Sadie Sink's Spider-Man: Brand New Day Character (& What She Means For The MCU), Explained

This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day had a tall task ahead of it in measuring up to 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, but somehow the fourth Spidey movie to star Tom Holland seems like it is shaping up to be as big a hit as the third. Although it doesn't sport the obvious draw of every cinematic Spider-Man teaming up, Brand New Day has instead eked out as much hype as possible from the inclusion of Stranger Things favorite Sadie Sink, whose enigmatic role in the film has resulted in no end of speculation from fans.

Easily the biggest question audiences had going into the movie was "who is Sadie Sink playing?" Or more accurately, "is Sadie Sink really playing who we think she's playing?" Thankfully, fans should be pleased with Sink's part in proceedings, whatever their preconceptions, as she plays an exciting and complex character who is destined to become as popular as Max Mayfield. What's more, her character promises to be someone who might well prove integral to whatever is coming next from Marvel after the Multiverse Saga concludes in 2027.

Sadie Sink Has an Integral Role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Sink’s Character Causes Havoc, but Whether She Is the Film’s Main Villain or Not Is up for Debate

It takes some time for Sadie Sink to make her mark on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but her role in the film is well worth waiting for. Just as fans suspected, Sink's character is the unseen telepath who is shown jumping her consciousness from body to body in the trailers. Likewise, those who suspected the mysterious hooded figure featured in the marketing was really Sink incognito were also correct. This is the only extent to which Sink's character features in roughly the first half of the film.

Eventually, both Peter Parker and the audience get a glimpse at this powerful telepath and Sink finally shows her face on screen. Peter investigates her and discovers that she is a runaway orphan whose name is Jean Grey. Jean has been using her powers to infiltrate various facilities belonging to the Department of Damage Control. With both the Punisher and the Hulk's help, Peter is able to incapacitate Jean, and the DoDC locks her up. But all is not as it seems. Further digging reveals that Jean was only looking for her sister, also a telepath, who Damage Control previously kidnapped and experimented on.

While in Damage Control's clutches, Jean discovers her sister is dead, and her grief causes her powers to go out of control. She releases a wave of psychic energy — reminiscent of WandaVision's Hex — that freezes half the city. Peter is able to talk Jean down, and NYC is released from her hold. However, the Punisher fires off a bullet meant for Jean, but Peter leaps in front of it to protect her. Peter is hospitalized and only survives because Jean uses her psychic powers to help him heal. The last fans see of her, Jean is taking a bus out of the city. To a certain school for gifted youngsters in Westchester? Time will tell.

Sadie Sink's MCU Character Could Be a Major Player in Marvel's Next Saga

It's official, Sadie Sink is the MCU's Jean Grey. In the latest example of Hollywood tricking fans over an actor's role, even though the whole internet already knows who they're playing (see also Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan), Sink is indeed playing the First Lady of the X-Men. There are some recognizable elements of the character still in play — including her telepathy, penchant for wearing yellow and green, and, of course, her distinctive red hair — but, otherwise, the MCU's Jean promises to be a truly unique version of the heroine.

Jean's villainous turn as Dark Phoenix is perhaps the most defining element of the character in most incarnations, but in this retelling, she is a villain before becoming a hero. This may indicate Marvel has no plans to adapt the Dark Phoenix Saga for a third time on the big screen, which will likely cause some fans to breathe a sigh of relief. Initially, this Jean is more like a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants than an X-Man, although she seems to have undergone a moral re-alignment by Brand New Day's end. Moreover, Jean's older sister, Sara Grey, does exist in the comics, but she is not a confirmed mutant like Jean (although some comics have alluded to Sara having some kind of latent power). In the source material, it's the death of Jean's best friend, Annie, that serves as a similar transformative moment for her.

The fact that Jean escapes the authorities at Brand New Day's end certainly tees her up for a return appearance down the line. The most obvious place for a comeback would be in the impending X-Men reboot, which has Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier attached. Given the general audience's familiarity with Jean, and Sink's popularity with audiences, there's a good chance that she could serve as the reboot's lead. It's easy to imagine the new X-Men movie following Jean after she relocates to the X-Mansion and finds a new family and purpose as she joins Professor X's team. In other words, she could act as both Anna Paquin's Rogue and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine from 2000's original X-Men film rolled into one. She'd be the young student who is new to the X-Men and the loner mutant with a chip on their shoulder.

Still, with the X-Men reboot not yet having a release date — it was hoped that it would be coming in 2028, but available slots have since been filled by Black Panther 3 and Ghost Rider — Sadie Sink's Marvel future remains uncertain. The good news is that the Stranger Things star is now part of the MCU as one of the most iconic characters in Marvel's catalog, so fans don't need to be a telepath to intuit that the odds of seeing her again in this franchise are high.