Spider-Man: Brand New Day
looks set to bring in a major detail that fans have been wanting to see from the MCU’s Spider-Man for years. Spider-Man is one of the few heroes who has had his story told over and over again. Largely, that is down to the popularity of the character, but it also had a negative effect in that it meant each new iteration had to change things up in order to stand apart and be different. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in the Sam Raimi trilogy got a solid origin story, but Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man had the origin completely overhauled to make it fresh.
Then, when it came time to bring Tom Holland’s Spider-Man into the MCU, they decided to sidestep his origin altogether, delivering a somewhat fresh Spidey, who was almost immediately thrust into this giant crossover adventure. And unfortunately, along the way, the character has strayed from his roots as a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, to become an Avenger, and a global superhero. But things are about to change for Holland’s Peter Parker in a big way that will bring him back in line with what the character is best known for.
The MCU’s Spider-Man Has Been Without A Proper Street-Level Story For Years
Marvel Studios Spider-Man Is A Global Superhero
As mentioned above, Spider-Man had his debut in the MCU in an extraordinary way. Tony Stark recruited the young webslinger to join his side in an all-out war against other heroes led by Captain America in Captain America: Civil War. Then, in his most grounded story of the MCU, Spider-Man: Homecoming, he had frequent contact with Tony Stark, begging for missions outside the neighborhood. Since then, Spidey has fought villains around Europe in Far From Home, and from other realities in No Way Home, and that is not even mentioning his battles with Thanos in space and Wakanda.
The thing is, the MCU’s Spider-Man has a ton of experience fighting bad guys, but it seems like he has been involved in doing very little about fighting crime in his own backyard. Street-level superheros like Spider-Man and Daredevil are the backbone of Marvel Comics, and in order to really showcase their pᴀssion, kindness, and heroism, they need to have a chance to fight bad guys on a smaller scale too.
Spider-Man 4’s Brand New Day тιтle Teases A Street-Level Story For The MCU
The Comic Hints At A Change In Direction For The MCU’s Spider-Man
Fortunately, Spider-Man: Brand New Day suggests that Peter Parker will be doing just that, thanks to the reference to the comic book run of the same name. Brand New Day is the follow-up story to One Day More, which had several details in common with Spider-Man: No Way Home. One of the biggest commonalities is the fact that Peter Parker gets a level of anonymity thanks to Doctor Strange erasing people’s memories of him. Now, the comic plays this out slightly differently, but the result appears to be largely the same. Peter Parker has a fresh start.
In Brand New Day, Peter takes time away from being Spider-Man, before he returns to his heroics and starts from the ground up. In the MCU movie that shares its тιтle, it feels unlikely that Peter will stop being Spider-Man, since that is all he has left, but now that Parker is an unknown, he can focus on keeping his neighborhood safe, and stop worrying about global threats. This is further aided by the fact that the Avengers are no longer ᴀssembled, which means Spider-Man needs to find his own missions.
Why The MCU’s Spider-Man Needs More Street-Level Stories
Spider-Man Needs To Go Back To His Roots
As wonderful as it is to see Spider-Man fighting side by side with some of the greatest heroes Marvel has to offer, he sometimes gets lost in that crowd. His entire introductory trilogy was overshadowed by him working with the Avengers, and then No Way Home saw him join forces with two other Spider-Men from across the multiverse. But Spider-Man is best known for being a “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” This allows him to connect with the people of New York, endear himself to them, and make his community a better place.
Peter Parker is just a kid. And even as he gets older, his biggest contributions are made when working hard to make his community a better place. He loves New York, and his great powers allow him to exercise his responsibilities to take care of others on a personal level. While the Avengers save the whole world, they don’t get to have the same level of connection as Spider-Man does in his work. And ultimately, not every hero has to be focused on threats from the sky. Some work hard to ensure the plentiful threats in their area don’t consume and overwhelm people. That’s why Spider-Man: Brand New Day has the potential to be such a meaningful story in the MCU, and for Peter Parker personally.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027