Bernthal described Castle's view of superhero dynamics. "Frank doesn't buy into all this stuff.
He's a level guy and he gets frustrated with all this superhero stuff. But there's a sense of mutual respect with Spider-Man," he said.
Comparing the production scale, Bernthal noted the vast resources available for the film. "These guys really have the expertise.
Not that the expertise isn't there in Marvel TV, but the space, the bandwidth, the budget. Anything is possible.
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I was blown away every day walking onto those sets," he told Polygon.
He praised the film crew's dedication to quality.
"There were so many times we stopped and just slowed everything down to make the scenes work," Bernthal said, crediting co-star Tom Holland, director Cretton, and producer Amy Pascal.
Bernthal admitted he had long hoped to share the screen with Holland's Spider-Man. "Whenever I'm asked by journalists or by fans: 'Who's sort of the one superhero you…?'
I always say Spider-Man. Because I love Tom.
I love what he's built. I love who he is," he said.
When asked if Castle acts as a fun uncle figure, Bernthal replied, "Fun uncle? More like a derelict older brother."
He elaborated on their personal chemistry shaping the characters' interactions.
"Look, we got to bring a lot of who we are to each other into this, which I think was great."
Bernthal expressed confidence in the character transition.
"I believe that this is a Frank that you'd believe walking out of that set (One Last Kill) and onto this, and vice versa," he said.
He also spoke fondly of Holland's growth since their previous collaborations.
"It's been such a gift and such a dream to sort of do two movies back-to-back with Tom and see how far he's come.
He's still this unbelievably generous and kind and great person, and now he's this bona fide movie star," Bernthal said.
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day also stars Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Tramell Tillman, and Michael Mando. It opens exclusively in theaters on July 31, 2026.
