Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Making film history for having the biggest opening weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day graces theatres, as many Marvel fans were desperately waiting after almost 5 years. With the massive success of the previous film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, audiences were on the edge of their seats for the continuation of Peter Parker’s story. Especially following the roller coaster of events that took place during the last film: Aunt May’s passing, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s special appearances, and Dr. Strange’s spell of making everyone forget who Peter Parker is—including his girlfriend, MJ, and best friend, Ned. Fans' emotions were still at an all-time high walking into the theatres this last month for the film’s release, and they ended up leaving even more distraught.

At the beginning of the movie, as always promised, we were met with classic Spider-Man action fights, but the one fight Peter can’t seem to win is the one happening in his head. And we quickly realize that the friendly-neighborhood superhero conveys very real-life acts, like stalking his friend Ned’s social media posts, which also include his girlfriend, MJ. Thinking about how he is protecting them from his dangerous, risky life as Spider-Man also reveals that under the suit is a guy who desperately misses his friends and is struggling with the fact that he is a stranger to them. Not to mention, he is still grieving these relationships four years after the spell, and hasn’t made any huge movements to make himself known to them again. Instead, he is witnessing something that many cannot fathom: watching your friends live the life that you once were looking forward to living with them. Four years of college classes, parties, and small hangouts go by…and Peter is unfortunately watching from the sidelines.

There are many moments in the film where we see Peter’s mental and physical struggles due to this huge change and adjustment in his life. One specific moment that stood out the most to the audience is when MJ is romantically pursuing someone else. This would take a huge mental toll on just any person, but as for Peter, he is carrying the reason as to why his relationship with MJ ended and it’s because, unfortunately, he is Spider-Man. It is not unfortunate that he is looked upon as a heroic figure, but that it unfortunately comes at a cost. Not only is he grieving the relationship he once had with MJ, but he is experiencing firsthand her potentially having that with someone else, and not having the same knowledge as Peter when it pertains to their history together. After registering the fact, Peter then decides to emotionally run off and swing through the city without his suit on, which makes the audience recognize many things. Peter swinging without his suit on implies he is not hiding his identity, and he does not have any protection if he were to potentially get hurt. We’ve seen the value that he has carried in the past with keeping his identity safe, and also himself physically safe. For him to put those two things in jeopardy, it makes his emotions appear much clearer and makes his whole character seem much more real to the audience.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn’t feel like a typical Marvel Cinematic Universe film.  Nor does it even feel like a typical superhero film, which has mostly been defined by that Marvel Cinematic Universe.  In fact, this doesn’t feel like a film at all.  The newest entry in the Spider-Man franchise feels more like a very long episode of a cartoon than a movie. 

For some, this will mean that it is an entertaining ride, with simple yet effective emotional moments, fun action sequences, and a plot that keeps you guessing.  For others, that will mean that this movie has a shallow plot, unoriginal action sequences, and uninteresting characters. Like many other movies, this is a bit of a Rorschach test.  Either take is valid, though it definitely appears that the general consensus is more with the former set than the latter. 

When it comes to a superhero movie, the bare minimum one can deliver is on the action sequences.  For the champions of this movie, the action sequences are numerous, complex, and pit Peter Parker(Tom Holland) against appropriately formidable foes while constantly raising the stakes.  For the detractors of this movie, these action sequences sometimes lack tension and never feel like new material.  There is nothing you can’t find in most other superhero movies when it comes to the fight scenes, which one can interpret as either satisfactory or wanting. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is loaded with characters and concepts.  Marvel mainstays beyond Spider-Man litter the film, including Punisher(Jon Bernthal), Hulk(Mark Ruffalo), Scorpion(Michael Mando), and at least one other character that will not be disclosed.  This means not only are their characters part of the dynamic of this film, but so are their powers.  Then add all the recurring Spider-Man characters like MJ(Zendaya)and Ned(Jacob Batalon), combined with several other characters, mostly ambiguous government agents, in addition to the ocean of extras and side characters, and despite the 145-minute runtime, the film still feels densely packed with things to juggle.  The film doesn’t necessarily fall flat on its face doing that juggling, but it does feel like a miracle that it came out in one piece.  In fact, splitting this film into two 90-minute movies might have made more sense. 

Having so many characters brings with it the benefit of having numerous opportunities for diverse representation. These films already had Zendaya in a major role, but this entry has expanded its African-American representation across the board. Women play a major role in the film as well, most notably Sadie Sink’s character. The Asian representation is mostly limited to Jacob Batalon as Ned, but the brief appearance of the Hand ninjas count as well.  Admittedly, having most of your Asian actors playing ninjas without real character feels a little bit like typecasting, but it’s certainly better than nothing.  Even with all the representation, though, for a film set in New York City, it is a bit awkward that most of the characters with the bulk of screentime are white.