Punisher vs. Spidey? Jon Bernthal signs on for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

THR reports that Jon Bernthal is set to join Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day as The Punisher. I can’t say I saw that coming. Not much is known about the upcoming sequel, but there have certainly been plenty of rumours, including a possible appearance from Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk.

The report also states that Zendaya and Jacob Batalon will reprise their roles as MJ and Ned, although it’s unclear how significant their roles will be given the memory-altering events of the last movie. Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) joined the cast earlier this year, but her role is shrouded in mystery. The Bear‘s Liza Colón-Zayas is also part of the cast. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton is set to helm Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The film will shoot in England this summer and is already slated for a July 31, 2026 release.

Bernthal first played The Punisher in Netflix’s Daredevil series, before taking center stage in his own series, which lasted two seasons. He recently returned for Daredevil: Born Again, and will star in (and co-write) a Punisher Special Presentation for Disney+.

It’s fitting that Bernthal will reunite with Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as he’s previously said that he likes to take a “little” credit for the actor winning the role. They helped each other record their audition tapes for their respective Marvel roles while working together on Pilgrimage.

“We did a film about seven or eight years ago,” Bernthal said. “That was where both Tom did his audition for Spider-Man and I did my audition for Punisher. We actually made each other’s audition tapes [working] on that film.” Bernthal added that Holland “really believed he was going to get it.“

“I was like ‘There’s probably a lot of people that want to be Spider-Man, I mean, you’re super talented and all, but the odds are kind of against you, but yeah, let’s make the tape,’” he said. “He just had this belief, and when you get to know him and see how he shows up, there is a reason why he is the movie star that he is.“

As for that “little” bit of credit, Bernthal says he was the one who encouraged Holland to do a stunt in his audition. “I gave him the note, ‘Tom, maybe you should run up that wall and do a double backflip and then start the scene.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you think I should do that? That’s not too much?’“

“I was like, ‘I don’t think any of these other fools are able to do that,’ and he in fact did that,” Bernthal said. “It’s not that I take responsibility for him, but you know, like a little something.“

What do you think of Jon Bernthal playing The Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

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