Where You’ve Seen the Familiar Faces in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Before

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already grossed $900 million worldwide. 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉 is sweeping the globe. In South Korea, after opening on July 29, it surpassed 4 million moviegoers in less than a week (as of an Aug. 4 tally). The film shows Spider-Man striking out on his own after ending up alone in the previous installment, while also weaving in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s version of New York. It also includes surprise allies who give audiences plenty of joy, making the film a treat for MCU fans. Below, we list—in release order—the MCU characters who support or oppose Spider-Man and where viewers have previously seen them.

‘Black Widow’ Yelena Belova = Florence Pugh

〈Black Widow〉 - series 〈Hawkeye〉 - 〈Thunderbolts*〉 - 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉

Unlike the few characters who already appeared in trailers, Yelena Belova from 〈Black Widow〉 makes a true surprise appearance that gets audiences laughing. Yelena first appeared in 〈Black Widow〉. She wakes from the Red Room’s brainwashing, meets her adoptive sister Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and helps bring down the Red Room. In the process the two break Alexei Shostakov, the “Red Guardian” (David Harbour), out of prison and remember the family bond they had long forgotten. Later, after Natasha rejoined Avengers missions, Yelena worked under Valentina’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) orders. On one occasion she even appears as an assassin targeting Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

While carrying out Valentina’s covert mission, Yelena has a series of misadventures alongside the Red Guardian, Ghost Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), U.S. Agent John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Together they quell a New York threat and, including Sentry Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman), the six of them go on to become the New Avengers. Since the other members are not really in a position to take the spotlight, Yelena effectively serves as the team’s leader. It may feel odd that she gets along so well with Spider-Man despite never meeting him in earlier works, but 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉 takes place more than four years into Spider-Man’s activity. With many heroes gone, the New Avengers likely judged Spider-Man a reliable figure.

‘Punisher’ Frank Castle = Jon Bernthal

〈Daredevil〉 season 2 - 〈Marvel's The Punisher〉 - 〈Daredevil: Born Again〉 season 1 - 〈The Punisher: One Last Kill〉 - 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉

You could almost call 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉 a Spider-Man–Punisher buddy movie. The Punisher has a sizable role. The two characters are almost polar opposites: the Punisher is an antihero who eliminates wrongdoers without exception, while Spider-Man holds out the possibility of redemption even for villains. Still, both are isolated heroes with no one to lean on, so they can sometimes form a solid bond like they do in this film. Until now the Punisher had only appeared in drama series; this movie marks his MCU film debut. His first appearance came in 〈Daredevil〉 season 2, where he repeatedly clashes with attorney-turned-hero Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). To stop the Punisher, who kills anyone he deems a criminal, Daredevil confronts him and later learns of the Punisher’s painful past, realizing he is not a simple villain. From that point the two recognize that, even if their methods differ, they are allies, in their own way, in the fight against crime.

After wrapping up matters with Daredevil, Castle tracked down and eliminated the force responsible for his family’s massacre, but he then displayed emptiness without a purpose. Followers who emulated the Punisher’s vigilante justice emerged, and Castle suffered from PTSD and even stepped away from being the Punisher entirely. However, when a survivor of the organization he had destroyed posts a bounty and ravages the neighborhood where Castle lives, putting innocent residents at risk, Frank Castle picks up his weapons and returns as the Punisher. 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉 shows the Punisher active across New York, though compared with the blood-soaked comeback in 〈The Punisher: One Last Kill〉, this return is noticeably toned down. The film softens the Punisher’s usual image to better match a Spider-Man story; he is portrayed as protective of the young Spider-Man while, at times, coming to share Spider-Man’s resolute moral core. Notably, the Staten Island that Spider-Man and the Punisher talk about in the film is one of New York City’s five boroughs; it hasn’t been depicted on screen in the way the recurring Budapest incident is referenced in Black Widow and Hawkeye.

‘Scorpion’ Mac Gargan = Michael Mando

〈Spider-Man: Homecoming〉 - 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉

Aside from the main players, this film features mostly new faces, but one returning acquaintance is Mac Gargan, the Scorpion (Michael Mando). In the first film, 〈Spider-Man: Homecoming〉, he was an extra among weapons dealers rather than Scorpion. Still, dialogue revealed his name was “Gargan,” and the mid‑credits scene, where he vows revenge after being injured by Spider-Man, led fans to guess he would later reemerge as Scorpion. Nine years later, in 〈Spider-Man: Brand New Day〉, that prediction comes true. Unlike other villains, who appear little more than in brief cutaway shots, Gargan shows up repeatedly as he is defeated by Spider-Man, imprisoned and then escapes, and later—after stress triggers bodily changes—puts up a fairly even fight with Spider-Man. The rest would be a spoiler, so viewers should catch it in theaters. Michael Mando has a reputation for excelling at villain roles, so here’s hoping we see him face Spider-Man again.