Warning: Spoilers from โSpider-Man: Brand New Dayโ below.
Following months of seeing Sadie Sink cloaked in shadows in trailers and hearing her remain tight-lipped whenever pressed about her role in โSpider-Man: Brand New Day,โ her character and her possible influence in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been revealed.
The latest MCU entry, out July 31, is the fourth installment in Tom Hollandโs Spider-Man era, introducing a more mature tone as Peter Parker grapples with his identity and being alone in the world after losing his aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and his friends. Holland returns as the titular character, with Zendaya as MJ, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher and Sink as โฆ
While fans have known that Sink will appear in the superhero flick for over a year, the identity of her character and the major villain have been kept a secret.
The trailers showed glimpses of Sinkโs character in a hood, seemingly watching Spider-Man tackle a threat that has the ability to take control of any psyche, with the exception of the webslinger.
Given Sinkโs distinctive red hair and the return of the early 2000s X-Men characters in โAvengers: Doomsday,โ it has been speculated that the โStranger Thingsโ alum will take on the role of Jean Grey. The powerful mutant, with powers of telekinesis, telepathy and pyrokinesis, was previously portrayed by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner.
So, were the rumors true and the Phoenix has made her grand debut in the MCU? Or has Marvel been hiding a twist? Read on to find out who Sink plays in โSpider-Man: Brand New Dayโ and what happens to her character.
Sadie Sinkโs โSpider-Man: Brand New Dayโ Character Revealed
In the filmโs first act, Spider-Man tracks down a military tank that is speeding through New York City. The tank crashes into a prison holding a villain he captured in an opening montage named Scorpion (Michael Mando).
When Spider-Man opens the tank, he finds a confused woman who doesnโt remember how she ended up there. Spider-Man realizes that the woman is being mind controlled and sheโs not the only one. An unknown mastermind begins to jump from person to person, taking over their minds and toying with Spider-Man.
Later when our hero encounters the Scorpion again, fans see that Sinkโs character is the source of the telepathic abilities. She communicates with Spider-Man through Scorpion and warns him to stay out of her way unless he wants MJ to be put in danger. She also reveals that she wants information about โV-Max.โ
Determined to track her down, Peter uses facial recognition software to learn where else the mysterious woman has been spotted before terrorizing New York. He teams up with MJ and reveals that while details about the womanโs life mostly lead to dead ends, he does find her name: Jean Grey.
Yes, the rumors were true. The role of Jean Grey has been passed to Sink and a new era of X-Men has arrived in the MCU.
But this Jean Grey is just learning the extent of her powers and can only inhabit beings that are about 33 feet away from her, which Spider-Man uses to his advantage.
Is Sadie Sinkโs Character the Villain?
Spider-Man heads to the Department of Damage Control to stop Jean from breaking into a vault where department head William โBillโ Metzger (Tramell Tillman) is hiding with other employees. Despite Jean using her powers to briefly control Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Punisher, who arrives to assist Spider-Man, the masked hero outsmarts her and helps capture her.
Before Jean is taken away, she utters the name Sara to Spider-Man.
Fans then see a flashback scene from Jeanโs perspective that reveals her backstory. Jean had an older sister named Sara who possessed the same powers. One day when the sisters were sitting in a park together practicing their skills, Sara went to get ice cream and never returned. She was taken by Metzger and his team. Despite being miles away, Sara communicated with Jean while in captivity, sending her one phrase: โV-Max.โ
With the help of Florence Pughโs Yelena/Black Widow (whose cameo in the film was hinted at by Marvel head Kevin Feige a few weeks ago), Spider-Man learns about Sara and realizes the telepath is not a maniacal villain but simply a woman trying to reunite with her sister.
He rushes to free Jean, who is being experimented on by Metzger in the same room where her sister was held. Jean looks at the ceiling and finds the answer she has been searching for. โV-Maxโ is the name of the company on the air vent above the holding cell, the last image Sara saw before she died.
What Happens to Sadie Sinkโs Character at the End?
Spider-Man stops Jean, whose abilities become heightened in the cell, from killing Metzger and harming New Yorkers. They bond over their grief of losing a loved one and agree to be friends.
But during the heartfelt moment, Punisher accidentally shoots and wounds Spider-Man. Jean uses her powers to keep him alive until he wakes up on his own.
Jeanโs final scene shows her leaving New York City. Her destination is unknown, meaning fans will have to wait and see if she reappears in โAvengers: Doomsday.โ