The Punisher appearing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day makes a lot more sense than it might otherwise seem with the plot of his prior solo show in mind. The Punisher’s return in Daredevil: Born Again brought Jon Bernthal’s take on the Marvel antihero back onto the small screen, but with Frank Castle now also confirmed for the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie, it also seems like the character is about to appear on the big screen for the first time soon too. As one of the franchise’s least family-friendly vigilantes, how The Punisher will be executed in the Spider-Man film is a matter of fairly considerable fan discussion.

However, Frank Castle’s on-screen history does suggest he fits in more with Spider-Man’s story than it might seem, despite Daredevil: Born Again showing him being as bloodthirsty as ever. Having recently rewatched The Punisher thanks to Daredevil: Born Again, the prospect of the MCU antihero appearing in the story of Spider-Man: Brand New Day looks a little different to me – and, thanks to the story and characters in the prior Marvel show, the prospect makes a little more sense, too.

The Punisher Being Part Of The Spider-Man: Brand New Day Cast Has Understandably Surprised Many People

The news that Jon Bernthal will be a part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s cast – which was first announced earlier in July 2025 – was naturally something of a shocking revelation to many. Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s cast is still mostly unknown, other than Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds reprising their roles alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker – and Sadie Sinks being set to appear in an unspecified role – meaning that the reveal of Frank Castle’s involvement in the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie is all the more interesting.

While Peter is definitely last shown in the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home at a darker point in his life, it’s unlikely his story will reach the same dark depths as The Punisher’s own. As such, the decision to feature the Marvel antihero in this chapter of the MCU seems to suggest that Parker will either be tempted by the more ruthless approach Castle takes in his own vigilante efforts, or that their paths will cross in a way that brings them into conflict, much like the stories Daredevil and The Punisher previously have had in Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again.

With The Punisher being one of the MCU’s most brutal and adult villains – and Spider-Man historically having appealed to wider audiences, including younger demographics, especially when it comes to his MCU counterpart – having these two characters feature in the same MCU movie understandably feels like a notable and potentially even risky move. Though this does present challenges in terms of making sure the Spider-Man movie isn’t too violent while also making sure Frank Castle isn’t too watered down for the sake of Brand New Day‘s own rating, The Punisher show already shows how this crossover can work.

I Think Frank Castle Appearing In Spider-Man: Brand New Day Makes More Sense With The Punisher Show’s Story In Mind

The Punisher has no qualms about showing Frank Castle at his most morally complex, but it also consistently reiterates that Castle’s personal morals ensure he’s always trying to protect those he deems innocent, albeit through sometimes questionable means, such as scaring Micro’s son to try and convince him to stop heading down the path he is in the early chapters of the show. The Punisher season 1 sees Castle protect Micro’s children as one prime example – and even attempt to form a fatherly sort of bond with Micro’s son, who is struggling with his dad being, to his knowledge, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at this point in time.

However, it’s The Punisher season 2 that’s perhaps most important in terms of the character’s impending Spider-Man: Brand New Day appearance. The second chapter of the story sees Castle cross paths with Amy Bendix, and realize she’s in danger as one of the few loose ends in a plot to blackmail a US Senator that ended in countless deaths. Over the course of the series, the pair try to get to the bottom of the corrupt dealings that have being going on, and why Amy is being hunted down, with Frank forming a familial seeming attachment to Bendix despite the initial conflict between him and the young con artist.

Since we’ve already previously seen Frank try – to varying levels of success – to protect a character whose age doesn’t seem all that far off Peter’s own, and who also hid their own idenтιтy at first, it would make sense that The Punisher may also tone down his ruthlessness when he finds himself face to face with Spider-Man, either because of this previous experience, or because the young hero may remind him of his son on some level, as Amy reminded him of his daughter. Whatever the case, The Punisher already seems to prevent plenty of justifications for Castle perhaps handling Spider-Man in a way that’s different to many expectations.

Spider-Man & The Punisher Look Set To Repeat One Netflix’s Most Interesting Marvel Storylines

Teaming one of Marvel’s most murderous antiheroes up with a teen con artist sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the duo end up having a surprisingly positive impact on one another in some ways. Castle not only prevents what looks like Amy’s otherwise surefire death, but also encourages her to start over with a clean slate, which she takes him up on at the end of The Punisher season 2. On the reverse, Castle tells Amy that she’s changed him for the better, and while The Punisher‘s final scenes of the antihero mowing people down don’t exactly look wholesome, the MCU has the chance to now further explore things.

Seeing a smart-talking and plucky youngster dealing with the criminal underworld might be enough to make Castle subconsciously compare Spider-Man with Amy, especially because he believed Amy was capable of much better things than Frank believed he was himself. With this in mind, seeing the hero and antihero together on-screen in Spider-Man: Brave New World holds real potential to repeat some of the most interesting aspects of this previous storyline, since Castle, while ruthless, isn’t a monster, and it’s easy to see how he could develop a soft spot for Spider-Man, as he does in some of the comics.

Though there are an ᴀssortment of ways the MCU could handle Spider-Man and The Punisher sharing the movie spotlight in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I think the story of The Punisher helps to show how this can work for both characters without taking their respective arcs or narratives in directions that don’t suit them. At the very least, it provides a backdrop that suggests Castle might not be quite as ruthless with Spider-Man as he is with the likes of Daredevil, which bodes perhaps a little better for Peter Parker at this darker juncture in his MCU arc.