“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (2026) takes place four years after “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021). Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has zero human connections as himself. His former girlfriend and first love, MJ (Zendaya), and former best friend, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), have graduated from MIT, moved back to New York and do not remember him. Peter spends most of his time fighting crime as Spider-Man, which may have the unintentional effect of spiking a hormonal imbalance with his arachnid side taking over and losing control. With a new, powerful, unknown threat emerging, the Punisher, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), clash over the best way to handle it, and Peter goes to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to figure out how to regain control over what is physically happening to him. Is the key to stopping the latest Big Bad figuring out how to get his life together? With a run time of two hours twenty-five minutes, this installment is like 1.5 movies in one, and both are solid Marvel Cinematic Universe (“MCU”) movies, but the real strength of this movie is the emotional journey that Holland, director Destin Daniel Cretton (best MCU addition after Ryan Coogler), and cowriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers take Peter Parker and Spider-Man on. It is the first confident and consistent MCU movie in tone for a couple of years though the single post-credit scene may be anti-climactic albeit offering a huge, coy hint on future developments.
What do you need to do to prepare for the movie? Watch all the MCU era “Spider-Man” movies, but at a minimum, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” If you are new to the Punisher, then watch season two of “Daredevil,” “The Punisher” first two seasons, and the first season of “Daredevil: Born Again.” Feel free to skip “The Punisher: One Last Kill” (2026). You can probably handle all the Hulk/Bruce Banner plot points without doing any homework, but if you feel compelled, at least watch “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) and “She-Hulk” (2022) to truly understand the Hulk Inhibitor Device. If you want a comprehensive, but unnecessary Hulk curriculum, then also integrate in chronological release order and include “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), “The Avengers” (2012), “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021). Similarly, The Hand is self-explanatory and has zero lines, but if “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” sparks your interest, check out season two of “Daredevil,” season 1 of “Iron Fist,” and “The Defenders” (2017), which you should just watch because it is awesome. There is a new federal agency on the block, the US Department of Damage Control, which Director William ‘Bill” Metzger (Tramell Tillman) heads. Don’t you miss S.H.I.E.L.D. It is getting challenging to keep up with all the organizations that have come and gone so watching “Thunderbolts*” (2025) may orient you to the existing movers and shakers.
To protect himself from the pain of further loss, Peter has decided that the best way to live is to devote himself to work so when his body interferes with crime fighting, it is like losing his connection to the only thing that matters to him. His social life consists of visiting Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) in the cemetery, watching Ned’s social media and interacting with his self-created AI assistant E.V. (Naomi Watts). Instead of recognizing that his body’s changes are integral to his identity, he treats it like the enemy and a buffet where he gets to pick and choose which qualities he likes. To quote Season 2 Episode 7 of “Euphoria,” “Is this fucking play about us?” Like damn, MCU, do I get some profit from you dipping into my life like that! With Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) giving him a big break, putting him on desk duty and encouraging him to seek community, he is forced to slow down and reassess, but with a new Big Bad, he initially learns the wrong lessons.
MCU clearly decided that the character and Holland are old enough to objectify so they have him in a couple of stripped-down scenes while staying firmly on the right side of its PG-13 rating. Arms! They even decide to capitalize on Holland’s viral “Umbrella” performance on “Lip Sync Battle” on Season 3 Episode 4 aired on May 7, 2016 with Peter making do with available public clothing. As the heartbroken, grief stricken masked young hero who deserves more than he settles for, Holland’s emotional presence grounds the entire movie. The angst-ridden superhero trope can be tiresome and often annoying, but somehow “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” manages to sidestep the most annoying tropes of the genre. Holland manages to evolve his character into Neo from “The Matrix” (1999) and have a dangerous side without losing his trustworthiness. The metamorphosis feels referential to David Cronenberg’s “The Fly” (1986), which is why it is easy to relate to Peter’s misgivings about his changing nature. Thankfully the MCU finally abandoned the ridiculous trope of the hero getting mistaken as a villain and being on the run. Keep up the good work and never revisit it again. Peter even passes the “Obsession” (2026) test and shows what a good guy does in that situation.
Throwing the Punisher in the mix of a PG-13 movie sounds like a bad idea or a contradiction, but it works better than the different comic book universe, television odd couple Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), and the Flash, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), which banked on the sweet and sour contrast. They are less a pair than coworkers with the same goals, but dramatically different approaches with Frank willing to run over Spider-Man without blinking because he will be fine, and Frank wants to take care of business. Even though not one actor is from New York City, it is very New York City because at the end of the day, Bernthal and Holland’s chemistry is perfect, and they convey that while they do not agree and aggravate each other, they also have each other’s backs and care about each other. It is super cute, especially when MJ gets added into the mix. “The Odyssey” (2026) reunion! The “Spider-Man” franchise has always been the most New York of any of the comic book movies and television series. New Yorkers are kind, not nice, and it sums up Frank. It is a relief to report that Bernthal has not lost his ability to imbue Frank with warmth and appeal without losing his edge despite his most recent, ultra-disappointing prior appearance.
How is the Big Bad? You are not ready, and you may be incredibly hyped. I was soooooo close, but no cigar to identifying the Big Bad and am proud that I made it that far. While “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” borrows from a lot of movies and television series to cobble together this villain, it is done in an unexpected, fresh way because of the way that it is combined. The villain’s powers function similarly to a demon in “Fallen” (1998) so once again, horror fans have the advantage while watching this movie, and there is some overlap with “WandaVision” (2021), which in turn borrowed the plot device from “Under the Dome,” which I never finished. Basically, the Big Bad can possess people, use their bodies to carry out their plans and root around in their mind. Without revealing any spoilers, it is a relief to have a MCU movie that is not directly promoting Dr. Doom (Robert Downey Jr., boooooo, give us someone new, spread the wealth) and is an integral emotional foil to Spider-Man. The villains can often be anti-climactic, but as Peter is trying to ditch his powers, the Big Bad embraces them. They are mirror images of each other in terms of history, sentiment and goals though they both embrace the same solution: single-minded focus and isolation; however, the real solution lies in their relationship to each other and their respective pasts. It is beautiful and soulful. By helping someone else, he relearns a lesson that he lost.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” also offers a valuable lesson for its audience. It is not a new concept in the MCU, but centered here. Because of their gifts, Peter and the Big Bad get exposed to the worst elements of society so they understandably isolate, but it reinforces their mindset of seeing the world at its worst while trying to embody it’s best when there are good elements, they just do not get to experience and enjoy them as much as regular people. That opening crime fighting montage reflects this phenomenon. People love these stories because moviegoers relate to feeling special, misunderstood and maligned, but it is really important to take a step back and ask who you really are in the story? It is unlikely that every viewer is endowed with a special, world changing gift and have more in common with the normal people without powers. Are you the one with the gift or the guy in the laundromat, the director, the villain, the recent college grad who gets to have a normal life and live a crime free life, a recent college grad who is aware of the dangers and is aware that you live a crime free life because of someone else’s sacrifice? What are you doing to pour back into the people with gifts who have the ability or a proven track record to make your life better? Because most movie goers are not the Big Bad or Peter Parker. You are the one who makes their burden heavier, lighter or ignore them. It is a tangible, accessible lesson that you can take away from the movie. Ordinary people like May, DeWolff, Frank, MJ and Ned can help Spider-Man who can then save them. Are you extracting or are you saying thank you? They determine their society and its trajectory as much as Spider-Man if not more.
