Sadie Sink has been spotted filming her first scenes in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, giving fans fresh clues to identify the mystery character that the Stranger Things star is playing.
An initial look at the actress, seen on set in London standing next to director Destin Daniel Cretton, shows her mostly covered by a large coat. Still, fans were quick to spot her camouflage pants and combat boots — pointing to one obvious character suggestion.
Coupled with the fact that Frank Castle will co-star in Brand New Day, some fans have suggested Sink is playing Rachel Cole-Alves, a redheaded comic book accomplice of The Punisher who has also worked to help Spider-Man.
However, further set photos show Sink dressed differently — in a black and yellow jacket and blue jeans — leaving other fans unsure of the Cole-Alves connection. Indeed, the only real clue fans can now be sure of is that Sink is staying a redhead for the role — something many say has finally squashed speculation she's portraying a new version of Gwen Stacy.
Of course, the most famous character with red hair in the Spider-Man universe is Mary-Jane Watson, Peter Parker's love interest (and later wife). But with Zendaya playing MJ, fans have been left speculating that Sink could be playing an alternate universe version of the character — or that her red hair is simply a deliberate misdirect.
Fans have suggested several other Marvel redheads as alternate possibilities, including brief Spidey ally Firestar, a new version of X-Men star Jean Grey, or Carlie Cooper — who acts as Spider-Man's love interest in the Brand New Day comic, set after Spider-Man's marraige to Mary Jane Watson has been erased and his identity has been forgotten by the world.
Marvel appears to be deliberately keeping Sink's character under wraps to encourage speculation, and will be well aware of her similarities to the comics' Mary-Jane, Carlie Cooper, and more. One other, interesting suggestion is that Sink is actually playing shapeshifter Shastra — and her various guises may all be part of the plot.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day filming has now resumed after star Tom Holland’s head injury shut down shooting for a week. Various set leaks have emerged since production began, including photos showing Jacob Batalon, who will return as sidekick Ned Leeds, and Zendaya, who is back as MJ. Set videos have also teased a return to practical web-swinging after relying on CGI for past MCU movies.
Holland recently took a break from filming Spider-Man for an interview with IGN in which he discussed a new LEGO short film he starred in. As for Sadie Sink, here's hoping Marvel reveals who she's playing before Spider-Man: Brand New Day's release on July 31, 2026.
Image credit: John Patrick Guzman/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.
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