Sadie Sink will not say who she plays in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and with the film opening July 31, that silence has become part of its marketing strategy. In a new Instagram video, the “Stranger Things” star offered fans three facts about her character: she is not Spider-Man, she is not Aunt May, and she does appear in the movie. Beyond that, she gave nothing away. The caption on the post read simply, “We can confirm…she’s in this movie.”
Sink joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe without an audition, landing the part because she had worked with director Destin Daniel Cretton on the 2017 film “The Glass Castle.” She reportedly did not receive a script until she arrived in London for filming, and she has said keeping a franchise secret is simply a matter of discipline.
Producer Amy Pascal has defended the secrecy, telling reporters that audiences crave surprise rather than advance knowledge, and pointing to leaks that dogged 2021’s “No Way Home” as a mistake the studio wants to avoid repeating. Sink has not appeared in any trailer or marketing footage for the film, an unusual absence for an actor of her profile.
That vacuum has fueled months of guesswork. Fans have floated Jean Grey, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Firestar and even a version of Spider-Girl as candidates, hoping the film might quietly seed X-Men characters into the MCU ahead of “Avengers: Doomsday.” Footage from recent trailers has added fuel: Sink’s character appears to wield telepathic abilities capable of triggering mind control across New York, powers that seem to affect everyone except Peter Parker.
Casting materials describe her role as a woman with a hidden past who is sharp-witted, unshakable and difficult to read, language that has only sharpened debate over whether she is a villain, an ally or something in between. She is reportedly being pursued in the film by a government agency convinced she poses a threat.
Sink has drawn on past experience to stay quiet. She kept Max Mayfield’s fate secret through an entire season of “Stranger Things,” and she describes the current speculation as familiar territory. Audiences will get their answer when the film premieres in three weeks.
