of comic book cinema, and — what’s especially interesting — his first opponent will be Spider-Man.
In the comics, Peter Parker and Frank Castle started out as adversaries, with the Punisher holding Spider-Man responsible for Gwen Stacy's death. The modern plot could follow a similar path: with Peter in the utter oblivion of No Way Home, the arrival of a vigilante without brakes could be disastrous. Especially if the Punisher sees Spider-Man as a threat rather than an ally.
It's already been confirmed that the film will be more "grounded," with street heroes like the Punisher and, rumored to be Daredevil, gradually teaming up with Peter to form an alternate MCU storyline outside of the big space battles.
Brand New Day also promises new characters, including mysterious roles for Sadie Sink and Lisa Colon-Zayas. But it's the Punisher who's the main reason to look forward to the film: the meeting of two heroes with diametrically opposed views on justice could set the tone for Marvel's entire Phase Six.
