Tom Holland Wearing Punisher Shirts Over the Years Spark Excitement for Spider-Man & Punisher Crossover in ‘Brand New Day’
Jon Bernthal is officially stepping into the big-screen Marvel world, teaming up with Tom Holland for the next Spider-Man movie called Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Bernthal is known for playing Frank Castle, also called the Punisher, in several Marvel shows on Netflix. He even had his own series that lasted two seasons. Now, instead of staying on the small screen, he’s joining the Marvel movie universe.
The character has had a strong fan base for years, even before any official announcements, so it’s no surprise that Tom Holland is a fan too. A user on the Marvel Studios subreddit recently shared a compilation of photos showing Holland wearing Punisher shirts over the years.
It only adds to the excitement for the upcoming crossover.
Tom Holland wearing Punisher shirts over the years
byu/Souragar222 inmarvelstudios
This is not where the awesomeness of the story ends. Even before this team-up was announced, Bernthal shared a cool behind-the-scenes story about how he and Tom Holland helped each other land their big Marvel roles. Before being cast as the Punisher and Spider-Man, the two actors actually read lines together.
Bernthal had nothing but praise for Holland, saying, “He’s the best, he is the best. He had such drive, you know that young kid, he was like ‘I am gonna get this.'”
He went on to explain how it all happened: “We actually were in a very tiny town in Ireland, making this movie in the west coast of Ireland. He read with me for Punisher and I read with him for Spider-Man and we both got cast.”
The film Bernthal was talking about is Pilgrimage, which was released in 2017. It’s a great little story about how two future Marvel stars helped each other out before their big break in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and will begin filming in England during the summer. Fans can expect it to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.
Not a lot is known about what the movie is really about yet. There are rumors flying around online about possible villains. Some reports are saying there could be everything from Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Knull, Vulture, Scorpion, and even a few versions of the Hulk. What we do know is that Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are coming back to play MJ and Ned. It’s not clear how much they’ll be in the movie this time. Sadie Sink, known for Stranger Things, is also joining the cast.
The story continues after Spider-Man: No Way Home, where the world had learned that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, but by the end of that movie, everyone forgot.
Having the Punisher involved hints that this movie might get a bit darker or more grounded. The Punisher is a gritty character who usually sticks to street-level action and prefers guns, fists, and knives over high-tech gear or magic.
That said, the idea of him possibly facing off with a Hulk sounds wild, and maybe a little fun too.
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