Tom Holland, the actor who plays Spider-Man, on The Punisher: “fun ways to get around the fact that he swears all the time and kills people”
The Spidey actor in the MCU talks about how they’ve managed to adapt a Punisher that stays true to his essence, but in a movie rated PG-13.
The Punisher’s appearance in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has raised a lot of questions among fans ever since it was confirmed that Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle would appear in the new Spider-Man movie. After all, he is one of Marvel’s most brutal and violent characters, a far cry from the friendlier, even family-friendly tone that has traditionally characterized ‘Spider-Man’ films. Now, Tom Holland himself has stepped forward to explain how the creative team has tackled this tricky balancing act of keeping the character’s essence intact without jeopardizing ‘Brand New Day’s’ PG-13 rating.
The Big Challenge of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’: Bringing a Punisher Rated for Ages 13 and Up to the Big Screen
In an interview with Empire, Tom Holland acknowledged that Frank Castle’s arrival in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ presented a clear challenge, but not an insurmountable one. The actor explained that he, Jon Bernthal, and director Destin Daniel Cretton all wanted the character to remain authentic and recognizable to Punisher fans. According to Holland, they found a way to integrate the vigilante and antihero without letting the inevitable limitations of a ‘Spider-Man’ movie become a problem.
The British actor has emphasized that, aside from maintaining the visual elements typically associated with the character—such as his iconic skull—much of the work has involved preserving Frank Castle’s core personality. Although extreme violence and explicit language are part of the Punisher’s identity, Holland says they’ve found “fun ways” to reflect his character beyond the swearing and violent deaths: for example, in the trailers we can see how Spidey literally covers Frank’s mouth with spiderwebs when he calls him a “son of a…”
EXCLUSIVE 💀
— Empire (@empiremagazine) May 29, 2026
The Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day will still be “authentic to the Frank Castle we know” without an R-rating, says Tom Holland.
“There are fun ways to get around the fact that he swears and kills people,” he tells Empire.
READ MORE: https://t.co/XYP9h1YFJV pic.twitter.com/J6AfSvb4yu
It’s no coincidence that Jon Bernthal has been particularly involved in this matter: the actor had previously emphasized the importance of ensuring that any appearance by Frank Castle within the Marvel Cinematic Universe stays true to the character’s essence. To that end, he contributed to the screenplay for ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ (2026), which serves as a bridge between the series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’. Furthermore, various reports suggest that Bernthal, Holland, and Cretton all worked actively to ensure that the Punisher in ‘Brand New Day’ was exactly the same as the one viewers have seen in previous Marvel projects.
This is a particularly sensitive issue because ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ seems to be taking a more street-level, urban approach following the events of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. In this context, Frank Castle’s presence fits like a glove, but it also forces Marvel to strike a balance between two heroes who represent completely opposing philosophies. While Peter Parker actively avoids killing villains and only does so by accident or as a last resort, the Punisher uses lethal force as his primary tool for fighting crime.
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Ultimately, everything suggests that this huge moral divide between the two Marvel icons could become one of the film’s biggest draws when it premieres on July 29. Instead of hiding the differences between the two characters, the trailers hint that they will be central to the story. If the clash between the two figures works, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ could offer us one of the most interesting ideological conflicts Spider-Man has ever faced on the big screen, while also proving that Frank Castle can still be Frank Castle even when he can’t solve all his problems with a gun.
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