Spider-Man: Brand New Day originally had "a very obscure character" as its villain.
Spoilers for the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending follow.
During a talk at USC, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that a "big development change" during pre-production involved the identity of the villain.
Of course, we now know that both Tramell Tillman's William Metzger and Sadie Sink's Jean Grey were antagonists to Tom Holland's Spider-Man, but that wasn't always the case.
"There was one version of the bad guy, then another version of the bad guy," Feige said. "Then a version, essentially, of this bad guy that was revealed to be a very obscure character nobody had ever heard of. It just wasn't satisfying."
This is how sure Kevin Feigie was when he said he wanted Sadie Sink to play Jean Grey. Just a mere suggestion of her name when conceptualizing the character, and he already saw the vision. 📹 luckylukefilms insta pic.twitter.com/FgHFhKaB20August 3, 2026
Feige revealed that Tom Holland had some input – including one character Feige said couldn't be used in Brand New Day. Then, they finally landed on a specific mutant, around Peter Parker's age, that would be perfect for the story they were trying to tell.
"That's when Jean comes up," Feige said. "That is when it really came together. Then our producer, Emily Fawn, sitting around the table said: 'What about Sadie Sink?'"
We're not psychic – and may need Jean Grey's help here, ironically – so the exact details of who Spidey was meant to face in Brand New Day is currently unknown. One theory suggests telepathic villain Mindworm, while other speculation has revolved around the underutilized, anti-mutant activist Leper Queen.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in cinemas. For more, check out our breakdown of the, admittedly, pretty confusing Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene.
See what else is on the way in the MCU with our guide to upcoming Marvel movies.
