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Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Jon Bernthal Joins The Cast

Daredevil: Born Again star Jon Bernthal will reportedly reprise his role as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Published Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:17:03 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, The Punisher, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, per The Hollywood Reporter.
The Punisher debuts in a Spider-Man film, marking the first big screen crossover since 2008's Punisher: War Zone.
Daredevil: Born Again links the Netflix era with the MCU, paving the way for Frank Castle’s return to movies.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is set for release on July 31, 2026.

Well, this is a team-up we all thought would be here eventually. We've got some more casting information about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and this time it's reuniting Peter with one of his more infamous villains and a character that was originally introduced in a Spider-Man book, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, Jon Bernthal, who has played the live-action version of Frank Castle since Daredevil season 2 (2016).

: Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) in Marvel Television's DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2025 MARVEL.

: Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) in Marvel Television's DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2025 MARVEL.

: Jon Bernthal at the AFI Fest Closing Night – King Richard Premiere at the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX on November 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

The Punisher, aka Frank Castle, was first introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 in February 1974. He was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. He's been running around the comic universe ever since and has made the jump to live-action beginning in 1989 in a film titled The Punisher, and two more films followed in 2004 and 2008, respectively. However, despite his direct connection to Spider-Man, it didn't look like Spider-Man and The Punisher were ever going to cross paths in live-action. Back in the day, The Punisher was licensed by Lionsgate, Spider-Man was over at Sony, and studios weren't exactly itching to work together. However, The Punisher and several other characters eventually made their way back to Marvel. Sony decided it was time to play nice and began collaborating with Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man to the MCU. Even then, the crossover was a bit iffy because Frank and Peter seemed to almost exist in different universes.

However, Daredevil: Born Again has brought the Netflix era to the MCU. We already know Frank is back, because he appeared in season one, and now he's making the jump back to the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day for the first time since 2008.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Was Inevitable

We learned the title of Spider-Man 4 at CinemaCon in April 2025, and tiny details about where the film falls in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline were all over the internet following the announcement. However, we haven't really gotten that much in the way of solid details yet, aside from the fact that the title is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which makes sense considering how the last movie ended. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Destin Daniel Cretton is directing this Sony/Marvel collaboration, and it has snagged a prime-time July 31, 2026, release date. Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon are reprising their roles, and Sadie Sink and Liza Colon-Zayas have signed on as new cast members. The timeline for the film has likely shifted a bit, considering the recent delay of Avengers: Doomsday, but it's unclear how that delay will impact this film.