The Punisher’s Show Set Up A Major Jean Grey MCU Scene According To Convincing Movie Theory

Published Sep 12, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Punisher set up one of Jean Grey's final acts in Spider-Man: Brand New Day years before its release, according to a fascinating theory about the MCU movie. The cast list in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is varied to say the least, and the reveal that darker figures like the Punisher would be appearing alongside Spider-Man raised questions about whether the 2026 Marvel movie could handle balancing their often wildly varying tones. However, the story of Brand New Day very much stuck the landing, with each of its central characters being depicted in a three-dimensional light that showed their positive and negative traits in a relatively transparent light, allowing audiences to see how Spider-Man and the Punisher could become friends in the MCU timeline despite being so opposed on matters like how to deal with their enemies. More interesting yet, Frank Castle's story serves to add more dimension to the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in a way that makes things even more engaging for those who watched the prior The Punisher show - especially when it comes to the dramatic finale of the film, and the decision Jean Grey initially makes regarding how to handle the man she's deemed her primary enemy at this point in proceedings. The Punisher's Jigsaw Origin Story Set Up A Major Jean Grey MCU Scene According To One Spider-Man: Brand New Day Theory Jean Grey using her powers to control the Punisher as Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins to gear up for its final act is a decision that works on several levels for the film and its story. This is first and foremost in that it neutralizes Frank Castle as a prospective threat against Jean Grey in this sequence, but also in that it sets up Castle eventually trying to snipe Grey from a far away building in the final scenes of the film. Interestingly, some fans have theorized Jean Grey using her powers on Frank may have also contributed to Jean's decisions at the end of the film, too. Given we know Grey gets to "see" inside someone's head when using her powers - as evidenced when she uses them on Spider-Man and sees Aunt May and his bond with her - it would stand to reason that she also gets to see the Punisher's past and most important figures and moments as well in a similar way, particularly since she seems to use her powers on him for longer. As such, some have speculated that this is why Jean decides to use shards of glass to try and kill Bill Metzger, having seen how Frank Castle similarly used shards of glass in his fight with Billy Russo - later known as Jigsaw - at the end of The Punisher season 1 to hurt and permanently scar him, and wishing to instill the same pain in the person who was responsible for her sister's death, adding more layers to this dramatic ending sequence in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Tying The Punisher's Story Closer To Jean Grey's Would Make Perfect Sense For Spider-Man: Brand New Day Ultimately, while Jean Grey starts the movie as a villain while the Punisher starts out Spider-Man: Brand New Day as an antihero, the two do have striking similarities. Both Castle and Grey are defined by the family they lost (though Jean believes her sister is simply missing and seemingly kidnapped at the start of the film), and are willing to stop at nothing when it comes to their quests against those they deem responsible. As such, having Jean's moment with Metzger at the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day parallel Frank Castle's scene with Billy Russo years prior works well to show them as characters who mirror one another. This also makes Spider-Man's choice to save Jean all the more significant, as it does seem Peter taking a bullet for Jean is the wake-up call she needs to reconsider going down her own worse version of the Punisher's path, and to decide to pave a different road for herself, seemingly leading to her subsequent upcoming role in the 2028 X-Men movie.