Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn’t an Avengers movie, but it’s starting to look like one. We know Tom Holland is returning as the titulal webslinger and that Jon Bernthal is reprising his role as the Punisher. But now, it seems that Mark Ruffalo is also returning as Bruce Banner/the Hulk, and even Michael Mando, who played one of the villains in Holland’s first Spidey film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, will return as Scorpion.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the new cast additions. And, since none of these are clearly a villain worthy of such a team-up, you have to think there are more on the way soon. The news is a nice way to end this brand-new Spider-Man day, which began with a tease of Spidey’s new suit.
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) is directing the film, which just started filming this week and is aimed at a July 31, 2026, release date. That’s a tight turnaround for a movie of this size, but it’s similar to what Marvel Studios did with Fantastic Four last year.
As for how these characters all fit together, it’s unclear. We’re pretty sure, though, that the film is a more grounded, street-level Spider-Man movie, despite the fact that Ruffalo is bringing his big, green Avenger into the mix. We last saw Banner/Hulk in a starring role in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Since then, though, he’s popped up a few times. He was in the end credits for Shang-Chi, played a fairly large role in the Disney+ show She-Hulk, and appeared briefly as an alternate version in Deadpool & Wolverine. This time, is he around to help Peter Parker fight a nasty bad guy? Or will Banner help Peter with some science?
Scorpion is an even more curious addition. He was one of Peter’s early conquests in Homecoming and was last seen in prison, along with the Vulture (played by Michael Keaton), asking about Spider-Man’s identity. You have to imagine he still holds that grudge and maybe even the answer to the biggest question of all. What the hell happened to Vulture? Didn’t we last see him with Morbius?
Anyway, this is a fun new piece to the puzzle of the biggest Marvel movie coming in the next 12 months. Are you excited?
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Read the full article here
