The 8 Main Characters in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Ranked by Likability

Spider-Man: Brand New Day delivers a wide range of characters that are a mixed bag when it comes to winning over audiences. While plenty of MCU projects are still on the way, Brand New Day is already a worldwide phenomenon, having earned the second-biggest opening weekend in history at the global box office (behind Avengers: Endgame). This comes courtesy of a massive cast of stars, who bring to life characters that evoke countless emotions in the 145-minute epic.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day features a large ensemble cast, including eight main characters led by Tom Holland's Peter Parker. That ensemble includes heroes, supporting protagonists, and major villains for the web-slinger to take on in Holland's fourth MCU solo movie. While there is plenty to love about some in this group, this cannot be said about all of them.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Characters, Ranked by Audience Likability

1. Peter Parker

Leading the way in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, naturally, is Tom Holland's Peter Parker in his fourth MCU solo movie. This movie marks Holland's seventh time playing the friendly neighborhood hero for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, including his debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and his smaller roles in the last two Avengers movies (2018's Infinity War and 2019's Endgame).

Unsurprisingly, Holland's Peter Parker is the most likable character in Brand New Day, as the story centers on his emotional journey as New York's protector while he tries to rebuild his life outside the Spider-Man suit. While he goes through plenty of physical and emotional challenges in this movie, fans feel deeply connected to his plight as he continues to show his heroic qualities and reconnects with those closest to him after the world has forgotten about Peter Parker.

2. Ned

Joining Holland in the main cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is fan-favorite star Jacob Batalon, who plays the MCU's Ned Leeds. This is Batalon's sixth time playing Peter Parker's best friend from high school, including the first three Spider-Man movies, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

While Ned's role is smaller in this movie than in past Spider-Man movies, he manages to bring smiles and laughs in every scene that features him. From his continuing awe and appreciation for Spider-Man to the movie references he shares with Peter in his apartment, Ned is as lovable and relatable as ever as he nears his college graduation.

3. MJ

Along with her massive roles in other 2026 projects like Euphoria and Dune: Part Three, Zendaya is back in the MCU to play MJ (Michelle Jones-Watson) in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While Tom Holland's real-life wife does not have MCU roles outside of the web-slinger movies, she is prominent in all four solo Spider-Man movies alongside Holland and Batalon.

While MJ's role was smaller in Brand New Day than in past movies, her emotional connection (or lack thereof) to Peter brought plenty of feelings for fans wanting to see them reunite as a power couple. Her "I don't love you" moment broke hearts across the fandom, but her character was just as enjoyable otherwise, and there is a chance she and Peter have a shot at a real reunion in future movies as well.

4. Punisher

Jon Bernthal has a historic appearance as Frank Castle/the Punisher in Brand New Day, marking the first time the character has been in a big-screen Marvel movie since 2008's Punisher: War Zone (featuring the late Ray Stevenson). Bernthal previously starred in Netflix's Daredevil and The Punisher series, and later had major roles in Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again and his own Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill.

Although the Punisher is one of the roughest and most brutal characters in the MCU, his first MCU movie appearance was a huge success, as his team-up with Spider-Man brought countless laughs and cheers. He does not rank as highly on this list due to having less screen time than other characters, but he was able to fully integrate into the broader MCU, setting the stage for further character development.

5. Jean DeWolff

Following her standout work in all five seasons of FX's The Bear, Liza Colón-Zayas made her MCU debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day as NYPD Detective Jean DeWolff. Only getting a few scenes in this movie, DeWolff was Peter's main contact with law enforcement, working closely together to take care of the crime spree in New York (including this movie's main conflict).

Colón-Zayas established herself as a solid character in the MCU through her work with Peter, but she did not get much screen time amid a massive cast of other characters. The hope is that she will get more to work with in future movies, as Peter builds his relationship with law enforcement and learns more about DeWolff.

6. Bruce Banner

Mark Ruffalo, one of the MCU's original six stars from The Avengers, returns to action in Brand New Day as Bruce Banner/the Hulk. This is Ruffalo's 10th MCU appearance overall (including uncredited post-credits cameos and Disney+ shows), and it is his first movie time playing a main role in an MCU movie since Avengers: Endgame.

While Ruffalo was not necessarily an "unlikable" character in this movie, as was the case with other characters, he did not get much to work with outside of a few scenes with Peter. His fight as Savage Hulk was a major highlight, but outside of his Bruce Banner scene at Empire State University, he was largely absent.

7. Jean Grey

After months of speculation, Stranger Things star Sadie Sink finally made her long-awaited debut in the MCU as one of the main stars of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While theories had pointed to her potentially playing a few different roles, the final reveal came about halfway through the movie: Sink plays the MCU's Jean Grey from Earth-616.

Playing one of the movie's main antagonists, Jean did not come off as the most likable character upon her debut, holding back nothing against New York as she looked to avenge her dead sister (Sara Grey). While she is a complicated character, this movie gave her arguably the most villainous appearance to date, as she killed multiple people in her quest for vengeance. The hope is that she will be able to grow and evolve from here, especially after her interactions with Aunt May inside Peter Parker's head.

8. William Metzger

After major appearances in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Severance, Tramell Tillman starred in the MCU for the first time in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He joined the Spider-Man sequel as William "Bill" Metzger, a prominent anti-mutant force from the comics who serves as the director of the Department of Damage Control in the MCU.

Although Jean was this movie's scariest threat, Metzger was the reason Jean lost her cool, taking out her sister through experimentation and bringing terror to the city through his work with Damage Control. Also known as a major anti-mutant voice in the comics, Metzger is sure to have an impact on the X-Men's development across the MCU's future.