July 2026 can’t get here soon enough if you’re a Spider-Man fan starved for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) stories in the MCU. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will premiere more than four years after the massive Spider-Man: No Way Home blockbuster that changed everything for the only Spidey version to appear in Marvel’s cinematic universe.
If you’ve followed the past several years of rumors, you probably know all about the Spider-Man 4 drama leaked by industry insiders. Behind the scenes, Sony and Marvel couldn’t agree on the scope of the story. Sony, whose Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has been a mess, wanted a big multiverse story for Spider-Man 4, hoping to recreate the success of No Way Home.
Marvel supposedly wanted a more grounded story that followed the soft reboot teased at the end of No Way Home. Peter has lost everything. The people he loved are either gone or don’t remember him. He’s without Stark tech for his Spider-Man suit and still has villains to face.
Then again, we might never know if those rumors were accurate. What’s clear is that the Spider-Man 4 announcement delays could actually benefit the Brand New Day storyline. Marvel has spent the past few years cleaning up its Multiverse Saga and trying to improve movie and TV quality.
The longer development time for Spider-Man 4 is good news. I’m not the biggest Spider-Man fan, but this beloved superhero needs a spot in the current MCU phase. He needs to fit in with the new Avengers lineup, and I’m not just talking about the Thunderbolts*. A big threat is coming in Doomsday, and Spider-Man has to help defend against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
While the Spider-Man 4 plot hasn’t leaked, more and more reports are detailing some major Avengers surprises in Brand New Day, giving us clues about the movie’s direction.
I can’t tell you any of that before I warn you that massive Spider-Man: Brand New Day spoilers might follow.
Does Spider-Man 4 need Avengers?
After the events of No Way Home, Sony and Marvel will have to explain what Spider-Man has been up to. More importantly, he’ll need to reconnect with the Avengers. Or rather, the Avengers will need to bring him back into the fold.
Remember, the world doesn’t know Spider-Man’s identity, but they know he exists and that he fought Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Spider-Man 4 is the perfect opportunity to build on that. It’s where Spider-Man rejoins the Avengers to take on Doctor Doom.
Even without the No Way Home cliffhanger, Spider-Man 4 would probably still include some Avengers cameos. It’s tradition. Every Spider-Man movie has had appearances by Avengers or adjacent characters. That list includes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).
These cameos boost box office appeal and reinforce Spider-Man’s connection to the MCU.
Brand New Day cameos and plot
If you’ve been following Marvel leaks, you might know that Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) started appearing in Spider-Man 4 rumors back in late May. A few weeks later, Brand New Day reports claimed The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) would also appear.
We last saw Hulk in She-Hulk, so it’s been a while since Bruce Banner played a big role. The Punisher, meanwhile, showed up in Daredevil: Born Again. He even appears in the show’s end credits, which reveal how he escapes captivity.
Technically, The Punisher isn’t an Avenger and has never appeared in any of Marvel’s MCU movies.

So why pair Peter Parker with Frank Castle and Bruce Banner? Those earlier Spider-Man 4 plot rumors come into play here. Including these MCU characters in Brand New Day could serve both Sony and Marvel’s goals. The movie could straddle street-level action (The Punisher) and larger-scale stakes (Hulk).
That brings us to the latest leak. A well-known Marvel leaker recently shared that both The Punisher and Hulk will be in Brand New Day, which matches earlier reports. Daniel Richtman also revealed a key plot detail that changes everything.
The three superheroes won’t be on the same side. Instead, Brand New Day will feature a major fight between Spider-Man and a Savage Hulk version of Hulk, with The Punisher helping Spidey take him down.
How exactly will the Punisher, a ruthless gunslinger, go up against Hulk? I’m already excited to see Spider-Man go toe-to-toe with Hulk rather than fighting alongside him. And the idea of The Punisher unloading on Savage Hulk? That’s something I definitely want to see.