Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially confirmed three veteran MCU superheroes who will appear in the July blockbuster. Under Sony Pictures' leadership, Spider-Man was the sole true superhero in five movies, as the studio only held the rights to the web-slinger's corner of the Marvel universe. That all changed with 2017's Tom Holland-starring reboot, as a deal with Marvel Studios allowed the wall-crawler to venture elsewhere in the connected universe in exchange for beloved MCU heroes showing up in the Spider-Man saga.
Sony Pictures officially confirmed the eight top-billed actors in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, including three MCU superheroes. The coveted top spots in the No Way Home sequel once again go to Peter Parker actor Tom Holland and M.J. actress Zendaya, with the likes of Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Jon Bernthal (Punisher), Tramell Tillman (rumored to play William Metzger), Michael Mando (Scorpion), and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) taking the six trailing spots behind the A-list couple.
Brand New Day marks a milestone for Tom Holland's Peter Parker as he becomes the first Spider-Man to lead four solo movies, and his saga becomes only the fourth MCU sub-franchise to reach the quadrilogy mark.
It may be all sunshines and rainbows for Holland's Spider-Man in terms of milestones with Brand New Day, but that is far from the case in his real life. Still reeling from the consequences of No Way Home's ending four years later, Parker is all alone and has gone all-in on his superheroics.
Sadly, that decision has taken its toll on Parker's life and health as he has begun mutating into something else, now complete with Tobey Maguire-esque organic webbing, that many are convinced is heading for a Man-Spider adaptation.
Coming off appearances in Netflix's Daredevil and The Punisher, along with a more recent return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, Jon Bernthal will continue his tenure as the murderous anti-hero Frank Castle, aka Punisher, this July. First, he will appear in The Punisher: One Last Kill special
Due to their opposing views on criminal slaying, Spider-Man and Punisher are bound to spend some of Brand New Day at odds before teaming up against a greater threat, with Castle rumored to aid Sink's mystery meta along the way.
This will be the first time that the MCU's Frank Castle has appeared with a PG-13 rating or in a big-screen MCU project, but Bernthal has been clear that the Punisher's latest, family-friendly switch-up will feel organic.
14 years after joining the MCU in The Avengers to replace Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, aka Hulk, Mark Ruffalo is coming back. Nowadays, Banner finally appears to be back in his human form and working as a professor at Empire State University, where Peter Parker will turn to him for advice about his mutation.
For the time being, Marvel Studios has only shown off Bruce Banner in his human form, acting as a scientific advisory figure for Peter Parker. But Brand New Day merch already spoiled his long-rumored transformation into Savage Hulk for the first time in eight years, setting him up for a face-off with Spider-Man and Punisher.
Spider-Man, Punisher, and Hulk may be the three superheroes getting top billing for Brand New Day when it lands on July 31, but that's not to say that they will be the only ones in the last MCU team-up before December's Avengers: Doomsday.
Most rumors and speculation point to Sadie Sink's MCU introduction as the mutant superhero Jean Grey to launch an X-Men reboot, seemingly filling an antagonistic role this time around as the mystery mind-manipulator teased in the trailer.
Furthermore, reports have stated that Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh will return for a "few scenes" as Yelena Belova before appearing in both Avengers movies.
Of course, Brand New Day is far from the first Spider-Man movie to have other superheroes appear, even in the top-billed cast...
Who Got Top Billing For Every Other Spider-Man Movie?
Spider-Man
Sony Pictures took its first stab at a Spider-Man franchise in 2002, choosing Tobey Maguire to lead as Peter Parker, while Willem Dafoe was billed second for his legendary portrayal of Norman Osborn, aka Green Goblin. The casting billing also celebrated the talent behind Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), Harry Osborn (James Franco), Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris).
Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris
Spider-Man 2
Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man returned as the sole superhero of his Earth in Spider-Man 2, joined by familiar stars in the top billing with the new additions of Alfred Molina and Donna Murphy. Alfred Molina's Doc Ock wasn't exactly a true villain; he was merely a scientist tragically forced to do evil by his malfunctioning technology, while his real goal was to benefit humanity with renewable energy.
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, Donna Murphy
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 was perhaps the closest that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man got to having some superhero backup as James Franco's Harry Osborn, aka New Goblin, redeeming himself by helping to save M.J. and fight Sandman and Venom, leading to his death. Notably, J. Jonah Jameson actor J.K. Simmons didn't receive any billing until Spider-Man 3, at which point he was listed last:
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man was a fresh start for Sony Pictures' superhero franchise, now headlined by Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker and his love interest, Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy. Alike Tobey Maguire's trilogy, Peter Parker was the sole protector of his world, although its villain, Rhys Ifans' Lizard, certainly saw himself as the hero as he looked to eliminate human weakness and speed up evolution:
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, Sally Field
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the last web-slinging flick before he entered the MCU, and Sony was pulling out all the stops to launch a connected spin-off world. That included setting up many villains to one day form the Sinister Six, but no other superheroes. The top billing for the Andrew Garfield sequel, beyond the lead actor, went to Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx's Electro, and Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin:
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming launched the wall-crawler into Marvel Studios' sandbox of superheroes, with Tom Holland's new Peter Parker taking first billing and his Avenging mentor, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, taking sixth. The other top spots fell to its Homecoming's big bad, Michael Keaton's Vulture, and another familiar MCU actor, Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan, while the new cast took lower billing:
Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Donald Glover, Tyne Daly
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Tom Holland's Spider-Man didn't meddle with another superhero, per se, in Far From Home, as he was joined by Samuel L. Jackson's super spy Nick Fury and his familiar sidekick, Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill, who were actually Skrulls in disguise and advocating for a heroic imposter, Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio. In time for the Homecoming sequel, Zendaya's M.J. had notably bumped up to second billing:
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal, J.B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Continuing the trend of MCU superheroes tagging along for Spider-Man flicks, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange played a major role in No Way Home, with a cameo from Benedict Wong's Wong. The movie also featured two more Spider-Men to join Tom Holland, played by the returning Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who weren't on the billed cast to preserve the surprise:
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe
Find out five MCU heroes who should join Peter Parker in Spider-Man 5.
