The official announcement of Spider-Man 4‘s тιтle has convinced me that a big MCU character will return alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. With the тιтle now confirmed, the story of the MCU’s Spider-Man 4 can be better theorized. Since 2021 and the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the character’s future in the MCU has been unclear, to say the least. Finally, though, Sony has put any worries to bed with the confirmation of a new MCU story in July 2026.
Tom Holland will return as the тιтular character, alongside a popular newcomer to the franchise given Sadie Sink’s casting in Spider-Man 4. Before the announcement of the film’s тιтle, audiences were not sure exactly whether the film would be a multiversal story or a refresh for Peter Parker as a street-level MCU hero. Now that the тιтle of the upcoming Spider-Man movie has been confirmed, however, Marvel Comics fans have been providing more insight into what the story could entail, convincing me that one big Marvel character will make their return in the 2026 project.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Was Revealed To Be The тιтle Of Spider-Man 4
Named After A Well-Known Comic Book Storyline
At CinemaCon 2025, Sony Pictures hosted a panel that gave insight into the upcoming Spider-Man movies in development. Director Destin Daniel Cretton and Tom Holland made appearances, the latter via video, confirming the official тιтle of Spider-Man 4. As revealed, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the тιтle of the next installment of the Web-Slinger’s MCU journey. Not only was it incredibly exciting to get this тιтle and a release date, but the source material that links to the former hints at what the story could be about.
In Brand New Day, Peter’s Aunt May is killed in an ᴀssᴀssination attempt, prompting the demon lord Mephisto to offer the young hero a deal…
The storyline of the same name was released by Marvel Comics in the late 2000s and stemmed from the mᴀssive Civil War event that saw Peter Parker unveil his idenтιтy to the world. In One More Day, Brand New Day‘s predecessor, Peter’s Aunt May is killed in an ᴀssᴀssination attempt, prompting the demon lord Mephisto to offer the young hero a deal: if he gives up his marriage to Mary Jane, Mephisto will bring Aunt May back. Peter agrees, prompting Brand New Day to become essentially a soft reboot of Marvel Comics’ various Spider-Man stories, hence the тιтle.
Brand New Day’s Story Means J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson Is More Than Likely To Return In The Cast Of Spider-Man 4
Given His Comic Book Involvement
Although the MCU is likely to adapt many elements of this storyline differently, as Spider-Man: No Way Home did with One More Day, some aspects will likely be kept the same. One such aspect could be the inclusion of J. Jonah Jameson, played once more by J.K. Simmons. Simmons reprised his role as the Spider-Man-hating journalist in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and could easily do the same in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The reason for this is Jameson’s role in the Brand New Day comic book storyline.
While J. Jonah Jameson does not have a mᴀssive role in Brand New Day, he still has a somewhat important subplot. The drastic changes in Peter’s life resulted in him not selling as many pictures of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle, causing the paper to lose profit. Eventually, Jameson suffered a buyout at the hands of a businessman named Dexter Bennett, eventually suffering two heart attacks from the stress. With this in mind, the MCU’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day has the perfect excuse to bring back J.K. Simmons as the character.
Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Ending Means Being Able To Bring Back Another MCU Spider-Man Character In Brand New Day Is A Huge Benefit
If J.K. Simmons does return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, this will be a huge boost to the film after Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending. The 2021 film ended with Peter Parker completely alone given that everyone on Earth had forgotten he existed, including his best friend Ned and girlfriend MJ. This teased the possibility of a soft reboot – like the comics’ Brand New Day – in Spider-Man 4, which seems to be coming to fruition. Despite Zendaya being rumored to return as MJ, it is unlikely she will have as big a role as she did in the first three movies.
When combining this with the loss of Ned, Aunt May, and any other characters who knew Peter, Spider-Man: Brand New Day could be too much of a reset for general audiences. That said, the return of J. Jonah Jameson would provide a welcome, familiar face as part of the story in the form of a fan-favorite character. This would allow Spider-Man: Brand New Day to hold at least one firm connection to the original three movies beyond Holland’s Peter Parker, rendering J. Jonah Jameson’s return all the more logical.
