07/31/2026
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
by Christopher T. German
Ten years ago Tom Holland made his boyish debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. Holland had enormous shoes to fill of not one, but two actors who played Peter Parker before him this century, and yet he did it with all the grace and ease of the counterpart he would play on screen. Over the next decade, Holland would star as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in two Avengers films and four of his own films, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day being the fourth in which he put on the red and blue spandex suit. As usual, Brand New Day also features other Marvel characters audiences have seen in the past but perhaps not together in the MCU or on the big screen. The film is also a direct sequel to Spider-Man: No Way Home with Peter’s actions from that film directly correlating to what takes place in this film.
Spoiler Alert: In Spider-Man: Far From Home’s post-credits scene, Mysterio revealed to the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Unwilling to deal with the pressures of having his secret identity exposed, in the film No Way Home Peter asked Dr. Strange to erase everyone’s memory of him so that he can keep his identity a secret. The spell worked and Peter walked away alone with the hope that his friends would be safe without him. In Brand New Day Peter is successfully cleaning up crime in New York City and apparently has endless money. He has befriended Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) a detective with the NYPD. When Peter isn’t saving New York, he keeps an eye on his former best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya) as they attend MIT for four years. When a new invisible presence that can jump from one human host to the next, completely possessing a person and can enter and leave at will, Peter tries in vain to keep his loved ones safe. This mysterious host taunts him while continually attacking the DODC (Department of Damage Control) which is an organization pledged to keep society safe from harm. Peter has to unravel the mystery of what they want while simultaneously dealing with the changes occurring inside his body.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is one of the most visually impressive-looking Spider-Man films to date. While it may not be anything new, the film is polished and colorful, balancing between the bright colors of a comic book world and the dark themes that come from corrupt people and their agendas when they are given power. The acting is superb and features an all-star cast of past and present MCU stars. Tom Holland gives the performance of a lifetime, which is fitting, as he will forever be immortalized in a Marvel franchise. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be playing for two weekends.