Leaked Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer Teases Punisher and Spider-Man Rescuing Both Daredevil and Jean Grey

A second version of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer has leaked online in full HD, and after watching it I am convinced Punisher and Spider-Man are on a mission to break Daredevil out of prison, and that is not even the biggest reveal. From what I am seeing in this footage, they may also be involved in busting Jean Grey out of a facility later in the film.

I want to be upfront that this trailer still is not officially out, so I cannot show clips or stills here, but it is circulating widely if you go looking for it. As I put it, "search your feelings, find it you will."

Spider-Man's Aggressive Scorpion Fight Sets Up a Hulk and Punisher Parallel

In this version of the trailer, Spider-Man opens fighting Scorpion instead of the Hand, and he is uncharacteristically aggressive, really bodying Scorpion in the fight. I think that matters because Peter facing his own aggression and trying to bury it is exactly why the Hulk and the Punisher feel like perfect fits for this movie. Bruce Banner has buried his darker half, while Frank Castle has fully embraced his, but both men are suppressing or channeling parts of themselves in ways that make the rage dangerous. My read is that Spider-Man has two very different lessons to learn from these two characters, but a third character might actually show him the better path, one that would also apply to Jean Grey given the darker half she carries. I think Matt Murdock is the one who can help Peter find that tightrope between being Spider-Man and being Peter Parker instead of falling fully to one side.

The Hand Ninjas Fighting Spider-Man in a Prison Cell Block Points to Daredevil

There is a scene where Frank is driving his van yelling, "If you're going to do something, do it now," which cuts to Spider-Man fighting Hand ninjas inside a prison cell block. The Hand has a long history lurking in the shadows of the MCU's New York, and they were prominent in Daredevil season 2, which was also our first look at Jon Bernthal's Punisher. We know that by the end of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Matt Murdock landed in prison for his crimes as the vigilante Daredevil. Given how many ties this movie already has to the Daredevil corner of the MCU, with Punisher appearing, Sheila Rivera involved, and Matt having been Peter's lawyer in No Way Home, I do not think it is a coincidence that we are seeing Hand ninjas in a prison cell block fighting Spider-Man. As I said, "you want me to believe that Daredevil isn't involved? I don't know, man, I think he has to be." I also think whatever is happening with Peter's blacked out eyes could tie into the Hand's dark magic and their established ability to resurrect people, which lines up with earlier trailer talk of a spider's life cycle amounting to "a kind of rebirth." It has reportedly been theorized, and even reported by some reliable leakers, that Spider-Man could actually die and be resurrected in this movie, so the Hand could be connected to that. At this point the Hand is likely under Elektra's rule after being resurrected in the Defenders series, and I expect her to still be alive and possibly show up in Born Again season 3.

My Theory: This Isn't a Prison Break, It's a Rescue From Elektra's Hand

Trailers are notorious for misdirects since trailer houses cut footage together in whatever order makes for the most engaging preview, not necessarily the actual sequence of the film, so I want to flag that disclaimer before going further. But what if this scene is actually teasing Punisher and Spider-Man rushing in because the Hand has come for Matt in prison, not to kill him but because Elektra has sent them to rescue her former lover? I do not think Spider-Man would try to break Matt out of prison, and I do not think Matt would want to be broken out either, especially after surrendering himself because he cares about the law and likely wants to serve his sentence to prove a point. What I could see instead is Spider-Man and Punisher working together after getting a tip that Matt is in danger in lockup, with the real goal being to stop the Hand's attack and get him somewhere safe. To be clear, I do not think Daredevil has a major role in this film, maybe on par with his No Way Home cameo, and I suspect this whole sequence is just one of many missions shown in the opening montage where Spider-Man fights Boomerang, Tarantula, Scorpion, Tombstone, and the Hand. I think that montage could catch us up on what Peter has been doing during Thunderbolts and Daredevil season 3, possibly ending with Frank recruiting him to help save Matt, complete with a beat where Matt no longer remembers Peter Parker specifically, only Spider-Man, which would tease the movie's whole "nobody remembers Peter Parker" setup involving Ned and MJ. Since Peter's eyes go black during this Hand fight, I think this could be the moment that kicks off his mutation for the rest of the film.

The Department of Damage Control Could Be Manufacturing Villains Behind the Scenes

After the montage, I picture Peter dealing with these mutations, writing that letter to MJ he still cannot deliver, and going through something like a quarter life crisis when the newly beloved hero of New York gets recruited by the Department of Damage Control. Spider-Man would be hesitant given their history, but I believe the DODC's new leader, who I think is William Stryker from the comics, would sell him on the idea that the agency has new leadership focused on taking down supervillains. That sets up a third act reveal that the DODC, not Jean Grey, is the real villain, working to control mutants and superpowered people. I would not be surprised if Scorpion's release and his new mechanized suit were funded by the DODC, along with the other villains in the opening montage, as a way for the agency to justify its own existence and funding by making the public fear superpowered people, likely with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine involved as well.

Jean Grey's Telepathic Threats May Actually Be Stryker Using Her Powers

In the trailer we hear a telepath jumping between minds, threatening Spider-Man and visiting MJ, and while we assume that is Jean Grey, I do not think it is really her. My theory is that Jean is locked up in a DODC facility and that Stryker is using tech to weaponize her powers, meaning he is actually behind the taunting. There is also a moment where Spider-Man tells MJ he needs her to trust him and brings her to Frank's hideout for safety, and when MJ asks Frank if he is going to let Spider-Man go alone, the look on Frank's face tells me the answer is no, setting up another rescue mission, this time for Jean at a DODC holding facility. A previously leaked trailer from months back showed Frank guns blazing telling Spider-Man he is "saving your ass," and there was also a leaked image of Jean and Punisher standing side by side with his gun drawn on DODC agents as he helps her escape. There is also a scene of Spider-Man taunting a DODC or security agent outside what looks like a prison, and I am not sure if that is the Daredevil breakout at the start of the film or the same Jean Grey rescue at the holding facility.

Why This Could Set Up Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 Without Spoiling It

Since Daredevil: Born Again season 3 is happening and will reportedly involve Matt in prison, I do not think Marvel wants Brand New Day stepping on that show's toes by showing events that happen after season 3 timeline wise. Instead, since anyone watching Born Again season 3 will likely have already seen this movie, they could safely reference the Spider-Man scene where the Hand came for Matt and reveal that the ninjas were not there to kill him but to bring him to Elektra, now leading the Hand. As I said, "Marvel, I'm available if you ever, you know, want to bounce some ideas off of."

Those are just my chaotic thoughts after watching this leaked trailer, and I am still excited for the official one to drop.

Do you think Daredevil and Jean Grey are both getting rescue missions in Brand New Day, or is the DODC theory a stretch?