The Major Marvel Netflix Character Cut From Spider-Man: Brand New Day
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" features a bucketload of Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, but one prominent figure from a Netflix-era Marvel series didn't make the cut. Looper's video above will explain just how the decision of cutting this particular character took place, and who it was going to be.
Though "Brand New Day" doesn't feature quite as many major characters as its 2021 predecessor, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the movie is still stacked with notable speaking roles in typical MCU style.
While Destin Daniel Cretton's 2026 movie tells a more streamlined story than "No Way Home" and its multiversal playground, "Brand New Day" still manages to sneak in villain cameos in numbers that you wouldn't believe before watching the movie. It features all sorts of MCU Easter eggs that both nod at the fandom and advance the story — if not this particular story, then ones in the MCU's future. Still, something always ends up on the cutting room floor, and in this particular case, it ended up being a fairly important character.
The Defenders era is making its way into the MCU in a big way
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has put plenty of chips into bringing its Netflix-era — also known as the Defenders Saga — characters into the fold. This has happened most prominently with Matt "Daredevil" Murdock (Charlie Cox), who appeared in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and on "Echo" in quick cameo roles before headlining his own return in "Daredevil: Born Again." Similarly, Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), has appeared on "Hawkeye," "Echo," and the aforementioned "Born Again." Daredevil was also rumored to appear in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," but this didn't turn out to be the case. Instead, major Netflix-era representation comes in the form of Frank "The Punisher" Castle (Jon Bernthal) and the Defenders' old enemy faction, the Hand.
While Marvel fans have been divided over Punisher in "Brand New Day," since he seems somewhat out of place in its relatively family-friendly environment, friends of the Defenders Saga era will be happy that the MCU continues to explore the next Netflix corner of the empire — even though we could have had even more featured players from there. Watching Looper's video above is a great way to discover just who missed being in the movie, and precisely why this happened.