A new Spider-Man: Brand New Day theory explains what kind of important role two Marvel Cinematic Universe characters could play in the film. Every single one of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies has included at least one major hero alongside his Spider-Man. Characters like Iron Man, Nick Fury, and Doctor Strange have kept that MCU tradition going, and it will return.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s cast includes not one, but two important MCU heroes. Jon Bernthal’s Punisher will finally make the jump from TV to the big screen in the Spider-Man movie, with Mark Ruffalo returning as the Hulk after not being announced for Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast. The two characters could not be more different, which is why their inclusion raises questions.

Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Script Set Up A Dark Path For Peter Parker

Spider-Man: No Way Home was the epic ending that Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man trilogy deserved. In Homecoming, the hero fought to be the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man everyone knows and loves, then in Far From Home, Spider-Man took on crime overseas, with No Way Home bringing the action back to New York City for a full-circle moment with a multiversal twist.

At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker had to make a major decision. In order to prevent all the people who knew Peter was Spider-Man in other universes from coming crashing into the main MCU’s Earth, Peter told Doctor Strange to make the world forget who he was. The spell worked, with Peter’s loved ones forgetting him.

After the movie’s release, Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s script was shared. It shed some light on the MCU movie’s final moments, cementing a fundamental change in Spider-Man’s life. According to the script, “Peter Parker is no more, but Spider-Man lives on.” Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is now putting his personal life as Peter on the back burner, focusing his energies on being Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Will Change The Direction Of The MCU Spider-Man Franchise

After the film’s huge success — Spider-Man: No Way Home nearly reached the $2 billion mark — I expected the MCU’s next Spider-Man movie to continue using the multiverse. While it would not have been the ideal fit for Peter Parker, given how No Way Home ends, the Multiverse Saga and proximity to the next two Avengers movies could have impacted it.

However, with Marvel Studios delaying Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will now be released before both Avengers movies. As such, the Spider-Man film is able to directly follow No Way Home‘s setup for a more personal Spider-Man sequel instead of going the multiversal route due to requests for Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men to return.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed Spider-Man: Brand New Day will feature the hero fighting “street-level crime.” That connects to the back-to-basics approach to the character seen at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Peter Parker lived in a small apartment by himself and crafted his suit without advanced technology. It can explain the crossover characters.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Theory Explains How The Hulk & Punisher Connect To Peter Parker’s Story

When it comes to a street-level story, adding the Punisher to Spider-Man: Brand New Day makes a lot of sense. After all, Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle is a darker character known for his violent antics on the MCU’s street-level series, recently returning in Daredevil: Born Again. Perhaps under his Joe Fixit persona, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk could make sense for a gang war.

However, a new Spider-Man: Brand New Day theory explains why the Punisher and the Hulk are in the MCU movie, and it has more to do with where Peter Parker is in his life than a specific villain story. As noted by the No Way Home script, Spider-Man is all that is left for Peter, who has abandoned his personal life.

Bernthal’s Punisher can relate to that, having done the same after his family’s death. However, that led Frank Castle down a dark path of misery and violence, making him a negative role model to Holland’s Spider-Man. On the other hand, Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner only found peace when he united his Banner and Hulk sides into one, aka Smart Hulk.

The Hulk serves as the role model I believe Holland’s Spider-Man needs right now. Instead of succumbing to the darkness of his situation like the Punisher, Peter Parker can look up to Bruce Banner’s example and unite his two sides to come out stronger after No Way Home‘s ending.

How Tom Holland’s Peter Parker Could Be Changed By Spider-Man: Brand New Day

With two paths to follow, the Punisher’s or the Hulk’s, Spider-Man could be very different after Brand New Day. If he follows Frank Castle’s lead, perhaps even killing a villain, Spider-Man would be perfectly set up to don the symbiote suit in the Avengers movies. In the comics, the first time Peter wore the black Spider-Man suit was in Secret Wars.

If Spider-Man were to follow the Hulk’s lead, then he could be firmly on his hero path by the time Avengers: Doomsday rolls around. Having Peter Parker find himself again, only to be hit by the fact that Doctor Doom has Tony Stark’s face when they meet, would be heartbreaking. Spider-Man: Brand New Day can set up either path.