Tom Holland has revealed how Spider-Man: Brand New Day managed to keep its rating in check despite featuring one of the MCU's most mature characters. With the press tour now underway, Holland is already sharing new details about his fourth solo installment as Peter Parker. Jon Bernthal's Punisher makes his big-screen debut in the film, but his trademark brutality and foul language posed an obvious challenge for a Spider-Man movie, one that has a simple, clever solution.
Holland spoke about the dynamic during a new Fandango cast interview, joined by Sadie Sink, Zendaya (MJ), and Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds). Opening up about his long personal history with Bernthal, Holland described the pairing as an "awesome full circle moment:"
"I'm so excited for people to see Jon Bernthal in this film. There's no secret that I absolutely adore him as a person. I've known him since I was a kid. I know his family really well. I knew his kids when they were, you know, really, really little. We did each other's audition tapes to get Spider-Man and The Punisher back when I was 17, I think. So for us to get to share the set and to portray these characters on the biggest stage is such an awesome full circle moment for the pair of us."
Ironically, this is only part of their full circle, with Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey releasing two weeks before Spider-Man, the two also star in that film together.
Holland also credited director Destin Daniel Cretton for turning what started as a "kernel of an idea" into something much bigger:
"And one of the things I love about Destin [Daniel Cretton], our director, is that he is so open to improvising, collaborating, taking big risks and stuff like that. And he really allowed Jon and I to just kind of run with it. And what was on the page was the kernel of an idea that turned into this awesome big brother, little brother bickering relationship."
The now 30-year-old Spider-Man actor has talked openly about Brand New Day being the first of his MCU Spidey films that he was able to be part of the creative process before writing even began. So it's safe to say this was his most collaborative journey making a new Spider-Man film.
He went on to tease the "banter" between Spider-Man and the Punisher, and explained how he approached the challenge of fitting an "R-rated character" into this less harsh version of New York City:
"The banter between the two of us is really, really awesome, and he's so great, and I love trying to figure out how you take a very R-rated character and fit him into our world without changing him."
Holland then revealed how there are a lot of "fun little Spider-Man quips" in the movie, including that every time Frank swears, he "[he] just web[s] his mouth:"
"And there's loads of fun little Spider-Man quips that we use to kind of get around. Like every time he goes to swear, we just web his mouth... But I think people are going to love Jon in this film. I think he when he's on screen, he sets such a great tone."
That moment was already teased in Brand New Day's first trailer. During the opening tank sequence, Spider-Man webs Frank Castle's mouth shut just as he begins to yell, "Mother fu-!" Cretton confirmed that the action scene revolved around the tank is during the opening of the movie, so fans won't have to wait long to see this dynamic on screen.
The recently released second trailer has since given fans a better look at Bernthal's role in the film. In it, Spider-Man brings MJ to the Punisher's hideout for safekeeping. When Spidey heads back out into danger, MJ is shown later pressing Frank to step up and go help him.
Brand New Day is a notable shift from Bernthal's most recent MCU appearance, The Punisher: One Last Kill, a TV-MA Disney+ special presentation that featured his usual level of foul language and graphic violence.
The Punisher isn't the only connection this new film has to the old Netflix Defenders era, as The Hand has been shown a lot throughout the marketing thus far, confirming they also make the jump from TV to big screen.
Tickets are now on sale for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with new premium format screen options, ahead of its July 31 global launch, expected to be one of the biggest movies of 2026.
Is Spider-Man Still Family Friendly?
Brand New Day will be rated PG-13, and at the end of the day, it is still an MCU Spider-Man movie. But the trailers have made clear this one is willing to go to darker places than the Home trilogy.
The Punisher's violent tendencies will likely also be dialed back (on top of the Spider-censoring), but his presence does add a harder edge to the film.
Beyond that, the trailers have shown alcohol at Ned and MJ's party scene, and a body-horror-style DNA mutation affecting Peter Parker himself, one that gives him all-black eyes and hints at a dangerous, uncontrollable side to the character.
The Hulk is also back, and not in a friendly or smart way. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) transforms back into a savage version of the character with Spider-Man in his sights, as confirmed by the second trailer. It's the first time this type of Hulk has appeared on screen since Avengers: Infinity War.
Then there is the film's mind-control villain, widely assumed to be Sink playing Jean Grey, who brings a genuinely spooky presence to the story. It's emblematic of Scarlet Witch's powers that were on display in Avengers: Age of Ultron, before she became a hero.
Brand New Day is pushing the limits of what a Spider-Man film can be, but there's also little doubt that it will land well across a wide range of ages.
