Spider-Man’s newest movie isn’t holding back. Brand New Day, the next chapter in Tom Holland’s Marvel/Sony run, is stacking its ensemble with major MCU icons and long-teased payoffs. THR is reporting that Michael Mando will return as Mac Gargan, aka Scorpion, marking his first appearance since a brief post-prison tease in Spider-Man: Homecoming back in 2017.

Mando’s return isn’t the only major casting headline. Mark Ruffalo is officially back as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, his first big-screen appearance as the Green Goliath since Avengers: Endgame (excluding cameos in Shang-Chi and She-Hulk). Meanwhile, Jon Bernthal will officially bring The Punisher into the MCU proper after years of Netflix anticipation — and this time, it’s on the big screen.

With three of Marvel’s most intense personalities joining Holland’s Peter Parker, fans are already speculating about just how crowded — and explosive — this team-up will be.

Each Holland Spider-Man entry has paired the wallcrawler with a more seasoned hero: Homecoming had Iron Man, Far From Home had Nick Fury, and No Way Home turned Doctor Strange into Peter’s magical frenemy. Brand New Day, however, might be the most chaotic trio yet. Hulk. Punisher. Spider-Man. That’s not just a team-up — that’s a powder keg.

And with Mac Gargan thrown into the mix — who, in comics, dons the Scorpion suit and even becomes a host for Venom — the sequel is shaping up to be the darkest and most brutal Spidey movie yet. Mando, who wowed audiences in Better Call Saul as the morally torn Nacho Varga, has the gravitas and menace to make good on a villain arc seven years in the making.

What Will ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Be About?

Plot details remain under wraps, but you can bet Marvel won’t skip tradition: the heroes will almost certainly fight each other first, misunderstanding the stakes before a bigger threat emerges. That’s the “mighty Marvel manner,” after all.

Brand New Day marks a few firsts and lasts. It’s Jon Bernthal’s first big-screen appearance as The Punisher and Mark Ruffalo’s first full-fledged Hulk role in the post-Endgame MCU. While Ruffalo has cameo’d since (She-Hulk, Shang-Chi), this project marks a notable return to the action. It’s also a new opportunity to show Banner’s dynamic outside the Avengers, and maybe even tease storylines from the comics where Hulk and Spider-Man’s paths cross more frequently — often with lots of smashed scenery.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), with returning scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers penning the script, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to release July 31, 2026.

via Collider