Marvel Studios is slowly introducing Netflix's Marvel characters into the MCU. After coming back in Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal will reprise his role of the Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. According to a recent rumor, he is bringing along another character from the Defenders saga. Scooper Daniel Richtman claimed that Rosario Dawson would return as Claire Temple in Spider-Man's fourth standalone MCU adventure. For those unaware, Temple was a pivotal character in Netflix's Marvel series, having been prominently featured in Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and The Defenders.
If true, Temple's return offers a lot of exciting possibilities for the MCU, given her connection to Luke Cage and Danny Rand. Apparently, she, alongside the Punisher, will also work together to recreate arguably one of the most iconic moments in Spider-Man's publication history for Brand New Day. Responding to a post sharing Claire Temple's purported return, a fan proposed that the movie would recreate a scene from Marvel Comics' Civil War #5, in which Frank Castle rescues Spider-Man from super-powered attackers and takes him to Captain America's base for medical attention.
In the scenario proposed by the user, though, instead of Cap, Punisher would take Spidey to Claire. Scooper Cryptic HD Quality responded to the post with a gif from Schitt's Creek, apparently asserting that would be the case:
The scene in question remains one of Marvel's most memorable moments. In Civil War #5, written by Mark Millar and drawn by Steve Mcniven, Peter confronts Tony Stark at Avengers Headquarters about locking up superheroes in the Negative Zone. The two get into a fight, and Spidey ends up escaping after a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents raid the building and start shooting at him. S.H.I.E.L.D., however, sends its Thunderbolts unit after him. Peter makes his way into the sewers, where he's ambushed by Jack O' Lantern and Jester. There, he is violently beaten and ultimately incapacitated by the two villains.
As they apprehend him, however, they are shot by the Punisher. Frank Castle steps in and carries Spider-Man in his arms to safety. He takes Peter to Captain America's secret headquarters, where he requests medical attention, which is ultimately provided by Jane Foster. The Punisher then describes the Wall-Crawler's many injuries, informing the doctor: "Multiple fractures and serious blood loss, thanks to Tony Stark and his buddies, Doctor Foster. He seems to have ingested some kind of hallucinogen at the same time..."
The event was also what led the Punisher to officially join Captain America's anti-registration side. Things didn't end well, of course, but that's another story. Going by Cryptic HD's response, Brand New Day may recreate that pivotal moment, just replacing Steve Rogers with Claire Temple. It makes sense. Being a nurse, Claire acted as the medical-care provider for multiple heroes in the Defenders saga, particularly Daredevil, who found himself in Spider-Man's situation in more than one occasion throughout his show.
If true, this kind of interconnectivity is what makes the MCU such a fun sandbox to be in. Claire was a standout character from the Defenders saga, so the idea of seeing her interact with Spider-Man in this capacity is an exciting proposition. Funnily enough, she never appeared in The Punisher series. If Frank does end up taking Spidey to her, it will be curious to see if they address how Castle knows about her. Perhaps she has become known around the superhero community for patching up crime-fighters.
Once again, however, keep in mind this is still a rumor. Fortunately, there are only a little over seven months left until we find out if the scene does indeed happen in the Destin Daniel Crettton-directed adventure.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.
What do you think about this new rumor? Would you like the Civil War scene to be recreated with Punisher and Claire? Let me know in the comments!