Marvel Studios' next movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, will carry a unique connection to an upcoming Disney+ project. The Multiverse Saga made some key changes from the Infinity Saga, but the biggest came with the addition of Disney+ series and specials that connect to the largely MCU narrative. While more recent shows like Daredevil: Born Again have largely stayed in their own bubbles, the next live-action streaming release might break that mold.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will make history as the first MCU movie to star the main character of the franchise's latest live-action project release, which will then be The Punisher: One Last Kill. The one-hour Special Presentation will tell Jon Bernthal's first solo story in seven years as the Punisher, before he returns to play a major role in Brand New Day alongside Tom Holland's Peter Parker.
Amid The Punisher: One Last Kill's historic release timing, The Cosmic Circus and scooper Alex Perez claimed that the special "establishes how [Frank Castle] gets to where he is when Brand New Day kicks off."
This isn't the first time an MCU movie and a Disney+ project have been linked. It most famously happened with WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as the reality-bending sitcom introduced the Darkhold, Wanda Maximoff's children, and truly created the Scarlet Witch ahead of the movie.
Ms. Marvel and The Marvels achieved something similar, as the show not only debuted Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan, but also her ancient bangle, later revealed as a Quantum Band, which formed the basis of the MCU's 2023 box office flop.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was notable for introducing Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine before she appeared in Black Widow and Thunderbolts*, setting her up to (kind of) form the MCU's New Avengers.
Even the last Special Presentation, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, set up Vol. 3 in many ways and was even directed by James Gunn for Disney+.
Marvel Studios may have been keeping its storytelling connected across the big and small screens for a while, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Punisher: One Last Kill will be unique for having them released back-to-back. One could even argue that makes One Last Kill a direct Disney+ prequel to Brand New Day.
To some extent, Spider-Man 4 will also connect to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the last appearance from Mark Ruffalo's Hulk that unveiled his son, Skaar, and explained how he is back in human form in time for his 2026 return.
How Punisher's Special Connects to 2 Major MCU Projects
Despite making his Marvel Studios debut in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Jon Bernthal's Punisher is missing out on the Season 2 chaos. As the battle for New York to take down Vincent D'Onofrio's Mayor Wilson Fisk is coming to a head, The Punisher: One Last Kill will likely explain his absence.
The Special Presentation's synopsis hinted that Castle is "[searching] for meaning beyond revenge" before he is pulled back into the fight to take on mob boss Ma Gnucci, presumably keeping him busy during Born Again's chaos.
Either Castle will find new meaning in his life during One Last Kill, or he will continue that quest into Brand New Day and future MCU projects. The special could be used as a vehicle to explain how the Punisher becomes more toned down and less violent for a PG-13, while feeling organic and true to the character.
One also has to wonder if Castle's newest conflict with Ma Gnucci could play into the state of New York's criminal underworld in Brand New Day. While it is almost certain that a character like Tombstone won't be seen in the Disney+ special, taking one of his rivals off the board could fuel his business before his MCU debut.
