Wafricnews - June 21, 2025

Marvel fans are celebrating what many are calling a “full-circle moment” as Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is officially set to join Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the highly anticipated 2026 film Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

While this on-screen pairing may not count as a reunion in the traditional sense, their connection runs much deeper. Long before they became household names in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Bernthal and Holland actually helped each other audition for the very roles they’ll now embody together on the big screen.

The news, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, has sparked a wave of nostalgia among fans who remember a story Bernthal once shared — that he and Holland read lines together while filming in a small Irish town. The film was Pilgrimage (2017), and while working on set, the two actors prepared their Marvel auditions side by side.

“He’s the best, he is the best,” Bernthal told IMDb, recalling Holland’s fierce determination. “We were in a very tiny town in Ireland… He read with me for Punisher and I read with him for Spider-Man — and we both got cast.”

Bernthal would go on to play the Punisher across 26 episodes of Marvel’s Netflix universe from 2017 to 2019, a role that cemented him as one of the MCU’s grittiest fan-favourites. Meanwhile, Holland became the face of Spider-Man for a new generation, debuting in Captain America: Civil War and starring in multiple Avengers and solo Spider-Man films.

Now, nearly eight years after those humble beginnings in rural Ireland, the two will finally share the screen as their iconic characters — and fans are hyped.

Set to premiere on July 31, 2026, Spider-Man: Brand New Day promises not just action and thrills, but a powerful emotional layer built on years of hard work and friendship between two actors whose journeys are now intertwined on-screen once again.

Bernthal will also appear in a standalone Punisher Disney+ special, which he’s co-writing, and recently reprised his role in Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again series.

With Marvel fans cheering and anticipation building, this isn’t just another superhero crossover — it’s the kind of cinematic synergy that turns comic book lore into legacy.