Rumors relating to which heroes and villains could show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day have been doing the rounds since before the movie was even officially announced, but the news that Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle) and Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner) had joined the cast finally gave fans a better idea of what to expect from this fourth solo outing for Tom Holland's wall-crawler... or so we thought!
Sadie Sink's character remains a mystery, the film's big bad is reportedly still under wraps, and we have heard that a number of additional villains at least one more MCU hero will be joining the fray.
Possible spoilers follow.
According to Daniel Richtman, Florence Pugh has joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, reprising her Black Widow, Hawkeye and Thunderbolts* role as Yelena Belova. The scooper adds that Pugh and Zendaya are set to film their scenes back-to-back with Dune: Part III, which could indicate that their roles will be roughly the same size.
If this is accurate - and Richtman does tend to be spot on with these early casting scoops - Belova would be a surprising addition, since the character has had no dealings with Spidey at all up to this point. The leader of the New Avengers is expected to have a major role in Avengers: Doomsday, however, so perhaps Yelena will be on hand to help lay the groundwork for the next MCU event movie.
We'll hopefully learn more if and when the trades weigh-in, but for now, let us know what you make of this rumor in the comments.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will also star Liza Colón-Zayas in an undisclosed role. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon will reprise their respective roles as MJ and Ned Leeds, but are not expected to feature prominently.
Unlike the previous films, Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home, Brand New Day is the name of a specific arc from the comics, and focuses on Peter Parker attempting to rebuild his life following the events of the status quo-altering One More Day and Civil War.
Brand New Day features a number of new characters such as Carlie Cooper and Lily Hollister, aka the supervillain Menace, which has led to speculation that Sink may have been cast in one of these roles.
“I’m spending my time exploring the next stage of this amazing character with a team of the most incredible artists in the world," said director Destin Daniel Cretton during CinemaCon. "We’re all, just daily, nerding out over the suit, how to swing, how to create an event, an emotional story, and a ride that we haven’t really seen before"
Holland did not appear in Las Vegas for the Sony presentation, but did send the following video message.
"I am so sorry I can’t be with you. I am halfway around the world shooting a movie. I know we left you with a massive cliffhanger at the end of No Way Home, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fresh start. It is exactly that. That’s all I can say."
Spider-Man 4 was recently pushed back a week from July 24, 2026 to July 31, 2026.