When Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink was cast in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jeff Sneider was first to report that she would play Jean Grey. Initially, that was easy to dismiss as nonsense because why would Marvel Girl make her MCU debut in a Spider-Man movie?
Since then, speculation about who Sink is playing has dominated the conversation. Just as it was starting to look like she might be Shathra, there were rumblings among social media's usual suspects that the villain's name being put out there was a misdirect to throw any leakers off the scent. Names like Rachel Cole-Alves, Firestar, and Spider-Girl have also been thrown around
Rumour has it that the Department of Damage Control will be hunting Sink's character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and that, post-Avengers: Secret Wars, they'll be the ones tasked with keeping mutants in check (likely using the Stark Industries resources they've seized to create Sentinels).
Sink is already confirmed for Avengers: Secret Wars, and taking that into account, Jean arguably makes the most sense. Today, trusted leaker @Cryptic4KQual has chimed in to reveal that Sadie Sink is playing the MCU's Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
While still not "officially" confirmed, this is probably the most reliable source to have linked Sink with Jean. With mutants slowly showing up on the Sacred Timeline (Ms. Marvel, Namor, and Wonder Man), we may meet Earth-616's Jean as her powers start to develop, and by the time the X-Men reboot rolls around, she'll likely be part of the team as the future Phoenix.
There are surely worse ways to introduce one of X-Men's leads than in Spider-Man and Avengers movies, even if it does feel like an odd way to eventually put Jean front and centre in Jake Schreier's upcoming reboot.
Discussing her MCU role, Sink previously said, "Oh, it was crazy. I found out while we were wrapping up season five [of Stranger Things]. Spider-Man has always been my favorite. I love Spider-Man. I love Tom’s Spider-Man, especially. To be a fan of something and then join it is a familiar feeling for me, because I was a fan of Stranger Things before I joined the show."
"I was super excited about what they had planned. I also worked with the director, Destin Daniel Cretton, in one of the first movies I ever did when I was 14, so it’s kind of a full-circle moment. I had an amazing time working on that film. I can’t wait to talk about it more. There’s so much I want to share."
"That’s why I feel like keeping Stranger Things secrets are kind of easy," she added, "because I have so many Spider-Man secrets I’m sitting on that feel even more secretive."
The first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to swing online next month, meaning we hopefully won't have much longer to wait before Sink's role as Jean Grey is made official.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, four years have gone by since we last caught up with our friendly neighborhood hero. Peter Parker is no more, but Spider-Man is at the top of his game, keeping New York City safe. Things are going well for our anonymous hero until an unusual trail of crimes pulls him into a web of mystery larger than he’s ever faced before.
In order to take on what’s ahead, Spider-Man not only needs to be at the top of his physical and mental game, but he must also be prepared to face the repercussions of his past!
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by returning Spider-Man franchise writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Tom Holland plays Spider-Man in a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Zendaya (MJ), Sadie Sink, Michael Mando (The Scorpion), Tramell Tillman, Marvin Jones III (Tombstone), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), and Liza Colón-Zayas. Avengers: Doomsday star Florence Pugh is expected to reprise her Thunderbolts* role as Yelena Belova.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.