The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine, but there was a time when various actors were still in the process of auditioning for the shared universe (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know how Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal have been killing it as Spider-Man and Punisher respectively, but it turns out that the Peter Parker actor actually helped to get the latter into playing Frank Castle.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the next upcoming Marvel movie hitting theaters, and will feature both Holland and Bernthal. Anticipation for the project is high, and in an interview with Empire the Walking Dead alum revealed that Holland actually encouraged him to try and play The Punisher in the Netflix Marvel shows. As he put it:
I really wasn’t familiar with the Punisher. I wasn’t a huge comic-book guy. Tom was really the one that said, ‘Man, this character’s so great,’ and he explained it to me.
These two actors met while filming 2017's Pilgrimage, hitting it off despite their 19-year age difference. They happened to both be auditioning for their Marvel roles, and even read for each other during that process. Ultimately both Holland and Bernthal got their roles, although the latter was kept on the small screen until Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Given how amazing and badass Jon Bernthal is as Frank Castle/ The Punisher, it's hard to imagine him not really knowing much about the character ahead of his audition. Luckily Tom Holland, ever the Marvel nerd, helped him catch up and nail the role. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer showed them finally interacting within the MCU, and fans can't wait to see how Punisher factors into the story. Later in the same interview, he gushed about working with Holland on two different new movies, offering:
We’ve remained friends over the years, but what a beautiful opportunity to do two movies back to back with him with The Odyssey and Spider-Man. I love him. I’m so proud of him.
Nearly a decade has passed since Pilgrimage was released, and Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland were able to work with each other again on both Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It's a full circle moment, especially the latter thanks to them auditioning for the MCU at the same time. And I can't wait to see how their relationship comes through on the big screen.
The Odyssey will hit theaters on July 17th, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day will hit theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully we see more of Punisher and Spider-Man together in the MCU more in future projects.
