Spider-Man: Brand New Day forgets some of The Punisher’s Netflix history, and fans aren’t happy

GamesRadar+ reported that a line in Spider-Man: Brand New Day prompted debate among Marvel viewers over the treatment of Frank Castle’s established relationships. In the film, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher tells Tom Holland’s Peter Parker that he has “never had a friend” like him. Fans highlighted that this appears difficult to reconcile with Frank’s earlier screen history, particularly his bond with Curtis Hoyle, his former military colleague and confidant in Netflix’s The Punisher, as well as his complicated association with Matt Murdock in Daredevil. Curtis had also made a brief appearance in the 2026 special The Punisher: One Last Kill, making the omission more noticeable to continuity-focused viewers.

The reaction was not uniform. Some fans interpreted the remark as an overly broad statement that overlooks prior relationships, while others argued that it was intended to describe Peter’s particular optimism and innocence rather than claim Frank had literally never had a friend. The discussion also reflects Marvel’s wider challenge in incorporating characters from the former Netflix series into films aimed at a broader audience. GamesRadar+ noted that the Netflix street-level shows are now treated as MCU canon, but suggested the dialogue was more likely a shorthand way of showing Peter’s importance to Frank than a deliberate revision of The Punisher’s past.