Marvel fans, get ready to lock and load, because Frank Castle is officially blasting his way into the Spider-Man universe. That’s right, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the upcoming entry in Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man saga. And no, this isn’t a gritty fan edit, it’s the real deal!

Set to start filming this summer in England under the direction of Shang-Chi’s Destin Daniel Cretton, Brand New Day continues the story after the multiverse-shattering events of No Way Home, where Peter Parker became the most forgotten man in the world. Tom Holland is back as Peter, joined once again by Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s ever-loyal Ned. Newcomer Sadie Sink has also joined the cast in an undisclosed role, but all eyes are now on Bernthal’s return as Marvel’s most trigger-happy antihero.

Bernthal’s Punisher debuted in Daredevil on Netflix and more recently reemerged in Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again. He’s even co-writing his own Punisher special for Disney+, proving Frank Castle is anything but done with the Marvel sandbox. His inclusion in Brand New Day marks a major expansion of the street-level MCU into the cinematic Spider-Verse.

Interestingly, Bernthal and Holland share more than just MCU fame: they literally helped each other land their roles. The two were filming Pilgrimage in 2017 when they taped each other’s Marvel auditions. According to Bernthal, he even gave Holland the now-famous advice to scale a wall and flip before delivering his Spider-Man lines. “Not that I take responsibility,” Bernthal joked, “but, you know… maybe just a little something.”

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters July 31, 2026. With a cast like this, it’s shaping up to be anything but your friendly neighborhood sequel.

[Via Deadline]