Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Jon Bernthal‘s The Punisher will meet for the first time in the MCU in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” in theaters on July 31, 2026. Or will they? Ruffalo can’t say for certain right now, as he hasn’t even received the script for the blockbuster yet, much less read it.
The actor joked with THR about “Brand New Day” and Banner meeting The Punisher on the red carpet for Ruffalo’s next HBO series “Task” last night. “If I’m doing that — which the rumors are that I am, once I get a script, I’ll know it’s real,” he said of the “Spider-Man” film and Bernthal. “But I love him and we have a common friend in Lena Dunham, believe it or not, who just adores him.” “Brand New Day” will be Ruffalo’s ninth film as Banner, but only Bernthal’s first movie as The Punisher, after playing the character in the original Netflix series and on “Daredevil: Born Again“; The Punisher also has an upcoming solo special coming to Disney+ next year.
But “Brand New Day” is also the first project Ruffalo and Bernthal will ever work on together. “I can’t wait to work with him,” Ruffalo said of Bernthal, “he’s so funny and he’s such a great actor. He plays that character like nobody else. I’m really excited to meet him, I’ve never met him!” Both actors officially joined “Brand New Day” last month as the film started production (so did “Severance” actor Tramell Tillman, albeit in a mystery role). And with production likely to continue through the Fall, expect some more names added to the cast sheet soon.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” picks up where 2021’s “No Way Home” left off, with Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker on his own, the world having forgotten he exists. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon return to reprise their roles as Peter’s friends MJ and Ned, with Sadie Sink and “The Bear” actress Liza Colón-Zayas also on board in undisclosed roles. Official plot details remain under wraps.
And they’re under wraps for Ruffalo, too, who apparently hasn’t even gotten a copy of the “Brand New Day” script yet. Do Marvel fans really believe that? Given the playful deceits surrounding the plot of “No Way Home,” probably not. But it’s safe to expect more teases like this one until “Brand New Day” hits theaters next summer.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://theplaylist.net/spider-man-brand-new-day-mark-ruffalo-cant-wait-to-work-with-jon-bernthal-on-film-once-i-get-a-script-ill-know-its-real-20250905/&media=https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/05125458/Spider-Man-Brand-New-Day.jpg&description="He’s so funny, and he’s such a great actor," Ruffalo said of Bernthal. He plays [The Punisher] like nobody else."){kind=link}