Spider-Man is officially back! Or at least that’s what it feels like.
The last Spider-Man movie we had in theaters was in 2021 for Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it seemed like it was possibly the last Spider-Man movie in the franchise with Tom Holland in it. Well, we were wrong. Five years later, Holland is back in the red and blue suit for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and perhaps more importantly, Peter Parker is back to being Spider-Man.
The ending of No Way Home left Peter Parker in one of the loneliest states we’ve ever seen him in. It seemed like, in the very beginning, Peter Parker was only trying to help his friends out, but in the end, he had to make a sacrifice that no other Peter Parker had to make when playing the role of Spider-Man. Doctor Strange’s final spell caused the world to forget Peter Parker existed. That included his best friend Ned Leeds and girlfriend MJ. Aunt May was dead, and Peter was left living alone in a small New York apartment with no Avengers and seemingly no one left to turn to. This left fans believing that the Spider-Man franchise was coming to a close, or at least for Tom Holland, it looked like that was the last Spider-Man Movie for him.
The final minutes of that movie gave audiences a glimpse at what his life would become. Peter made himself a new Spider-Man suit, jumped out of his apartment window, and swung through New York City, just like we were at the beginning of it all.
We then waited for years to come. Was there going to be another Spider-Man? That’s what everyone was asking until 2026 came along. That long break is part of what makes Brand New Day feel different. Holland’s Spider-Man spent much of his first trilogy surrounded by the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man played a major role in Homecoming, Nick Fury was involved in Far From Home, and No Way Home went all-in on the multiverse by bringing back characters from previous Spider-Man movies.
Brand New Day finally has the opportunity to deal with the Peter Parker we were left with at the end of No Way Home: a young man trying to protect New York City when nobody even remembers his name.
Sony’s official description of the film says Peter is now fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man while dealing with the pain of watching his old friends move on without him. The movie is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and brings Holland back alongside Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, while also introducing several major names to this chapter of Spider-Man, including Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo.
That also makes the title Brand New Day particularly fitting.
It also isn’t a name without history. “Brand New Day” was previously used for a major era of Spider-Man comics beginning with The Amazing Spider-Man No. 546. That story similarly placed Peter Parker into a changed world and acted as a new starting point for the character.
For Holland’s version of Peter Parker, that idea may be more appropriate than ever.
This isn’t the same Spider-Man we met as a teenager in Captain America: Civil War. He doesn’t have Tony Stark watching over him anymore. He doesn’t have the Avengers to fall back on. He doesn’t even have Ned and MJ by his side in the same way he once did.
For the first time, Peter Parker truly has to figure out what it means to be Spider-Man on his own.
After five years away, that makes Brand New Day feel like more than just another sequel.
It feels like Spider-Man is starting over.
Get your Tickets to the film while it’s still in theaters!
