Spider-Man Week: Sadie Sink’s Character In ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Is…?

It feels like the question of who actress Sadie Sink is playing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been around since time immemorial, alongside other puzzlers like “what is the meaning of life?” and “what does color look like?” But unlike those other questions, we are now only days away from getting a definitive answer. Which also means the window on speculation is rapidly closing. Before it does, here are the current odds-on favorites in the running.

Jean Grey

Given both Sinks’ signature scarlet locks and the looming introduction of the MCU’s official adaptation of the X-Men, the role of mutant mentalist Jean Grey – one of comics’ most notable redheads — has long been the favorite. This was goosed somewhat by the reveal in Brand New Day trailers that the main villain seems to have some sort of mental control/possession powers, making the telepathic Jean a natural ally for Spidey (or perhaps even the villain themselves).

This remains the most likely answer, though at the same time, it’s also drifted into “Benedict Cumberbatch in Star Trek Into Darkness” territory, in terms of it being such an obvious answer, it begs the questions of why they’re still maintaining the mystery and risking devaluing the reveal by making it exactly what everything is expecting it to be.

Odds – 2:1

Firestar

Every year that goes by, it falls deeper into memory, but once upon a time, Spider-Man’s best friends (at least on TV) were a pair of mutants, Iceman and the red-haired, flame-generating Firestar. After making her debut on the animated Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in the early 1980s, Firestar — aka Angelica Jones — eventually made her way into comics via Uncanny X-Men before settling in for a long run as one of the New Warriors for much of the 1990s. Since then, she’s been an Avenger and one of the X-Men, but never quite reached the comic book A-list of characters. If Brand New Day is preserving the Sink reveal because they want to surprise audiences but still establish a connection with the coming-someday MCU X-Men, then Firestar would be a fun choice.

Odds – 4:1

Mary-Jane Watson

 

Then again, the connection between Sadie Sink’s character and the X-Men, which is predicated entirely on “both Sink and Jean Grey have red hair, and the X-Men are coming, so…” could be entirely non-existent. But comic book Spider-Man does have a long-standing and very important character with red hair in his supporting cast, and she’s been absent from the film adaptations since the conclusion of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy: Mary-Jane Watson.

Of course, the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies already have a “MJ” played by Zendaya, but technically, she is Michelle Jones-Watson, an original character intended to homage the comic book Mary-Jane but stand on her own. Which means this fourth Holland Spider-Man movie could still introduce a new “MJ” in the form of a red-haired Mary-Jane Watson played by Sink.

Odds – 6:1

Rachel Summers

Now we’re getting into the longer shots. Jean Grey isn’t the only telepathic redhead connected to the X-Men: there’s also her daughter from an alternate timeline, Rachel Summers aka Phoenix aka Marvel Girl aka Prestige aka Mother Askani aka Askani. She’d basically bring everything to the mix Jean Grey does, with the added benefit of being a character who, in the comics, hails from an alternate reality. And as we all know by now, the current phase of MCU movies is all about alternate timelines.

If the goal is to have Sink playing a character who is basically Jean Grey, but is more of a surprise and hails from an alternate reality, Rachel would be the obvious choice.

Odds – 8:1

Siryn

The sonically-powered Theresa Rourke Cassidy is a redhead and a mutant, and would definitely be a deep cut surprise, being more or less unknown to the average moviegoer. But at this point, I’m basically just handicapping any redheaded female mutant without a super-complicated backstory (sorry Hope Summers).

Odds – 12:1

Medusa

Another notable Marvel redhead, this wife of Inhumans ruler Black Bolt has mental control over her voluminous red locks. Medusa already made her live action debut, played by Serinda Swan in the terrible and largely forgotten Inhumans TV show, but the MCU did trot Anson Mount back out as Black Bolt for Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness, and, again, the multiverse, so … anything’s possible.

Odds – 16:1

Frankie Raye

Speaking of anything being possible, Frankie Raye is another, somewhat less notable, Marvel redhead. The one-time girlfriend of Johnny Storm, she eventually gains Human Torch powers and leaves Earth to voluntarily serve as Galactus’ herald. That connection, to the villain of the first MCU Fantastic Four film, would be the justification for including her on this list, but it seems unlikely that Spider-Man Brand New Day will be used as a further vehicle to tease the arrival of the Fantastic Four, especially after Thunderbolts* already kicked it off.

Odds – 30:1