Sadie Sink’s reported Spider-Man 4 role has critics shocked — here’s the sticking point
At Spider-Man 4’s premiere, critics hailed Sadie Sink’s MCU bow for a role choice that wrong-foots the rumour mill.
Somehow, it’s already time to talk about Spider-Man: Brand New Day — yes, that’s Spider-Man 4 if you’ve lost track — and the chatter around it isn’t just about Tom Holland swinging back in. It’s Sadie Sink that everyone’s talking about. You might know her as Max from Stranger Things, but here, she’s made an entrance into the MCU that has left critics suitably gobsmacked from her very first crack at it.
The Mysterious Sadie Sink
People have been speculating for ages about who Sink might be playing. The most persistent theory going around was that she’d turn up as Jean Grey from the X-Men, with extra fuel thrown on that fire after Steve Lacy apparently let slip that Jean Grey’s actually in the film. Of course, Marvel’s not confirming anything — they’re holding those cards right up against the chest — so that mystery’s still dangling.
All the secrecy hasn’t stopped the film’s preview crowd from piling on the praise for Sink’s performance. Outlets from The Hollywood Reporter to Deadline have all been on board. What makes this interesting is that no one’s allowed to really say much about who she is playing — there’s a lot of skirting the issue, which is quite Marvel, really. Still, you get the idea that she’s put a whole new spin on a character fans sort of know, but with a backstory that actually matters.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote in its review: "Without giving too much away about the role, the Stranger Things star's compelling performance puts a new face on a familiar character and a painful new backstory to drive her actions, perhaps setting up future appearances."
Over at Deadline, they called her character 'mysterious' and commended Sink for delivering on a complex role, giving us a young woman who's every bit as isolated as Peter Parker himself. And then there’s the internet chorus: Erik Voss, who’s all over MCU stuff, came out and described her as 'devastating', adding that he can't wait to see more of Sink in upcoming Marvel films.
Where We Left Off and Who’s Back
Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up four years after No Way Home. As you’ll recall, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker finished that film by making a rather brutal request: he asked Doctor Strange to wipe everyone’s memories of him. This means that both MJ (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) now have absolutely no idea who Peter is, leaving him more or less friendless and playing right into Marvel’s favourite theme of total emotional solitude.
This time, Peter finds himself bumping up against a few fresh (and not-so-fresh) faces in the city: there’s Punisher — yes, Jon Bernthal back in black — and Scorpion, played by Michael Mando. Plus, Mark Ruffalo shows up as Bruce Banner for a bit of green muscle, just to round things out. Destin Daniel Cretton is the one steering the whole thing behind the camera.
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' arrives 31 July 2026.
Honestly, with Max Mayfield herself stepping into a superhero costume and making this much of a splash in her very first go, don’t be surprised if Marvel keeps this particular corner of the MCU busy for a good while yet.