After months of Marvel keeping quiet, Spider-Man: Brand New Day viewers finally know which character Sadie Sink is bringing to the screen.
The Stranger Things actor appears alongside Tom Holland in the newest Spider-Man installment, and her once-secret part has now been revealed as Jean Grey.
Speculation had followed Sink from the moment her casting was announced, with many fans convinced she had been chosen to play the well-known X-Men mutant.
Marvel Studios spent much of the film’s promotion refusing to clarify who she was playing, while Sink also stayed careful not to reveal too much in interviews.
That guessing game intensified when the first trailer arrived earlier this year, as fans noticed a quick glimpse of a red-haired figure dressed in green.
For comic readers, the visual hints seemed familiar. Jean Grey has long been associated with red hair and green outfits in her classic appearances, making her the leading theory almost immediately.
That prediction has now turned out to be right.
Even so, Marvel chose not to confirm the role during the marketing run, instead saving the reveal until audiences could discover it for themselves.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the secrecy was meant to improve the viewing experience, not simply to stir more intrigue.
Speaking before the movie reached theaters, he said:
“Keeping what Sadie’s doing under wraps, you’ll honestly understand when you see the movie. The movie is a better movie if you don’t know certain things.
“I wish people didn’t know anything when they go in to watch this movie, but we’re not doing it for any other reason but to protect the experience of the fans.
“And whoever goes on opening weekend, you are going to have a much cooler experience if you go in not knowing certain things.”
Tom Holland’s fourth outing as Peter Parker picks up after Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Peter continuing to deal with a world that no longer remembers who he is.
Zendaya is back as MJ and Jacob Batalon returns as Ned, though Peter now has to watch both of them move forward with their lives unaware of the bond they once shared.
The film’s official story places Peter in deep isolation, struggling with the emotional cost of that new reality. As that pressure builds, he is pushed toward risky choices just as a formidable new enemy draws him back into action.
In her role as Jean Grey, Sink plays a teenage telepath with powerful mutant abilities. The character possesses unsuspecting people and uses them to attack facilities, initially appearing to Peter Parker and authorities as an uncontrollable threat. However, Jean’s true backstory involves abandonment following her powers’ manifestation, along with her sister Sara, who also possesses telepathic abilities. The character’s introduction in this film is expected to set the stage for Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot.
Before the film opened, Sink had already spoken about how excited she was for the day she could discuss the project without having to dodge spoilers.
She has previously said:
“Spider-Man has always been my favorite. I love Spider-Man. I love Tom’s Spider-Man, especially.
“To be a fan of something and then join it is a familiar feeling for me, because I was a fan of Stranger Things before I joined the show, but I was super excited about what they had planned.”
Sink also spoke about working again with Destin Daniel Cretton, noting that they first collaborated when she was 14 on his film The Glass Castle and calling the experience a ‘full-circle moment.’ The film marks her return to working with Cretton after watching her career grow significantly since their initial collaboration, particularly through her breakout role in Stranger Things.