Fans could see The Hulk sporting a whole new hue in the MCU. According to scooper Daniel Ritchman, Bruce Banner’s alter ego is going from green to gray in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Gray Hulk in the comics was a slightly depowered but more intelligent version who sometimes worked as a Las Vegas gangster operating under the name Joe Fixit.
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) December 20, 2025
While much about the plot and supporting characters has been cloaked in secrecy, this latest rumor, combined with what is known about the rest of the cast, gives some indication of a new direction for the MCU in terms of focus.
The Brand New Day Cast
Tom Holland is returning for the seventh time as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He’ll be joined by Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, in his MCU big-screen debut. Previously, the character had only been seen on the Netflix and Disney+ shows. Since Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s less-powered heroes, and The Punisher is a human, having them face off against the physically weaker Gray Hulk might be the only way of giving them a fighting chance.
Jon Bernthal as The Punisher – YouTube, Keep Cool Scenes
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Also joining the cast is Sadie Sink in an unspecified role. Sink could be playing Rachel Cole-Alves, a Punisher sidekick. However, given that the actress is confirmed for Avengers: Secret Wars, which will feature The X-Men, it’s more likely she’ll be portraying Jean Grey. Perhaps Jean Grey and The Gray Hulk in the same movie will give the quippy Spider-Man material for some one-liners.
Sadie Sink sits for an interview – YouTube, COVETEUR
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The film will also introduce Tombstone (Marvin Jones III), who, in the comics, is a New York crime boss. The combination of The Punisher, The Gray Hulk, and Tombstone suggests that the story will be less epic and fantastical than other superhero films and more grounded, focusing on street-level organized crime.
The inclusion of The Gray Hulk may also be a sign that screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers and director Destin Daniel Cretton were instructed to follow what seems to be a growing trend in comic book movies—one that emphasizes realism, character-driven stories, and organized crime, all of which align naturally with a more grounded Spider-Man film.
Organized Crime Stories
After years of on-screen cosmic battles, the success of 2022’s The Batman and its immediate follow-up, the HBO Max limited series The Penguin, proved that audiences liked seeing superheroics sharing space with organized crime stories. The Penguin alone received 24 Emmy nominations, including Colin Farrell for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
While The Gray Hulk is a very different character from The Penguin, the MCU is also very different from the DC Elseworlds. Brand New Day could be an attempt to follow in the wake of The Batman and give Spider-Man a lower-stakes adventure with his own set of colorful gangster villains. It’s also a move away from multiverses, which appear to have been played out after Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, Tom Holland as Peter Parker, and Andrew Garfield as Peter Park in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Marvel Studios
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With Brand New Day set for a July 31 release, a trailer should arrive in the near future. If the rumors are true, that first footage could confirm a Gray Hulk and shed light on Sadie Sink’s mysterious role. Either way, it will likely establish a more grounded tone for Spider-Man’s next outing and hint at the MCU’s evolving approach to Bruce Banner and his Hulk.
What do you think about The Gray Hulk in the MCU? Sound off in the comments!
The marvel cinematic universe is irrelevant, dead, now.
As if Superhero movies needed any more friction at the theater any Hulk at all potentially means more screen time for Mark Ruffalo. Even if Superhero movies were still good I wouldn’t pay to see him in anything.