Spider-Man: Brand New Daywas recently revealed to be the wall-crawler’s next solo movie in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and I’m glad that the film may actually adapt one of the hero’s most controversial comic book stories. After theending ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, Peter has been left in an unusual place in his life. Ned and MJ, among everyone else, have forgotten Peter’s existence, leading him into a place where he will have to create a new life for himself, possibly even with a new supporting cast.
The story of the next Spider-Man film seems to have been in flux over the years sinceNo Way Homewas released. Many wished for a street-level story for the film, while others hoped for a multiversal story. Either way,the new movie is now moving forward with director Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Tom Holland and Sadie Sink,and details are slowly being made available.The new film was described by Tom Holland at CinemaCon as a"fresh start" for Spider-Man, and the film’s title gives some clear hints about what that new start might look like.
Brand New Day Makes Sense For Spider-Man 4, But Adapts A Controversial Part Of The Hero’s Comic History
The Followup To “One More Day” Avoided Putting Peter And MJ Back Together
“Brand New Day” is a divisive Marvel Comics story from 2008, which saw the fallout of the maligned “One More Day” arc.“One More Day” showed Peter and May Jane’s marriage being dissolved by Mephisto, changing even their history, and “Brand New Day” saw Peter essentially having his life reset.This resulted in criticism from readers of the comics, who were frustrated that the series would not let Peter move on from his struggling youth, and would not allow him to have a happy family with Mary Jane.
While it received criticism for its general outlook, some details of “Brand New Day” were enjoyed. TheSpider-Man villain Mister Negativemade one of his first prominent appearances in the story, and has since become a more popular antagonist to the hero.WithNo Way Homepartially adapting “One More Day”, it makes sense that “Brand New Day” would follow in the MCU.However, the franchise will need to do a few things in order to ensure they do not fall into the same pitfalls as the comics did.
Adapting Brand New Day Flips The Issue That Made Releases Like Secret Invasion Seem Worse
Maligned Source Material Gives The MCU The Opportunity To Improve On It
Some of the most popular Marvel comics have been adapted to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there are difficulties that can come from this. Some of theseperfect ideas have made bad Marvel filmsand series, which have been extremely disappointing.Secret Invasionis one of the most glaring examples of this.While the comic series that inspired it was enormous, sprawling, and celebrated, the show that came from it felt small and disappointing. Any expectations for the series made that disappointment feel even heavier.
Conversely,Spider-Man: Brand New Dayhas the opportunity to improve upon its source material. While the story was not well received in the comics,there has been a great deal of time for Marvel to reflect upon what could have been done better.Crafting a new story with theBrand New Daytitlesuggests that Marvel will confront Spider-Man’s changed place in the universe, although I would bet that the new film will make some significant changes and departures from the source material.
Spider-Man’s MCU History Suggests Spider-Man 4 Will Only Loosely Adapt Brand New Day
The MCU Has Used Spider-Man Stories In Unusual Ways
The MCU’s Spider-Man is not a slavish adaptation of the comics and, while I believe this was a risky choice, it has paid off.Rather than featuring iconic characters like Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn, the franchise focused on relationships with Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds.Rather than directly adapting “One More Day” by including Mephisto and basing it entirely around his relationship with MJ inNo Way Home, the popular film made some large and notable departures.
With this in mind, an MCU film adaptation of “Brand New Day” will likely be very different from the source material. Instead,I would expect that the comics are only being used as a jumping off point from which to build their new story.WhileSadie Sink could be playing a characterlike Jackpot, and while villains like Mister Negative could feature in the film, I anticipate that much will be changed. Spider-Man is too important to the franchise, and too compelling a hero, not to tell a good and original story.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day: Cast, Story, & Everything We Know
After Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel and Sony have an even bigger task to make Spider-Man 4, but will Tom Holland return and would it be in the MCU?
Spider-Man: Brand New Dayis highly anticipated, andit is a relief that production is finally moving forward on the new film.Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is among my favorite Marvel characters ever seen in the franchise, and more stories of his character are essential. I believe thatSpider-Man: Brand New Dayhas the excellent opportunity to actually improve on the comic book story that inspired it, and craft something truly special, meaning I can’t wait to see it when it is finally released in 2026.
