Spider-Man: Brand New Day's trailer and marketing rollout ranks among the most aggressive in Marvel Studios history, with the trailer breaking viewership records in March and a constant stream of promotional banners giving fans early looks at most of the cast. Tom Holland's fourth solo Spider-Man outing arrives in theaters on July 31, with returning stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, joined by Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, and several new villains. Almost every major name in the movie features prominently in the campaign, with one notable exception.
The trailer and the wider marketing push for Spider-Man: Brand New Day are working overtime to hide the true size of Sadie Sink's role in the film. Sink holds third billing in the official credits, placing her behind only Tom Holland and Zendaya. The billing order for the top cast reads: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo. Yet despite that ranking, she barely shows up in any of the promotional material released so far, with no clear face shots in the trailer, no posters featuring her, and no merchandise tied to her character.
In Hollywood, third billing is a strong signal that the actor is one of the central figures in a movie. Sink's placement puts her ahead of Jon Bernthal's Punisher, Michael Mando's Scorpion, Tramell Tillman's character, and Mark Ruffalo's returning Bruce Banner. The fact that she ranks above several long-established MCU veterans suggests her character will play a major part in Spider-Man: Brand New Day's story.
The trailer, which racked up 718.6 million views in its first 24 hours and broke the record previously held by Deadpool & Wolverine, gave fans clean looks at almost every major character in the film. Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner shares a clear scene with Peter Parker, Michael Mando's Scorpion appears in full costume, and Jon Bernthal's Punisher gets several quick action moments. Zendaya's MJ appears in multiple scenes, and the trailer also confirmed Boomerang and Tarantula as new street-level villains.
Sadie Sink, by comparison, never gets a clean shot. Her face stays hidden at every point in the trailer where fans believe she might be on screen. The few moments people have picked apart as possibly her show only a hooded figure, a person strapped to a chair, or a hand using powers in the background.
She is missing from the international promotional banner that revealed Scorpion, Boomerang, Tarantula, and Hulk, and she does not feature on any of the Brand New Day sticker sheets, posters, or merchandise designs that have surfaced. Marvin Jones III's Tombstone is the only other named villain to be kept out of the marketing this aggressively.
Why Is Marvel Hiding Sadie Sink's Spider-Man Role?
The most likely reason for the marketing blackout is that Sink plays Jean Grey, the iconic X-Men telepath, and Marvel Studios is treating her introduction as the biggest reveal in the entire movie. Insider reports have pointed to Jean Grey as her character, and the rumor has only grown louder since the trailer dropped.
The hooded figure shown in the footage wears yellow and green, the same colors Jean Grey is associated with in her classic Marvel Girl costume, and set photos from October 2025 confirmed that Sink's character has red hair in the film. The trailer also hints that Sink's character is a telepath who uses mind control to manipulate other characters.
If Sink is Jean Grey, hiding her in the marketing is a sensible move. The MCU has tiptoed around mutants for years, with brief teases in Ms. Marvel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Deadpool & Wolverine. Wonder Man also offered further acknowledgment of their existence in the main timeline.
Bringing a marquee X-Men name like Jean Grey into a Spider-Man movie would be a massive moment for the franchise, especially with Avengers: Doomsday set to release on December 18 and an X-Men reboot lined up after Secret Wars.
Revealing Jean Grey months ahead of Brand New Day's release in a poster or trailer would defuse the surprise, so it's understandable that Marvel and Sony are keeping her hidden.
There is a clear precedent for this kind of secrecy. Marvel and Sony successfully kept Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home hidden right up to release, even as leaks and rumors circulated for months. Scrubbing the two former Spider-Men from trailers and edited promotional footage paid off when the film opened, and the moment they appeared on screen became one of the most talked-about scenes of the decade.
The Sadie Sink situation looks like the same playbook in action here. If she really is the MCU's Jean Grey, the third-billing placement strongly suggests the payoff will be worth the wait when Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in theaters on July 31.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
