With Spider-Man: Brand New Day set to premiere on July 31, 2026, fans are already looking for any new information about it. In Tom Holland’s last appearance as Spider-Man, Peter Parker was at an all-time low and starting a brand-new journey in his life. Now on his own, Spider-Man must make his own way in the world. While not much has been revealed about his upcoming movie, the casting has caught the attention of eagle-eyed fans. Specifically, Jon Bernthal’s return as the Punisher, a character who is as opposite of Spider-Man as is possible to be without being a villain.
As a result, there is speculation that Spider-Man and the Punisher might be teaming up, or potentially, opposed to one another as they both fight crime. There is a long-standing history of their dislike in the comics, so their MCU counterparts having a negative relationship isn’t out of the question. There is even a classic example of the two coming to blows over their differing approaches to fighting crime that the movie might take a cue from.
The Feud Between Spider-Man and the Punisher
When it comes down to their ultimate goals, Spider-Man and the Punisher actually want the same thing: To stop crime in New York. It is only in their methods that they differ. Spider-Man values the lives of others.
Since Peter Parker lives by the belief that «With great power comes great responsibility,» he believes that even though he has this power, it does not give him the right to decide who lives and who dies. There is also an element of hope in his decision not to take the life of another. He’s seen firsthand what each of his many foes could accomplish. The thought that one day they might turn those talents towards something good is too great an opportunity to pass up. That they too might start taking responsibility for themselves is all he can really hope for.
The conflict between Spider-Man and the Punisher occurred in Amazing Spider-Man #285 (Tom DeFalco, Jim Owsley, Alan Kupperberg).
In contrast, the Punisher has no hope for these criminals because he has no hope for himself. Once, he was a soldier for the United States, who served well and returned to his family, hoping to start living life as a civilian. Then, all that was robbed from him in one senseless act of violence. With his future robbed, he has lost any belief in the inherent good within people and has devoted himself to wiping out crime in the most definitive way possible. He believes that the atrocities he commits against criminals will terrify them enough that they won’t be as bold in the future.
Ironically, both have good points about the merits of their actions. Spider-Man does not tarnish himself by abstaining from lethal force and gives others the chance to improve themselves rather than drag others down with them. However, his actions do allow for repeat offenders, such as the Hobgoblin or the Rhino, to repeatedly go to prison, get out, and continue to cause trouble in the city. This is what the Punisher despises the most about Spider-Man. Has choices allow the rot to fester instead of excising it.
While there is some debate in Spider-Man’s mind about the effectiveness of the Punisher’s methods, he just can’t bring himself to kill. Really though, the Punisher just brings more lethal enemies down on himself and he doesn’t seem to recognize that for every person he kills, two more seem to take their place.
The Gang War of the 1980s
There was an incident in 1986 that Spider-Man: Brand New Day could use as the perfect basis for this. Spider-Man got involved in a gang war that had erupted in the city. This was back when he was wearing his original black suit, though at the time he did not know of its alien origins. While the gangs of New York proceeded to target each other’s leadership, Spider-Man decided that he needed to take an active hand to stem the violence.
Unfortunately for him, one other individual also saw the chaos and wanted to stop it his way: the Punisher. Spider-Man first became aware of this when he was stopping a brawl at one of The Rose’s illegal gambling lounges, only to witness the Punisher gun down two of the crooks who had broken in. Spider-Man gave chase but was forced to turn around when the Punisher pointed out that the men he shot were only bleeding out and not dead yet. This allowed the Punisher to escape and forced Spider-Man to begin questioning his own morality.
At the time of the gang war, The Rose was actually Richard Fisk, the son of the Kingpin.
He had deemed the Punisher a hypocrite for killing people, believing it made him no better than the criminals he hated. Yet, some part of him wondered if he should also thank the Punisher for removing some of the truly vile elements of the underworld from the world.
In the meantime, the Punisher believed that Spider-Man was naive and only allowed the problem to grow. In this single issue, they would encounter each other twice because once the Punisher got away, he became aware of a meeting between the Arranger, the Rose, and Hammerhead. He decided to target it and eliminate New York’s major crime lords in one go.
As expected, Spider-Man intervened, just barely managing to throw off the Punisher’s aim when he launched a bazooka at the building the mobsters were in. Enraged, the Punisher shot at Spider-Man, deeming him as much of a threat to New York as the criminals were. Spider-Man evaded the shots and managed to knock the Punisher down, but was unprepared for a surprise gas attack, once again allowing the Punisher to flee as he vowed to continue his personal war. Their fight ended there, but the ideological battle would rage on in the decades to come.
A Reimagined Conflict of Methods in the MCU
The MCU might use this particular interaction as the basis of their impending meeting. Spider-Man is on his own for once. He doesn’t have any Avengers to support him, no friends or family, he is truly alone. It was made clear that he will be continuing his war on crime as the webslinger, but he isn’t the only street-level hero active in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the second installment of the MCU’s Phase Six.
He’s already encountered Matt Murdock, who represented him in his last movie, but he has yet to meet the Punisher. It might be something of a shock to see that a hero could essentially do the same thing as him, but is willing to go the extra mile and kill his enemies rather than send them to prison.
That shock might evolve into a conflict, especially if the movie goes the route of a gang war in New York. With Wilson Fisk as the city’s mayor, there is always a promise of trouble to come, and he might stir the pot enough to allow the criminals of New York to brazenly start killing one another.
The Punisher might want to help them along, believing it part of their built-in habit of self-destructing when the men in charge get greedy. Spider-Man being Spider-Man, though, will likely interfere. This would undoubtedly cause animosity between the two as the Punisher would find the young hero naive and contributing to a problem that he has spent years trying to stamp out.
Considering this is an MCU movie, the two might find more common ground than they would in the movies. This version of the Punisher is a little more humane than his comic self. He has been known to help people out of the kindness of his heart and even shield the innocent from the violence of his world.
While he will never be willing to use Spider-Man’s methods, he might temporarily agree to an alliance if he believes the situation requires more than just himself alone. If so, then this could potentially be one of the few times in history Spider-Man and the Punisher will get along. Fans will have to wait and see to find out.
Marvel's Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in the Silver Age of Comic Books, and has since gone on to appear in multiple movies, television series and video games.
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Deborah Ann Woll
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Jon Bernthal
After his revenge on those who murdered his family, aimless Marine veteran Frank Castle finds a new meaning in life as a vigilante known as "The Punisher".
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