A new rumor claims that the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day is serving as a secret origin story for a major Marvel character. This means that the movie might not just introduce the character, but also feature them prominently in the narrative.
Most Spider-Man villains rumored to have very small roles in Brand New Day
Industry scooper @MyTimeToShineH took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that Brand New Day will be “a very good Jean Grey origin movie starring Spider-Man.” The scooper added, “All the actual Spider-Man villains are just cameos except for Scorpion who is being controlled by Jean.”
This speculation comes amid singer-songwriter Steve Lacy inadvertently spoiling that Jean is the villain of the movie during a red carpet interview. Notably, Lacy’s “Oh Yeah?” is part of Brand New Day’s soundtrack.
There has been a lot of speculation around the mystery role Sadie Sink is playing in Brand New Day. Marvel has managed to keep it under wraps, though it increasingly seems that the fans are right, and she is playing Jean. If the above rumor and those about Sink’s casting are true, it’s safe to assume that the movie will serve as the first entry in Stranger Things star’s potential long tenure within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
An MCU X-Men reboot movie has been in development since 2019. Jake Schreier, of Thunderbolts* fame, is directing the film. Jean’s introduction in such a high-profile project likely reflects Marvel’s broader plans for the X-Men reboot. Interestingly, Marvel has already brought in several actors from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series, including Hugh Jackman. Several others will make their debut in Avengers: Doomsday.
The latter part of @MyTimeToShineH’s claim suggests that, aside from Jean and Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan/Scorpion, the film’s other antagonists may play relatively minor roles in the overall narrative.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in US theaters on July 31, 2026.
