Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Destin Daniel Cretton, 2026)

"Is this the end of Marvel's place among the juggernauts of mass audience moviemaking?" It's become a question lingering in the air, every time a new film featuring one of their characters hits screens, big or small. The small screen outings have struggled, and been varied in quality. That Sony owns the rights to a wide array of the characters originally attached to Spider-Man hasn't helped, as they've cranked out a slew of sub part films. The first two Venom films were met with fan approval, in large part due Tom Hardy's performances, commitment to the character, and the campy nature they embraced. The third Venom film was universally panned, as were Morbius, Madam Web and Kraven, and deservedly so, as they were terrible movies.

The Spider-Man movies though, made in cooperation between Marvel and Sony, have basically been printing money since the character's introduction into the MCU. They've been popular with MCU fans, fans of the comic books and have been received with a positive lean by critics. Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon have been the heart of those films since Spider-Man: Homecoming, and their combined talent and chemistry has helped keep the more outsized aspects of those films grounded in some character centered, emotion driven storytelling, preventing the plot monster that is Marvel's need to inject broader aspects of the MCU into a story that could and should be otherwise self contained from gobbling up the charm that has been central to Spider-Man becoming a cultural icon as a character.

With John Watts having directed the previous three Spider-Man films, a new director coming on, and Spider Man: Brand New Day being made in an environment where Marvel is struggling to hold its position as one of the last bastions of mass audience on screen storytelling, the question has been whether Brand New Day would help it keep that foothold or would be another sign of decline.

I can't predict what's going to happen with Marvel or how audiences are going to respond to Brand New Day, considering how often those responses have little to do with the actual film that shows up on screens these days, but for my money, Brand New Day is the first of the MCU/Tom Holland Spider-Man films to understand why people fall in love with Spider-Man and Peter Parker to begin with. Those previous films were fun, fantasy action outings, with strong performances and fun set pieces, but what works so well in Brand New Day highlights why they are more MCU films than they are specifically Spider-Man films.

There was a strong positive response to James Gunn's Superman going back to the optimistic, hopeful, candy colored version of the character. It centered the degree the character's kindness is his defining trait. An alien, with the powers of a god, who could likely conquer the planet if he chose to, consistently shows a love and patience with humanity human beings find difficulty mustering for each other.

Peter Parker isn't an alien, and yes, he has spectacular powers that make for very fun action on the page and the screen (when conceived well), but those are the light on the porch that let's you know the house is there. Peter Parker's innate sense of decency, the degree to which he sees helping a neighbor find their cat as worthy of his time as he does saving New York City, are what make people find a home in the storytelling world of Spider-Man. He understands that not every problem can be beaten into a conclusion, and that helping doesn't always mean someone ends up in a cage. For Peter, the fact that he has these spectacular powers means he has no choice but to try to use them to help people, however he can, because doing anything else would be wrong. He also knows there are other ways to help people, and sometimes, the most helpful thing doesn't involve punching someone in the face, but is just being kind.

Because of the way Spider-Man was introduced to the MCU, Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man has never had to deal with some of the repercussions his comic book counterpart lived with for years, that I think are part of why Spider-Man became a cultural icon to begin with. All the spider powers were secondary to Peter's real super power. His primary and most important super power was his innate decency. He chose to put on the suit, every time Spider-Man could help anyone, despite the fact that it often cost Peter Parker significantly in the other areas of his life. The MCU version of Spider-Man hasn't had to deal with the cost of leading a double life, in order to protect the people he cares about, which provided a number of interesting conflicts for the character in the comics, that helped define and continuously put Peter in the position to make that decision. He doesn't use his powers for economic gain, he enjoys the affection the public has for Spider-Man, but none of that transfers to making Peter Parker's life any easier, and part of the cost of that double life is isolation. Peter Parker can't talk to the people he loves most about how to solve problem's Spider-Man's facing, and even when he may be able to experience something like friendship/mentorship or camaraderie with the other heroes of the Marvel universe, there was a long period where none of them knew he was Peter Parker either.

Brand New Day is the first time we've gotten to see Tom Holland's Spider-Man have to make that kind of decision, to get up and put on the suit, despite what it costs him, how the cost of the isolation of having a secret identity effects Peter emotionally and psychologically, and that his innate decency, his moral compass, is the greatest power he really has. It also understands this is his greatest power, because of the way it effects everyone he interacts with, including the other Marvel heroes. The inclusion of Hulk and Punisher don't feel so much like Marvel trying to lure fans to theaters by jamming team ups in or using the latest film in theaters to remind audiences of where the broader story of the MCU currently stands, so much as they do parts of the story that have purpose in demonstrating different ways Peter's decency and kindness manifest.

Although the plot involves plenty of superhero high jinks, and Destin Daniel Cretton has conceived the action scenes in an interesting visual language, the heart of Brand New Day is about Peter Parker trying to hold onto that innate sense of decency and that moral compass, even when it's complicated and difficult. It's also about the fact that being loved and showing love and kindness are the only way that compass holds the ability to find its true north. Writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are doing work to set up future aspects of the MCU, but they do so elegantly, never letting any of that override this story, and what's happening with these characters. By doing so, and by holding to these primary aspects of Peter Parker as a character, the set up work presents a more interesting possible future for the MCU, in a more character driven way, than any of the other films that have tried to do this previously.

The writing is also reflected in the performances. This script gives Tom Holland and Zendaya the most dynamic versions of these characters we've seen so far, and both actors are up to the task. Getting both Holland and Zendaya to share screen time with Jon Bernthal is an excellent decision, and though Bernthal and Zendaya don't share a ton of screen time, the way they play the dynamic between their characters is interesting and entertaining. Jacob Batalon is still as winning and charming as Ned, though the story of this film gives him a bit less to do than the previous films.

This script also gives Sadie Sink a chance to demonstrate she's going to be an asset moving forward in the broader MCU, by writing her a character depth in her introduction, that is german to the story. Again, the way this script avoids the pitfall of characters feeling shoehorned in without regard to the story this film is telling is admirable, considering how many MCU films fail in this department. The way Sink is able to project a number of different things, simultaneously, with just a set of lines and the camera on her face, is impressive. She can project a dedicated fury, that's founded on sorrow and heartbreak, and have a layer of genuine confidence veiling it all, while she can also handle more touching moments of connection with the same depth. If there's one thing that could be pointed to as most responsible for the success of Marvel Studios, it's been their penchant for finding exactly the right actors to portray their characters, and they've done it again with Sink.

Liza Colón-Zayas spent five seasons on The Bear proving she can't hit an inauthentic note as an actor, and she brings that, along with her indispensable ability to radiate warmth to Detective Jean DeWolff. Trammel Tillman joins the MCU as William Metzger, and the talent that's made him a rising star since Severance debuted comes through clearly.

In short, this is the best Spider-Man film since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, which also understood that Peter Parker's sense of decency and his drive to help people are Spider-Man's most important power, and what makes Parker an amazing character.

Outside of the story and character's working so well, Destin Daniel Cretton has an eye for using the fantastical aspects of a superhero film to create memorable images, and putting the audience inside the experience of using the powers that part of the fun of this vein of storytelling, and this may be the most memorable score of this generation of Spider-Man films. The previous MCU outings have, unfortunately, had scores that were so traditional as to be anemic, though John Watts and company did understand how to use a needle drop well. Cretton has also updated those needle drops, going for a wider range of music, and though still dynamic, a slightly darker set of tunes. It does help to give a more adult ring to this Peter Parker, where the previous films rightly located his youth in a shinier, poppier sound.

If you're someone who isn't now or never was open to superhero storytelling or have reached a point that you just want Marvel to go away, I don't think Brand New Day is going to change that. If you are open to superhero storytelling having an emotional impact, being well written, performed and thought through, and just hope Marvel makes good films, Brand New Day is a really satisfying, fulfilling example.