The reveal of a new X-Men villain in Spider-Man: Brand New Day may very well be the start of a new era for the MCU. While the trailer featured major names like Bruce Banner’s Hulk, Scorpion, and The Punisher, it also debuted a lesser-known character who could prove very important in crafting the MCU’s future beyond the Multiverse Saga.
Following Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel Studios is expected to introduce the X-Men as native heroes of Earth-616, with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier already developing an X-Men project. Keeping that in mind, planting the seeds for mutantkind’s full debut ahead of time makes sense, including the public’s traditional fear and hatred toward mutants from the original Marvel Comics.
Beyond the theories that Sadie Sink’s mystery character will be revealed as Jean Grey, the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer does confirm the involvement of an X-Men villain who could be perfect when it comes to laying the groundwork for mutantkind’s greater presence in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Will Feature Tramell Tillman As William Metzger
The newest trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day confirms that Severance’s Tramell Tillman is playing William “Bill” Metzger. In the MCU, Metzger looks to be the director of the Department of Damage Control, the organization tasked with cleaning up after, containing, and monitoring enhanced individuals, and made its first on-screen debut in Spider-Man: Homecoming. In the new trailer, Metzger is seemingly recruiting Spider-Man to help the DODC take down a dangerous mind-controller, describing them as an enemy they “can’t see” and “can’t control.” Bill also says Spider-Man appears to be the only one immune (presumably thanks to his spider-sense).
Marvel · Mutant Profile Which X-Men Character Are You? “Mutation: it is the key to our evolution.”
🐺 Wolverine The Loner
🧠 Professor X The Visionary
🧲 Magneto The Survivor
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Humans discover your mutant abilities. What do you do?
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Anti-mutant protesters surround a school full of young mutants. What’s your first move?
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A team of mutants needs a leader for a dangerous mission. What role do you naturally fall into?
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A powerful mutant threatens innocent humans. How do you respond?
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A human politician offers to champion mutant rights — but has a shady past. What do you do?
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What’s your biggest flaw?
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Sentinels are hunting mutants in your city. What’s your move?
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What do you believe about coexistence between humans and mutants?
Cerebro Scan Complete Your X-Men Identity
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Wolverine (Logan)
“I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.” You’re the fierce loner who acts first and philosophises later — but beneath that adamantium-plated exterior beats a heart that cares far more than you’d ever admit. You’ve been burned enough times to distrust the world, so you keep people at arm’s length, yet you’d throw yourself into any fight to protect the ones who slip past your defences. You don’t need a cause or a manifesto — you just need someone worth fighting for. Like Logan, your greatest strength isn’t your claws or your healing factor; it’s the stubborn refusal to let the people you love face danger alone.
Fierce Protective Resilient Untamed
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Professor X (Charles Xavier)
“Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” You’re the visionary who sees the best in everyone — even when the world gives you every reason not to. Your greatest power isn’t telepathy; it’s an unshakeable belief that understanding and compassion can bridge any divide. You lead not through force but through hope, building bridges where others build walls. Some call you naive, but you know that real strength lies in extending a hand to your enemy. Like Charles Xavier, you carry the weight of a dream that most consider impossible, and you refuse to let it die.
Visionary Empathetic Diplomatic Hopeful
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Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr)
“Peace was never an option.” You’re the survivor who learned the hardest lesson life has to offer: the world will not protect you, so you must protect yourself. Your conviction is unbreakable and your patience is terrifying — you’ll wait years to set the right plan in motion. You don’t hate humanity; you simply refuse to let your people be victims ever again. Every action you take, no matter how ruthless, is driven by a profound love for those who share your struggle. Like Erik Lehnsherr, you are both revolutionary and tragic — a leader forged in pain who will bend the world before it bends you.
Resolute Strategic Ruthless Unyielding
While Metzger may appear to be another government official trying to keep the public safe, readers of the original comics know better. On the page, William Metzger was the leader of the Anti-Mutant Militia, publicly stoking fear and hatred of mutants before he was ultimately killed by Magneto. As such, it’d be pretty strange if Marvel Studios were to use the name William Metzger and not have some sort of connection to the comic’s version, especially with mutants being so imminent on the horizon for the MCU.
How Metzger Could Kick Off Anti-Mutant Sentiments In The MCU (Before The X-Men)
x-men unite in x-men 97 art
Bill Metzger’s dialogue in the latest Brand New Day trailer becomes even more interesting considering all the current fan theories surrounding the hooded mystery mind-controller played by Sadie Sink. If the massive speculation proves correct and Sink is ultimately proven to be the X-Men’s incredibly powerful psychic Jean Grey, it’s even easier to imagine someone like Metzger viewing mutants as a major danger that “can’t be controlled.” From that point on, the classic anti-mutant fear and hatred practically writes itself for the MCU, even with more established heroes like the Avengers still being accepted.
The MCU’s DODC already has a rough reputation thanks to its increasingly aggressive tactics toward enhanced individuals, as was seen in Ms. Marvel’s Disney+ series (a confirmed early MCU mutant). As such, introducing a live-action version of Metzger running an organization like the DODC could be the start of some major institutional distrust toward mutants ahead of the X-Men’s official debut. Seeing as how the Metzger of the comics had connections to Bolivar Trask and the mutant-killing robot Sentinel program, there’s some pretty dark potential for how the MCU might start using the DODC against mutants in the near future.
If that’s indeed the direction Spider-Man: Brand New Day is taking, it’s easy to see how Spider-Man’s next adventure could become a major narrative pillar for the MCU and its future beyond the Multiverse Saga. Likewise, it just makes sense for Marvel Studios to start laying the groundwork and planting seeds ahead of an official X-Men movie, and characters like Metzger (and hopefully Jean Grey) could be a very exciting means of doing just that.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in theaters on July 31st from Sony and Marvel Studios.
