WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
It’s been five years since we last saw our web-headed hero making a decision that would alter his life forever. Now Peter Parker, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, has returned in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s film Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
When we last saw Peter Parker (Tom Holland), he was in the aftermath of having made a decision that would change his life moving forward. His identity revealed to the world, Peter Parker faced a rogue’s gallery of multiversal villains. Joining him in this battle were two Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield), each plucked from their own multiverse.
After eliminating the threat, which left Peter’s Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) a casualty, Peter realizes that anyone close to him, particularly his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), would forever be a target. Peter has Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell that would make everyone forget Peter Parker.
As the film ends, Peter sees MJ and Ned at a diner, who acknowledge him as if he were a stranger.
To them, he is.
Peter writes a letter to MJ hoping that it might jog her memory, but ultimately decides against giving it to her.
Hi, my name is Peter Parker, and you don’t remember me, but I have something to tell you that’s going to sound crazy. But it’s the truth, and I know you’re going to believe me, because you’re very good at telling when I’m lying.
We used to know each other. We were together.
But something bad was going to happen to the world. And the only way to stop it was to make everyone forget me, including you.
Because I’m not just Peter Parker. I’m Spider-Man.
And sometimes, Spider-Man has to do the hard thing. Even if it breaks Peter Parker’s heart.
Maybe I’ll never read this to you. Maybe I’m just writing this for me. Maybe that’s my responsibility, to live alone with the truth.
But the truth is I love you. And I hope that deep down, something inside you remembers you love me too.
Brand New Day takes a different approach this time out. This is screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’ third time at bat, after writing Far from Home and No Way Home.
We’re introduced to a new Spider-Man; in his current path, he’s beloved by New York, respected by the police, and a major factor in the drop in the city’s crime rate.
Alone and vulnerable, Peter deals with this by becoming a very different Spider-Man;
Spider-Man is fun. Peter not so much,
So, he’s Spider-Man much of the time. And for the first time, Marvel New York is depicted on screen, where Spider-Man can run into other heroes simply by turning a corner into an alley.
One of Spidey’s allies is Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas), who serves both as a trusted partner within the police and something of a maternal figure who suspects Spider-Man is using his work to avoid confronting his personal life.
And she’s absolutely right.
Spider-Man is thriving. Peter Parker is not.
The world has completely forgotten Peter Parker. He continues to mourn Aunt May, while carrying the pain of losing MJ, Ned, and every meaningful relationship he once had. Even the Avengers have no idea who is beneath the mask. They’ve all moved on with their lives, blissfully unaware that Peter is suffering alone.
Unable to process that grief, Peter buries himself in crime-fighting. Saving the city becomes his therapy. Every criminal he captures is another excuse to avoid confronting the emptiness waiting for him when he returns home.
By the time the film begins, he’s already rounded up most of his MCU rogues’ gallery, revealed through a clever montage that depicts a number of his rogues, including Boomerang and Tarantula. Other criminals appearing in the film include Tombstone, Scorpion, and The Hand.
Spider-Man is working closely with the Department of Damage Control, and Peter finally feels like he’s making a difference. Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten that Damage Control has been involved in every single one of his movies, rarely for positive intent. In Brand New Day, Damage Control serves as a metaphor for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, portraying an organization determined to eliminate society’s perceived “others” under the guise of public safety.
Sadie Sink plays the mysterious antagonist and is fighting against DODC’s plan to eliminate society’s perceived “others” under the guise of public safety. She delivers a layered, emotionally grounded antagonist whose motivations are deeply personal rather than rooted in world domination. Her performance is marvelous…
Tom Holland delivers what may be his finest performance as Peter Parker. His portrayal captures the heartbreak and isolation that have always defined the character in the comics. It’s arguably the closest any live-action Spider-Man film has come to the classic dynamic where Spider-Man is celebrated while Peter Parker quietly suffers in the shadows.
Holland sells every ounce of Peter’s loneliness. His emotional pain is palpable, made even worse as his body begins undergoing new mutations caused by the spider bite that first gave him his powers. Rather than simply presenting another superhero facing another world-ending threat, Brand New Day returns to the fundamentals that made Marvel’s heroes resonate in the first place. Peter isn’t just fighting villains. He’s fighting to hold onto the person he still hopes to become.
Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, bringing exactly the unpredictable intensity audiences expect from the Punisher. While he’s every bit as dangerous as ever, there’s a genuine sense that he wants to protect Spider-Man. Mark Ruffalo also returns as Bruce Banner, while Florence Pugh makes a welcome appearance as Yelena Belova, offering guidance and intelligence rather than joining the action directly. Best of all, these appearances never feel forced. They’re woven naturally into the story, helping move Peter’s journey forward without becoming distracting cameos designed solely to inflate the cast list.
Zendaya also returns as MJ, and she delivers one of the film’s most emotionally devastating scenes. When she tells Peter that she doesn’t remember him—and can’t return feelings she no longer understands—it’s heartbreaking for both characters. Zendaya plays the moment with remarkable restraint, allowing us to feel the tragedy from both sides. It’s one of her strongest performances in the role and gives this version of MJ a maturity we’ve only glimpsed before.
Despite forgetting about Peter, Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds is still a massive Spider-Man fan and perhaps one of the film’s MVPs. Ned and Peter are family, and somehow, Ned seems to feel a loss that he can’t really understand. And let’s just say muscle memory is a hell of a thing.
Marvel’s visual effects have been inconsistent in recent years, with several films relying too heavily on weightless CGI spectacle. Brand New Day is a welcome return to form. The effects serve the story instead of overwhelming it, and the exhilarating first-person web-swinging sequences rank among the best action scenes the franchise has ever produced. Rather than simply trying to impress, they immerse the audience in Spider-Man’s world.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn’t just an excellent comic book movie—it’s an excellent movie, period. It combines genuine heart, memorable performances, spectacular action, and enough surprises to keep audiences engaged from beginning to end. More importantly, it remembers that beneath the costume is a young man whose greatest battles are often the ones no one else can see. That’s what has always made Spider-Man special, and this film understands that better than most.
As for the inevitable question: yes, there is a post-credits scene; unfortunately, it’s more of a tease than a payoff and ultimately feels underwhelming. It’s hardly worth sitting through the credits unless you’re determined to see every last frame.
SPIDER-MAN WILL RETURN
As if there was ever any doubt.
* * * * *
Produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal,
Avi Arad, Rachel O’Connor
Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Based on Spider-Man by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon,
Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo
