Marvel Delivers Unexpected Wolverine And Punisher Team-Up Against Another Marvel Hero

Published Sep 22, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

At the same time, there have been a handful of instances where Wolverine and Punisher have begrudgingly joined forces. Just a few years ago, they served in the Savage Avengers with Elektra, Venom, Doctor Voodoo, and Conan the Barbarian. Now the popular X-Man and skull-emblazoned antihero have also surprisingly teamed up against Spider-Man, though this event took place years ago during the Web-Slinger’s "Brand New Day" era.

Wolverine Helped Punisher Out Of A Jam With Spider-Man

The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #5, Written By Dan Slott, Art By Marcus To

The preview for The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #5 picks back up with Punisher stealing the Lexicon, the secret ledger of Kingpin’s criminal enterprise, from Spider-Man after being freed from Mr. Negative’s mind control. Spidey, donned in his black suit again, calls the New Avengers for assistance while chasing down Punisher, asking for their assistance in capturing him. Unfortunately for him, this faction of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have prioritized tracking down The Hood instead. Well, almost all of them.

As Punisher gets some distance from Spider-Man in Central Park, he runs into Wolverine emerging from the shadows, with one set of his adamantium claws popping out. However, rather than subdue Frank, Logan not only lets him go, he lies to the masked Peter Parker about not seeing him. Despite their differences, Wolverine approves of the “damage” Punisher could do to the “right people” with the Lexicon. In this case, their shared interest in dispensing lethal justice to New York’s worst criminals trumps Wolverine helping his wall-crawling ally, who doesn’t approve of killing.

Spider-Man founded the first incarnation of the New Avengers with Captain America, Luke Cage, and Iron Man, with Wolverine joining a few issues later. The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day also takes place when the Superhero Registration Act is still in effect, meaning at this point, the team’s roster are technically criminals themselves since they refused to register. So while Logan should have Peter’s back, he instead decides it’s better for Frank to go nuts with the Lexicon, though it’s unclear how much longer that ledger will remain in his hands.

This Is The First Of Two Wolverine And Punisher Team-Ups In 2026

Though a brief moment in The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #5, this counts as another instance of Wolverine and Punisher teaming up, even if it comes as Spidey’s expense. It’s a welcome change of pace from their usual violent dynamic, like that time Punisher shot off Wolverine’s face, shot him in the “maple leaves,” and literally steamrolled him. It’s also the first of two team-ups between these characters Marvel is delivering before 2026 is over.

They’ll be back in each other’s orbits in the present-day Marvel universe this November for Punisher Showdowns: Wolverine #1. Written by Stephanie Phillips and Tom Waltz, and illustrated by Bruno Bull, this one-shot sees Wolverine and Punisher’s paths converging in New York City when they both target the Yakuza, which intends to unleash a deadly and violence-inducing drug. That’s not to say Wolverine and The Punisher won’t butt heads again, but they’ll surely get on the same page quickly. At least this time, no other superheroes will get screwed over… probably.

The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #5 will be released Wednesday, September 23 by Marvel Comics.