The Punisher Special Just Set Up Marvel’s Next Spider-Man Movie

Marvel just connected a couple of its street-level dots in a way that actually makes sense. Short version: Jon Bernthal's Punisher special is done filming, it lives in the same New York as Tom Holland's next Spider-Man movie, and yes, Daredevil: Born Again is part of that same ecosystem. If you like the grittier side of the MCU, this is the lane.

What Marvel actually confirmed

At New York Comic Con, on the Phase Hero LIVE podcast, Marvel TV chief Brad Winderbaum said the Punisher special has wrapped and is now in post-production. Jon Bernthal co-wrote it with director Ray Green, and Robert Elswit - the Oscar-winning cinematographer - shot it.

Winderbaum described the special as a standalone that still plugs directly into Marvel's street-level corner alongside Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man 4, a.k.a. Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The emphasis is on a consistent tone and a shared, grounded New York backdrop.

"You want New York to feel like New York - the same New York."

"It is exactly the same as anything in the MCU. A small, tight-knit group of producers keeps the tone and continuity aligned."

Translation: less clunky setup-for-setup's sake, more behind-the-scenes coordination so these projects feel like they actually inhabit the same city.

Where Spider-Man: Brand New Day fits

Industry watcher John Rocha said on The Hot Mic with Jeff Sneider that Bernthal's Frank Castle shows up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in a major supporting role, possibly paired with a Black female sidekick. Treat it as a well-placed rumor for now, but it lines up with the shared-New-York plan. The film itself follows Peter Parker trying to rebuild his life in a world that does not remember him.

The plan, at a glance

• Punisher special: filmed and now in post; co-written by Jon Bernthal and director Ray Green; shot by Robert Elswit.
• Street-level connection: built to sit alongside Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, sharing tone and setting in the same New York.
• Release timing: Punisher special is set to hit Disney+ before Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theaters on July 31, 2026.
• Spider-Man rumor: Frank Castle has a significant supporting role, potentially with a Black female sidekick (per John Rocha on The Hot Mic with Jeff Sneider).

Big picture: Marvel is trying to anchor its street-level universe around Bernthal and Holland, keep the tone consistent, and let the crossovers feel organic. If they pull it off, we might finally get a New York that looks and feels the same across streaming and theaters, without a dozen elbow-nudging cameos to prove it.