Liza Colón-Zayas Says She’s Stronger Than Spider-Man On The ‘Brand New Day’ Set
Marvel’s next web slinging chapter has been shrouded in secrecy for months, but the cast keeps finding ways to tease just enough to keep fans buzzing. Liza Colón-Zayas joined ‘Spider-Man Brand New Day,’ the fourth film in Tom Holland’s run as Peter Parker and the first to be produced under the Marvel Studios banner alongside Sony. The Emmy winning star has slowly opened up about her mystery role, and now she’s giving fans a look behind the curtain.
Colón-Zayas is best known for playing Tina Marrero on FX’s ‘The Bear,’ a role that made her the first Latina actress to win the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. That performance also brought her nominations at the Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and Golden Globes. In an earlier interview, Colón-Zayas teased her Marvel role by simply saying she plays a detective, while also praising co-stars Tom Holland and Zendaya and describing the movie as a darker, deeper Spider-Man story.
Fans have since confirmed she’s playing Jean DeWolff, the police detective who becomes one of Peter’s closest allies in the comics. Colón-Zayas has said she loves that DeWolff is a woman in authority and a mother, someone scrappy but layered, who genuinely cares about Spider-Man’s wellbeing rather than just needing an extra pair of hands on the job. That dynamic apparently made for some memorable moments on set, including one that recently went viral after being shared by MCU Film News on X.
According to the account, Colón-Zayas recalled filming the scene right after Spider-Man’s battle with Scorpion, where Peter is suffering from headaches and DeWolff can tell something is seriously wrong. Tom Holland was supposed to lower his hands away from his face while she held his wrists trying to get control of him, but director Destin Daniel Cretton kept telling him to bring his arms down further. Finally, in a British accent, Holland reportedly blurted out that he couldn’t do it because Liza was simply too strong, a moment the crew found hilarious given how physically fit the actor actually is.
The anecdote comes from a larger sit down Colón-Zayas gave about her time on the production. She also opened up about her audition process, revealing that her scenes with Holland’s Peter Parker leaned heavily on phone conversations rather than in person confrontations. “I don’t think I’ve ever had so many phone confrontations in any other work!” Colón-Zayas told Inverse, on a break from her production schedule.
‘Spider-Man Brand New Day’ is set for release on July 31, 2026, with Destin Daniel Cretton directing from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. The cast includes Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Jacob Batalon, Tramell Tillman, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Mando, Marvin Jones III, Florence Pugh, and Marisa Tomei. Colón-Zayas was first reported to be joining the film in an exclusive from Deadline, which also suggested Zendaya and Jacob Batalon would be returning to reprise their roles.
Between the wrist grabbing mishap and her heartfelt take on DeWolff’s bond with Peter, Colón-Zayas is proving to be one of the most charming new additions to the Spider-Man corner of the MCU. Did Tom Holland’s British accented confession make you laugh as much as it made the cast and crew on set that day?
