The mystery surrounding Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s rumored Gwen Stacy casting has become even more intriguing. A new rumor has revealed more details about the potential blonde love interest appearing in the film.
What is the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day rumor?
It was previously reported that a blonde character played by Kiernan Shipka would show up in the movie as a potential new love interest, with many wondering if she’d be playing Gwen Stacy. According to scooper Daniel Ritchman (via ComicBookMovie), this blonde girl will live in Peter’s apartment and is “clearly into him,” but he doesn’t pay attention to her.
From the sound of it, it seems like this character is a nod to Ursula Ditkovich, played by Mageina Tovah in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies. In those films, it was hinted that Ursula, the daughter of Peter’s landlord, had a crush on the hero.
Whether Shipka is playing Gwen Stacy or not, Brand New Day’s trailers suggest that the film’s romantic subplot will focus on Peter and MJ. At the start of his trilogy in the MCU, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker went to homecoming prom with Liz Allen. Parker’s romance with Zendaya’s Michelle Jones started in his second film.
If Gwen Stacy has only a minor role in Brand New Day, it would mark the third live-action Spider-Man franchise to feature the character. Stacy was played by Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone in Spider-Man 3 and Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies, respectively. The character is also a major part of the Spider-Verse movies, where she is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld.
According to the rumors, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will also see the hero deal with Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey. Marvel Studios and Sony have yet to confirm whether Sink is playing the mutant or someone else.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases on July 31, 2026.
Originally reported by Rahul Majumdar on ComingSoon.net.
