Will The Punisher Help Introduce The Symbiote In ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?

It looks like Peter Parker is going to have a very different type of mentor (or partner) in his next big screen outing.

It has been announced that Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle AKA The Punisher will be joining Tom Holland's Webslinger in next year's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That means that there's going to be a much darker element to the story than usual. So, what does that mean for Peter Parker's journey?

Well, we have a bit of an idea for where this is headed, and it involves the iconic black Symbiote suit. Let us explain from the top.

Peter’s Downtrodden Life Since "No Way Home"

When we last saw Peter Parker in No Way Home, he was at a pretty low point. Yeah, his friends were safe and he was set on continuing to protect New York City in a new, low-tech suit, but it came at a price.

He had lost his Aunt May, carrying guilt for what happened to her. He could no longer be with his friends, MJ and Ned, who no longer knew who he was. In fact, no one knew who Peter Parker was anymore. To top it all off, J. Jonah Jameson doesn't seem to be easing up on trying to nab Spider-Man as a villain. It could even be possible that Brand New Day goes down the Daily Bugle route, and he's having to use his Spider-Man connection to earn extra cash. That means working for a man who he isn't fond of and technically helping to put Spider-Man under fire.

So yeah, Peter's not in the best of situations. His mindset isn't going to be great, and he's going to feel lonelier than he ever has. Then in enters a certain someone.

Frank Castle’s Code

For those who aren't all that familiar with Frank Castle and his Punisher persona, there's only one thing you really need to know; he's not afraid to get blood on his hands. Frank Castle went through the traumatic event of losing his family, and ever since, he's not cared about what lines he's had to cross for his own sense of justice.

So ultimately, Frank is the ultimate anti-hero, and his code can't be compromised. This is something we've come to know quite well in the original Daredevil series on Netflix, and even in Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again. Matt Murdock and Frank Castle have never seen eye to eye exactly, with the Man Without Fear not willing to cross the lines that Frank will.

Frank's particular sense of justice makes him a very dangerous ally to have on your side. So the question is, what would his partnership with Spider-Man look like? Well that's where our full theory comes in on what kind of influence he'll end up having on Peter Parker in a vulnerable state.

Spidey and Punisher Working Together Goes One of Two Ways

There really is only two ways this can go. One way sees Peter constantly locking horns with Frank on how he's happy to get blood on his hands and call it justice. This could see Peter nearly crossing the line, very much like when he had Green Goblin at his mercy in No Way Home, and then once again doing a u-turn and proving Frank's methods aren't the best way to go.

But, we've seen Peter stop before he went too far before. Surely with a film called Brand New Day we're going to see our titular hero going into new territory. Which takes us down our second route.

For one, this is likely not going to have Punisher in a mentor role like Tony Stark, Nick Fury and Doctor Strange previously. Peter is now fully Spider-Man from the comics, so with a new trilogy/era, we'e sure to see him and Punisher in more of a partnership. With that comes a lot more room for the pair to clash. With Peter feeling vulnerable at this point in his life, he'll likely question his way of crime fighting versus Frank's, but will mainly disagree with his methods. But then something else could come into play. That being none other than the symbiote.

With Peter being so down on life, there would be no better time for the symbiote left behind by Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock to see the webslinger as prey. We can assume that the part of the symbiote left behind still has Venom and Eddie's directive to find Spider-Man, and it'll finally make it's way into New York City where it will find Peter in the perfect state for him to make his move.

As usual, Peter will enjoy the extra kick the symbiote gives him. The power. The resilience. He may even begin to see a bit more eye to eye with Castle. But not too much, despite Punisher's efforts.

But ultimately, this will lead to a final showdown with whoever the movie's main villain is. Peter, in his symbiote attire, will be winning and begin beating his enemy to a pulp. It will be here that we kind of get a replay of Peter's beat down on Green Goblin in No Way Home. The only thing is that this time Tobey Maguire's Spidey isn't around to stop him. This means Peter won't stop, to the point that even Punisher is disturbed at how far Peter has gone given his usual morals before his black suit swap. Think of it like that scene in The Batman when Battinson pumps himself with a shot of adrenaline and goes way too far in crushing a Riddler goon's face with his fist.

For a "brand new" era for Spider-Man, we could see him saving the day in a darker tone, and murkier situation. He wins, but at the cost of crossing the line. A line that Frank Castle has tried pushing him across for an entire film and now slightly regrets.

It could even make for more of a dramatic effect if Punisher questions Peter's actions and the webslinger gives the whole "pot calling the kettle black" speech. "You told me to get my hands dirty to get true justice, and maybe you're right. Why are you back tracking now?".

With The Punisher likely being a central part of the story, it would only make sense that a downtrodden Peter would finally come into contact with the famous symbiote and that the anti-hero of Frank Castle would in a way influence his actions.

Building towards "Secret Wars"

Of course, there is another part of the puzzle that makes Punisher's potential link to the symbiote origin make more sense. Avengers: Secret War is two and a half years away from release, and it will come a year and a half after the release of Brand New Day. Although Avengers: Doomsday is now set to release AFTER the next Spidey movie, instead of before, it isn't likely that the scripts will change, meaning Secret Wars will serve as the next appearance of Spider-Man after his fourth outing.

Of course Secret Wars is famous for the introduction of the symbiote, but of course the MCU needs to put it's own spin on things. With a new Spider-Man era being the year before, it would be a good place to bring the symbiote in earlier and have the effects of the alien parasite be explored further throughout the team-up movie.

Maybe we'll even see Spider-Man as more antagonist in section of the story. The could lead us into the second Spidey movie of the new trilogy being when he finally separates from the symbiote in the third act, and leaving room for a new version of Venom in the final movie of Brand New Day trilogy. And it could all start with the dark, murky code of Frank Castle/The Punisher trying to push Peter Parker into his own version of heroics.

The way the story's blend together for the character's arc could be like how Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame all hold a continued storyline for Bruce Banner and the Hulk.

What Do You Think?

So what are your thoughts? Could Frank Castle's appearance in Brand New Day help to kick off Peter's dark descend into the MCU's symbiote storyline? Only time will tell, but it one things for sure. The Punisher is about to give a whole new side to a Spider-Man movie.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits cinemas 31 July, 2026.