Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be the street-level adventure for Tom Holland's wall-crawler that fans have long hoped for. The Punisher, Tombstone, and The Scorpion are among the characters set to appear, with The Hulk likely thrown in for good measure.
However, the biggest mystery remains Sadie Sink. All signs point to the Stranger Things star being this movie's female lead, but depending on which rumour you believe, she may be Jean Grey, a superpowered hero (villain?), or even a Multiversal Variant.
In this revised feature, we're taking a closer look at who the most likely possibilities are in the wake of those many conflicting reports. Some seem more likely than others, but they each have a chance of panning out when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters next summer.
You can see our suggestions for Sink's MCU role by hitting the "Next"/"View List" buttons below...
7. Rachel Cole-Alves
It's been said that Spider-Man: Brand New Day's The Punisher will have an ally in his war on crime, and given Sink's physical similarity to the character, we're betting on Rachel Cole-Alvez.
In the comics, just hours after Rachel Cole's wedding to surgeon Daniel Alves, a gang war erupted, resulting in the deaths of twenty-nine people at their wedding reception, including her new husband. Following her recovery, the Marine sergeant teamed up with The Punisher to take her revenge on the criminals who destroyed her life.
Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto created this character during their stellar run on Frank's solo title in 2011. Seeing how Rachel responds to a tragic loss in comparison to the way Peter Parker throws himself into being Spidey after Aunt May's murder would be fascinating.
6. Firestar
Introduced in NBC's Saturday morning cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Firestar teamed up with the web-slinger and Iceman, and soon became a firm fan favourite.
That led to her making the leap from the screen to the comic books (rather than the other way around) in the pages of 1985's Uncanny X-Men #193. The mutant hero has since helped found the New Warriors and remained good friends with Peter.
Currently taking centre stage in Marvel Comics' latest take on the West Coast Avengers, Firestar is a character we could easily imagine Marvel Studios making use of as it looks to establish a refreshed supporting cast for Spider-Man in the MCU.
5. Gwen Stacy
Did you know every actress who has played Gwen Stacy in live-action—Spider-Man 3's Bryce Dallas Howard and The Amazing Spider-Man's Emma Stone—was a real-life redhead? So, yeah, don't discount Sink just because of her hair colour!
With Peter likely heading to college in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we'd say it's a pretty safe bet that he'll encounter Gwen. Marvel Studios already has plans for the character in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man where she'll suit up as Spider-Gwen, so could the same thing happen here?
Honestly, it's hard to say. The Multiverse being in play makes it more likely, though we'd be perfectly fine with Gwen also just being a new love interest or friend of Peter's, as he finally moves on from his high school days.
4. Carlie Cooper
A product of the "Brand New Day" era of storytelling, Carlie Cooper was one of Peter's more forgettable love interests, but still a character Marvel Studios could improve during the transition from page to screen.
In the comics, Carlie works in the medical examiner's office as a forensic expert and plays a crucial role in many of Spidey's adventures. She became a trusted ally to the web-slinger, and the red hair alone makes her a contender for Sink's mystery role.
It would take a talented actor to really make Carlie interesting, and we have faith in The Whale star being able to do exactly that. Still, there are other, admittedly far more exciting, options...
3. Black Cat
Among those is Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. Black Cat. This character's live-action debut is long overdue, and she deserves better than being put front and centre in one of Sony Pictures' lousy Avi Arad-produced efforts.
The world has forgotten Peter Parker exists and, according to multiple insiders, he's now fully embraced being Spider-Man. Cue Black Cat, an anti-hero who initially had zero interest in the man beneath the mask when she and Spidey started dating.
Not only would she encourage him to embrace his darker nature, but this team-up would be a blast to finally see on screen. Does Sink have the right attributes to play Felicia? We think so, though some tweaks would likely be made.
2. Anna-May "Annie" Parker
In the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson married and had a young daughter, Anna-May, who quickly developed spider powers of her own. She'd later take the names "Spiderling" and "Nesting."
With Marvel Studios' post-Avengers: Doomsday movies expected to be set on Battleworld, could Sadie Sink be playing Peter and MJ's daughter?
We think there's a chance the Stranger Things star has been cast as the daughter of Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst's respective Variants of Peter and Mary Jane. That would be a fun twist and means Earth-616's Peter would be teaming up with "his" daughter from a different timeline heading into the two-part Multiverse Saga finale.
1. Janice Lincoln/Beetle
With all signs pointing to us getting a Gang War in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it would be a fun twist to introduce Janice Lincoln as a classmate of Peter Parker's in college, only for us to eventually learn that she's Tombstone's daughter and a supervillain in her own right.
In the comics, Janice is a Harvard-educated lawyer who became the new Beetle, joining Boomerang's Sinister Syndicate and later leading it. Now, she is a woman of color in the comics; while we're not looking to whitewash the character, perhaps she could be Tombstone's adoptive daughter?
Regardless, it would be fun for Spidey to learn that the girl he's been crushing on is among the many street-level threats he's been facing as New York's web-slinger.