Spider-Man: Brand New Day will reportedly include a character similar to the DCU's Rick Flag Sr., who is poised to be more menacing than Frank Grillo's DC antagonist. Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios' upcoming solo film of Tom Holland's web-slinger will not only showcase a fresh start for the titular hero, but it will also bring back and introduce a plethora of villains into the fray, such as Michael Mando's Scorpion and Tombstone. Aside from these dangerous foes, another organization lurking in the shadows is poised to give Spider-Man some trouble in Brand New Day in the form of the Department of Damage Control (DODC). In August 2025, the casting of Severance star Tramell Tillman in Spider-Man 4 made headlines, but his role was still under wraps. A new report shed some light on who he is actually playing.
The Cosmic Circus reported that Tramell Tillman's character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the new head of the Department of Damage Control, described as the one who spearheads the mission to apprehend a rogue metahuman portrayed by Sadie Sink.
Tillman's character clearly has a vendetta against individuals with powers in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, meaning that he is shaping up to be Marvel's answer to the DCU's Rick Flag Sr. This is the case because both characters and the departments they work for (DODC and ARGUS) seem to be aimed at containing superpowered individuals.
As the new head of DODC, Tillman's character is proactively changing the organization's direction by becoming more active in containing rogue threats, which was hinted at in Spider-Man: No Way Home when they targeted Peter Parker and his friends and family following the revelation about his secret identity.
Similar to Rick Flag Sr., Tillman's MCU antagonist is hell-bent on achieving his goal of enforcing control over superpowered individuals he deems a threat, which could lead to drastic ramifications if it goes too far in the end. This further confirms the DODC's antagonistic stance towards metahumans, similar to how Flag completed his eventual heel turn against superpowered heroes and villains alike in Peacemaker's sophomore season.
While there is a risk that Marvel may be mirroring what the DCU is doing with Rick Flag Sr.'s story involving the Salvation planet in Peacemaker Season 2, the difference here is that Spider-Man is actively fighting against the Department of Damage Control (as seen from set videos) unlike Christopher Smith who is shown preventing himself to take action against Flag over the guilt of killing his son in The Suicide Squad.
Joining Tillman in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a stacked cast that includes Tom Holland, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Michael Mando. The highly anticipated movie will premiere in theaters on July 31, 2026.
Will Tramell Tillman's MCU Character Be Redeemed Or Become a Full Villain?
At this stage, the confirmation that Tramell Tillman will be the head of the Department of Damage Control clearly indicates that he will be a recurring antagonist in the near future, especially after the same report claimed that the DODC will be an anti-mutant task force in the Mutant Saga.
This could suggest that Tillman's MCU character may be at a point of no return, with no redemption, similar to how Rick Flag Sr.'s messy alliance with Lex Luthor shaped his villain arc in the DCU.
Tillman already proved that he can portray a relentless yet complex villain in Severance, and the fact that he will soon carry over that performance into the MCU is an exciting prospect.
While there are similarities to his character and Rick Flag Sr., Tillman has the potential to stand out because he is expected to be different from Frank Grillo's tough-guy soldier act in the DCU. It's possible that Tillman could sprinkle some of his Milchick performance from Severance (as someone who enforces control with underlying psychological menace) into his Spider-Man 4 character to add intrigue to the overall nature of the Department of Damage Control's evil plan for mutants.
