The latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day set photos hinted at a major prison break action scene that could be Peter Parker's biggest challenge yet. Unlike many other MCU movies, Spider-Man 4 has been conducting much of its production on location on the streets of the U.K., with cities such as Glasgow being transformed into New York City with some clever Hollywood trickery. Most of the set photos captured so far have centered on Tom Holland's Spider-Man pursuing an armored tank through the streets with an emphasis on practical effects. As the movie's main villain remains a mystery, it's unclear who is behind the wheel, but fans have theorized it may be connected to Michael Mando's return as Scorpion, years after his debut in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's production recently shifted to the town of Basingstoke in the U.K., where the crew looked to be filming one of the toughest trials yet for Tom Holland's Peter Parker. The wall-crawler looks to be confronted with a prison break at a Department of Damage Control (DODC) facility.
With potentially endless escaping villains and goons to fight, and possibly no help from the movie's other superheroes by this point, Spider-Man's latest challenge could even rival threats from Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home.
Plenty of armed DODC officers were captured next to a destroyed brick wall,
While Tom Holland was absent from the set as part of his time away due to a head injury suffered during the Brand New Day production, his stunt double could be seen attached to the mysterious armored tag via his webs.
Furthermore, the DODC looks to be in hot pursuit of Spider-Man and the tank, as they may still see the wall-crawler as a villain for supposedly killing Mysterio, unless that misunderstanding has been cleared up in the public eye.
Throughout the early days of Brand New Day's production, fans saw plenty of Spider-Man chasing this tank through Glasgow, Scotland. While some initially speculated Jon Bernthal's Punisher might be behind the wheel, those theories were likely squashed when Frank Castle's powerful new battle van was spotted.
Regardless, it doesn't appear things will be ending well for whoever is behind the wheel, as a destroyed version of the armored tank was seen in Basingstoke.
As the tank approaches the prison, it appears that the vehicle is set to be flipped over, with further photos showing Spider-Man hanging from its rear.
Flipping a heavily armored tank is no easy task, meaning it could be the work of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, who will reportedly be "scarier than ever" in his next MCU appearances and could even kill someone in his new savage form.
Meanwhile, the Brand New Day team looked to be concealing a new actor on set, who could be Bernthal, Ruffalo, or, possibly, Michael Mando's Scorpion.
When MCU fans last saw Mac Gargan in 2017's Homecoming, he was locked up in prison with Michael Keaton's Vulture. As Spider-Man 4 finally resolves the Homecoming cliffhanger, Scorpion is the prime candidate for this prison break.
Read more about every other MCU cliffhanger that still needs resolving.
The unknown actor will tag along for Brand New Day alongside a growing cast that includes Tom Holland's Spider-Man, Jon Bernthal's Punisher, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Zendaya's M.J., and Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds. Additionally, Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman, Liza Colon-Zayas, and Marvin Jones III are all making their MCU debuts.
While Spider-Man 4's story won't become completely clear until it hits theaters on July 31, 2026, one theory could explain how these threads tie together...
Spider-Man 4's Prison Break Could Explain the Movie's Storyline Confusion
Currently, there are six villains rumored to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which certainly sounds like a lot for Peter Parker to take on. Perhaps the DODC prison break will form the basis for Spider-Man 4's street-level storyline, with the wall-crawler attempting to round up Scorpion and other freed prisoners.
This could raise an intriguing conflict between Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Jon Bernthal's Punisher due to their opposing moral values. While the ever-heroic Peter would seek to reincarcerate these villains while they wreak more havoc in New York, Frank Castle may look to put them down once and for all.
That still leaves some major questions, such as how the Hulk ties into things, but maybe he could be manipulated to carry out the prison break in the first place, leaving Spider-Man to figure out who was truly behind the breakout.
Of course, that is just one theory, which doesn't explain how much of Brand New Day's massive, ever-growing cast plays into things. After all, the tank-driven chase that has been filmed through the streets of the U.K. could equally be a massive opening action set piece to kick Spider-Man 4 into gear.
