Sadie Sink got Spider-Man 4's biggest twist wrong at first

Right, let’s get stuck in — Sadie Sink, who everyone mostly knows from Stranger Things, has properly landed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now, and apparently even she had no idea what was really going on in one of the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s biggest moments. That's Marvel for you: even the people on the payroll are left scratching their heads half the time.

An unexpected twist (even for the cast)

Sink, now taking on the role of Jean Grey (yes, the Jean Grey, who’s maybe the most iconic mutant Marvel’s ever spun out), sat down with Variety and admitted that not only did she not clock the plot twist straight away, but the whole business with ‘V-Max’ left her pretty baffled early doors. She said when she first read the script, she wondered if it was literally about 'a sister in the vent' — and to be honest, I’d have probably thought the same. But as it turns out, the writing was being cheeky: 'V-Max' is absolutely meaningless in the story’s world, and that’s the whole point.

Here’s how Sink put it during the interview: ‘Well, at first, I was like, "Is the sister in the vent?" [Laughs.] Then I kept on reading the script, and I was like, "Oh my god, wait, that’s so much better that it means absolutely nothing."’

Originally, the script made a bigger deal out of Sink’s character saying, in so many words, that ‘V-Max’ just doesn’t actually stand for anything important. On the day, though, they pared it all down — ditching the dialogue, letting it speak for itself with just a look from Jean, and letting the silence do the heavy lifting. It all comes to a head when Jean spots the word 'VENTMAX' above her in the ceiling — or rather, just ‘V-MAX’, because part of the label has peeled away. It’s the final thing her sister sees before she dies, and the last straw for Jean, who finally just loses it and unleashes her mutant power in full.

Where Jean Grey fits into Spider-Man 4

The story we get in Brand New Day mainly centres around Peter Parker in post-No Way Home mode — completely isolated, forgotten by everyone, absolutely miserable. But Jean runs in parallel, grieving her sister and nursing her own brand of loneliness. The film basically weaves the two together, as they each help the other out of their respective emotional holes. By the end, Jean’s not on a bloody path of revenge anymore, and she’s found some proper peace — which, if you know MCU pacing, pretty much guarantees she’ll be back.

Marvel’s not being subtle about it, either: Sink’s Jean Grey is slated to show up again soon, headlining the upcoming X-Men reboot (Jake Schreier’s directing). She’ll be running alongside a full slate of heavy hitters: Emma Frost, Cyclops, Beast, Professor X, and so on. So if you’re a Jean Grey fan, brace yourself for a whole lot more.

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already out in cinemas as of now
• Main cast: Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Sadie Sink (Jean Grey), Zendaya (MJ), Jacob Batalon (Ned), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), and Jon Bernthal (Punisher)
• Soon-to-come: Sink’s Jean Grey will be a major part of the next X-Men movie

Sadie Sink made her Marvel debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, now playing in cinemas.