MCU boss Kevin Feige reveals why Marvel is pairing up Spider-Man and The Punisher in Brand New Day: "[It's] street-level crime as opposed to world-ending events"

Tom Holland as Peter Parker sitting in his during during Spider-Man: No Way Home
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Tom Holland's Spider-Man is pivoting away from Multiverse plots in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day to offer fans more "street-level crime" action, according to Marvel boss Kevin Feige.

"I think there's a promise at the end of No Way Home that for as sad as it is that Peter is forgotten by everyone in his life, we are seeing for the first time in the Tom Holland Spider-Man stories, him being a proper Spider-Man," Feige recently told GamesRadar+ and other media outlets during a roundtable.

"It's him being by himself, dedicated to saving the city and dealing with, for lack of [a] better [term], street-level crime as opposed to world-ending events that he faced when working with the other characters," he added.

After participating in numerous cosmic adventures like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Peter Parker is staying in New York for his next adventure. It's only natural, then, that his world collides with the events of Daredevil: Born Again, released earlier this year.

Jon Bernthal's Punisher was announced last month as one of the major characters in the film after reappearing for a couple of episodes of the Disney+ show. Feige explained that he saw this movie as a great opportunity to pair up two fan-favorite heroes that had never interacted before on screen.

"When you do that, you say, 'Okay, who are the other street-level characters that we've never seen them interact with?' And of course, I love that Punisher started in a Spider-Man comic, on that great cover," said Feige, referring to the Spider-Man cover where The Punisher made his first appearance, The Amazing Spider-Man #129, released in February 1974.

"I don't want to say too much," he continued, "but Destin [Daniel Cretton]… Wait, I will say too much. Destin is doing an amazing job right now on that movie that starts shooting very soon, and he's got eight or nine comic covers up on his wall in his art department that he is bringing to life in this movie. It is super cool."

We can't wait to see which other comics and covers have inspired the upcoming film, which is being helmed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton. Filming is set to start this summer, with Tom Holland teasing that the film will "lean into that old-school filmmaking" and use "real locations".

The star has also hinted at a "fresh start" for his character following the events of the Spider-Man: No Way Home ending.

Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are set to reprise their roles as Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson and Ned Leeds, respectively, while new cast members include Stranger Things star Sadie Sink and The Bear's Liza Colón-Zayas.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to premiere on July 31, 2026, as part of Marvel Phase 6. For more, here's how to watch all of the Marvel movies in order, and also our guide for how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order.

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Mireia Mullor
Contributing Writer

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.

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