Spider-Man: Brand New Day is all about the fallout from Doctor Strange's memory-wiping spell. It appears the writers also forgot something important – about The Punisher.
As pointed out by a stream of fans online, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) tells Peter Parker's Spider-Man (Tom Holland) that he's "never had a friend" like him.
High praise for the wallcrawler, indeed. However, this line not only forgets Frank's shared history with Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, but also his old war buddy Curtis from The Punisher.
Probably the closest thing Frank ever had to a true friend and confidant, Curtis admittedly did make a brief, ghostly appearance during this year's special The Punisher: One Last Kill.
"Curtis was my FIRST thought too!! He was definitely the best friend Frank had; he was so dependable and loyal to him," one wrote on Twitter in response to a post that kickstarted the whole debate.
"Did they genuinely forget his day one?" asked another.
There are counter-arguments to be made, though. As one posits, "I’m assuming he meant innocence and optimism, which Curtis has, but Peter just has more of it."
Another added, "Let’s be honest. The average audience member going to watch Spider-Man is not watching the Punisher series."
Still, The Punisher (as well as the clutch of Netflix street-level Defenders shows) are now officially part of MCU canon. It could be read as Curtis erasure but, more than likely, was just a throwaway comment to show how much Peter means to Frank. Let's not put Marvel Studios in the crosshairs of social media discourse just yet.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in cinemas. For a taste of what's next, head on over to our guide on upcoming Marvel movies.
