Long before the seemingly endless rumours, we heard that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink had been cast as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Even with two Avengers movies on the horizon, that doesn't make a ton of sense, but Sink is reportedly set to appear in Secret Wars.
The actress has been spotted on set, and while her costume pointed to her playing Rachel Cole-Alves, insiders continue to claim that there's more to her character than meets the eye (the latest rumours have pointed to Shathra and the daughter of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man).
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Sink addressed the viral photo of her on set in a head-to-toe puffer jacket. "Tom can wave at the fans because people know who he is, but then you get a glimpse of me, and I'm like a penguin," she laughed. "That'll be the situation for a bit, it seems."
She went on to say that talks with Marvel Studios started when she was shooting Stranger Things Season 5, so "not as far back as you would think."
Asked about the rumours she'll follow Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner as the next Jean Grey, Sink appeared to debunk them by responding, "That was happening before I even knew that I would be working on this project. I was like, 'Wait! What are people talking about?'"
When the site asked for her thoughts on the endless theories, including her red hair meaning she'll play The Punisher's sidekick, Rachel, Sink said, "A lot of people forget that hair color can change, but, yeah, I understand all of the theories."
"People will just have to wait and see," she added, refusing to reveal anything that might give her role away and perhaps even a tad exasperated. "I'm excited for all of it to maybe be put to rest."
At this point, it's hard to imagine fans being anything other than disappointed with who Sink winds up playing. After all, with so many likely possibilities out there, it's going to be very difficult for Spider-Man: Brand New Day to please everyone.
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. Thunderbolts* 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.