Tramell Tillman has said he was required to sign non-disclosure agreements before meeting director Destin Daniel Cretton about a role in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”. He described Marvel’s secrecy as frustrating because he initially had little information about how his character would fit into the film, though the role was presented as pivotal.

Tillman plays Bill Metzger, a comic-book character opposed to the X-Men who becomes a government official dealing with superhero-related damage in the MCU. Marvel reportedly sought to protect the film’s crossover elements, including Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey; Tillman ultimately accepted the part as a “leap of faith” and modelled Metzger’s calm, polished manner partly on Barack Obama. The film has become the second-fastest to reach $1 billion worldwide, increasing the likelihood that Tillman could return.