HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: (L-R) Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Columbia Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” at Dolby Theatre on July 27, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
FilmMagic
This was always going to happen, and it was just a matter of who and how. Marvel has been trying to keep the role of actress Sadie Sink under wraps in all marketing and interviews for Spider-Man: Brand New Day so far, but by the end of the premiere night, the secret appeared to have been officially spoiled by a loose-lipped attendee.
Before we go any further, there is an obvious spoiler warning, though if you clicked on this article, you probably knew what was coming.
In a red carpet interview with host Valkyrae, musician Steve Lacy was asked, “Out of all of the characters in the film you’re aware of and, without spoiling anything, who is your favorite? Or who are you most excited to see?” To which he responded: “You know, what? Jean…I like Jean. She’s the villain, but there’s a reason to her madness.”
Jean would be Jean Grey, of X-Men fame, whom Sink was widely rumored to be playing before this, albeit without confirmation.
Lacy’s music is featured in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the clip went far and wide on social media, with many decrying the spoiler. I did stumble across something interesting from another attendee, however, who tried to explain, without spoiling any further, why this isn’t actually all that big of a deal. Here’s Siddhant Adlakha:
“Apparently someone “spoiled” this on the red carpet tonight. Don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler, I promise. Just a normal part of the film. But I’m forced to be vague because the studio is marketing it as a major twist, when anyone who could possibly care has already figured it out.”
“Definitely wouldn’t call it a mystery—it’s not a piece of information anyone’s chasing, and learning it makes no difference to anyone or anything in the film! If anything, the mystery involves motive, not “this is someone you recognize from the comics/other films.”
I suppose I’m reading this as “Yes, she’s Jean Grey, but we already pretty much knew that, but we’re really trying to uncover her motivation for her actions.” I mean, in this universe, Peter discovering her name is “Jean Grey” would not even mean anything to anyone but the audience, so it’s a weird situation. It is, however, a much more interesting mystery as to why Jean Grey is showing up as a villain in a Spider-Man movie. We could question how Marvel has handled this situation so far, as this was always going to leak in a movie this big, either from insiders before this or say, on the red carpet the week of its premiere.
I agree with Adlakha that “anyone who could possibly care” has figured it out. I mean, there really was no other answer here. Sadie Sink, a famously red-haired actress, cast as a woman who controls people telepathically, who is being hidden as a “mystery” character, who is being introduced right before Marvel is doing its own version of the X-Men. I mean, come on, this is basic addition.
Still, spoilers are bad, and not everyone was on this page, no doubt. My general advice is to stay off social media entirely this week if you don’t want anything else spoiled.
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