A Daredevil character's cut scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn't the sequence many expected. The fourth MCU Spider-Man film, led by Tom Holland, further cemented the connections between Marvel's TV heroes in New York and its movie ones by pairing Spider-Man with Jon Bernthal's The Punisher. Peter Parker also made a friend in Charlie Cox's Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but these two weren't the only Defenders characters once set to appear in the Spider-Man franchise.
It was heavily rumored that Rosario Dawson would re-enter the Marvel universe as her Daredevil and Luke Cage character, Claire Temple, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Many even thought they had her scenes pinned down, particularly after Bernthal was caught referencing a hospital sequence in the film, a place where Temple would likely show up, given her occupation as a nurse.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers have since confirmed to The Wrap that Dawson was originally featured in the film as Claire Temple, but that her scene was cut. However, she was never included in the final hospital sequence and was instead set to appear in an earlier scene in the movie.
According to McKenna and Sommers, Spider-Man would have interacted with Temple, the night nurse, after his fight with Scorpion (Michael Mando). This fight took place during a particularly challenging moment of Spider-puberty for Spider-Man, in which his difficulty controlling his powers led to his being injured in the fight and nearly killing police officers who arrived on the scene to help. Given the outcome of the fight, it could've made sense for Spider-Man to accompany the officers to the hospital or seek treatment himself after the encounter.
McKenna said that it was "great" to have Dawson in the film, before Sommers added that her scene was "very good." The writer added that it "was probably cut for time," adding that her scene would have taken place right before Peter seeks out advice from Bruce Banner at ESU, making it "kind of a double beat."
Chris McKenna: "Rosario Dawson is great. I wasn’t there for those discussions. But it was great. If anything, you have a movie that is two-and-a-half hours long, and it’s almost an embarrassment of riches with so many great characters and so many great scenes."
Erik Sommers: "The scene they did was a good scene, I think the only reason it’s not in the final cut was just it was probably cut for time because it was very good."
Claire Temple became the go-to nurse for many of the Defenders characters in the Marvel Netflix universe. She began by privately treating Matt Murdock after his bouts as Daredevil in New York City, before she eventually became a bigger part of Luke Cage's life as well. Eventually, Dawson portrayed Temple in Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, and was somewhat responsible for uniting the team in their miniseries, The Defenders.
She proved herself an ally to the superhero cause, and her placement in New York made her ripe for an appearance in a film like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, particularly as Marvel Studios has begun reintroducing all of the Marvel Netflix characters again in shows like Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Kill.
However, Peter Parker already has several key figures to turn to throughout Spider-Man: Brand New Day, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and Frank Castle/Punisher. While Spider-Man's interactions with a nurse like Claire Temple would have been logical given their placement in New York, it may also have made the film feel overstuffed with cameos.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released in theaters on July 31st. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the MCU movie also featured a cast that includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Sadie Sink.
Rosario Dawson's Marvel Prospects Are Far From Over
Rosario Dawson has been kept busy by the Star Wars universe in the eight years since she last appeared in a Marvel property, but her time to return is nigh. The news that Dawson did indeed film scenes for Spider-Man: Brand New Day is confirmation enough that the actress is willing to return as Temple. Now the question is finding the next place for her in the MCU.
Marvel Studios is forging ahead with its Netflix reboot of Daredevil: Born Again, which is set to reunite all four Defenders heroes for a major crossover in Season 3. This reunion may also be the perfect place to reintroduce Dawson's character into the fold, given that she has relationships with all the Defenders heroes.
Temple is a New York-based character, so any other projects set within the vicinity also open up the door for her to return, whether it be potentially in Spider-Man 5, to make up for the meeting the characters were supposed to have in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or even future Avengers films.
