One of my most anticipated upcoming Marvel movies is definitely Tom Holland’s fourth outing as the wall-crawler. Of what we know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Hulk, and The Punisher are both set to appear in the 2026 movie release, and as absurd as that sounds and had me concerned, a new fan theory about why they might be showing up sounds pretty legit.
A recent Screen Rant article lays out a fan theory that suggests Hulk and the Punisher really show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, not just as a spike the cameo meter, but to be mirrors for Peter Parker’s anger once that lingering symbiote fragment starts poking the bear. They lay out the clearest version of this theory: with a piece of Venom left in the MCU after No Way Home, the symbiote gravitates toward characters with volatile rage—hello, Bruce Banner and Frank Castle—before inevitably testing Peter himself. Dun-dun-dun!
It's also reported that Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk are in the mix alongside returning faces like Scorpion and a mystery role for Sadie Sink. Story-wise, it’s tidy.
Hulk represents rage that’s been integrated—accept the monster, learn to live with it. Punisher represents rage unleashed—weaponize the monster and call it justice. Put both on either side of Peter, and you get a clean thematic vise, and if the symbiote does indeed show up and dials up his grief and guilt, which path does he take?
It also fits the post-No Way Home’s ending and universe reset. Peter’s flying solo, the stakes are smaller but sharper, and the emotional math matters more than the spectacle. Using Hulk and Punisher as moral foils is a smarter swing than stacking six villains and hoping the noise carries the day. If this theory is right, the final act isn’t “Who can punch harder?” but could be something as philosophical as “Who do you become when anger wins?”
A couple more dots connect neatly. That post-credits symbiot tease practically begs to reenter the story, and letting it sample Banner and Castle before bonding with Peter gives the symbiote real narrative teeth. You can even tease the return of Savage Hulk if the black suit short-circuits Smart Hulk’s balance—instant stakes, no Marvel multiverse required.
And yes, there are credible signs that the casting pieces are in place. Trade coverage in recent weeks has spotlighted Bernthal’s big-screen Frank Castle return, while chatter around Ruffalo’s involvement has picked up as Brand New Day marches toward its July 31, 2026, date. Take everything with a spider-sized grain of salt until it’s on a poster or teaser trailer, but the pieces line up with this anger-driven premise—and I’m into it. If you’re going to bring in other Marvel heroes, they should add thematic weight; this theory does.
If this is why Hulk and Punisher are part of Brand New Day, the most convincing reason is also the cleanest—both are living caution labels for what the symbiote might pull out of Peter. That’s grounded, personal storytelling and exactly what the next Spidey chapter needs. It’s a thematic lesson the filmmakers of the next Tom Holland flick can take from Spider-Man 2, which I’ve written about before. We’ll see how much of this fan theory sticks as Marvel and Sony peel back the curtain closer to the film’s release.
Until then, fans can revisit all the Marvel movies in order, as they’re streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
