In a world where no one knows me, Spider-Man is born again. 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' and the origin of the 'lonely hero'.

'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' and the origin of the 'lonely hero'

'Spider-Man BND'. Isn't it the best! 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', releasing July 31, 2026. It is the fourth installment in the series starring Tom Holland's Peter Parker as Spider-Man, and the start of a new chapter.

The ending of the previous film, 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021), was incredibly heartbreaking. Due to Doctor Strange's magic, the memory of the existence of 'Peter Parker' was erased from the minds of people all over the world. MJ, his best friend Ned, no one knows Peter.

His connections with his fellow Avengers were also lost. Aunt May is no longer here either. Peter has literally become 'alone'. Even so, he wears a suit he sewed himself and flies through the skies of New York. Known by no one, thanked by no one, yet he still helps if someone is in trouble.

In other words, at the end of 'No Way Home', the Tom Holland version of Spider-Man paradoxically returned to being 'Spider-Man himself' by losing almost everything the MCU had given him until then. 'Brand New Day' depicts what comes next.

This is not just a 'fourth film'. It is a movie where Peter Parker, having lost everything once, starts over from zero to find out 'what Spider-Man is'.

Three Peter Parkers

Here, I want to recall the journey of Spider-Man in film. When 'Spider-Man' (2002), directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire, was released, the image of the superhero in 21st-century American cinema changed significantly.

Peter was by no means a 'chosen hero'. A dull young man at school. He couldn't easily convey his feelings to the MJ he loved. He had no money. His job wasn't going well either. And he carried the guilt of not being able to save Uncle Ben.

Despite having superhuman abilities, life didn't get any easier. Rather, because he had power, the things he had to carry increased. That was the essence of the hero known as Spider-Man.

'With great power comes great responsibility.' These words define Peter's life. The reason the Sam Raimi trilogy is still loved today is not just because of the CGI or the action.

It was because this was a film thoroughly about the 'life of young Peter Parker'. Falling in love. Having his heart broken. Working. Struggling with rent. Fighting with friends. Losing loved ones. Even so, he puts on the mask. That was where Spider-Man was.

Andrew Garfield's 'Loss'

In 2012, with Marc Webb's 'The Amazing Spider-Man', Peter Parker was passed on to Andrew Garfield.

What was depicted more strongly in this series was 'loss'. The absence of his parents. The death of Uncle Ben. And Gwen Stacy. In particular, the ending of 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014) left a decisive scar on Peter's life.

He couldn't protect the person he loved. While carrying that memory, he still continues to be Spider-Man. The moment that Andrew version of Peter saved MJ in 'No Way Home'. That was not just a guest appearance from the old series.

Gwen, whom he couldn't save back then. This time, he was able to save her. Through that one moment, a form of salvation was given to the story of 'The Amazing Spider-Man' that should have ended seven years ago.

'No Way Home' was wonderful because it didn't turn past works into a 'nostalgic character gathering'. Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland. Three Peter Parkers, each carrying the 'loss' of a different era, stood on the same screen.

There, the young Tom version of Peter received from his two seniors 'what it means to live as Spider-Man'. And then, he became alone.

Graduating from 'Iron Man's Apprentice'

Come to think of it, the Tom Holland version of Spider-Man was a quite unique Peter even among the successive film versions. From his first appearance in 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016), Tony Stark was by his side.

A high-tech suit. AI. The Avengers. Space. The battle with Thanos. High school student Peter was suddenly thrown into the center of the massive MCU.

That is why the trilogy that continued from 'Homecoming' (2017) had the aspect of being a growth story for Spider-Man, while simultaneously being about 'how an apprentice of Iron Man becomes a hero in his own right'.

And in 'No Way Home', the last training wheels were taken off. There is no Stark-made suit. There is no backing from the Avengers. There is no MJ or Ned. There is no one in the world who knows Peter as Peter.

For the first time there, he wears a red and blue suit he made himself. At that moment, the MCU version of Spider-Man returned to the 2002 Sam Raimi version, and going back further, to the 1960s comic version created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

That is why it is 'Brand New Day'

The title of this work also has, of course, a meaning in comic history. In the comics, after 'One More Day', parts of his life until then, such as the marriage between Peter and Mary Jane, were altered, and 'Brand New Day' began in 2008. From 'Amazing Spider-Man' #546 onwards, they introduced a new life, new human relationships, and new villains, restarting Peter's story.

The movie did not adapt that setting exactly as it was. However, the spirit of 'losing what you once built up and starting Peter Parker over again' is clearly inherited. That is why it is 'Brand New Day'. You cannot return to the life you had until yesterday. But, the morning will come. That title resonates very poignantly this time.

The Punisher and Spider-Man

And this time, what I was happy about was the combination with Frank Castle, the Punisher. This is really good! Jon Bernthal's Punisher is walking the same New York as Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

These two are at opposite ends as heroes. Peter tries not to kill people as much as possible. Frank does not hesitate if he judges it necessary. For Peter, criminals are also 'people who might be saved', but for Frank, they can be targets that should be eliminated.

Even so, both of them are protecting the city in their own ways. That is why it is interesting when they become buddies. Moreover, the Jon Bernthal version of the Punisher is a character that has continued from the Marvel dramas of the Netflix era.

In other words, the world of the movie's Spider-Man and the 'Defenders' periphery has finally begun to walk the same ground in earnest. Not on a giant spaceship, but in the alleys of New York. This is good.

Jean Grey and Peter's loneliness

And Jean Grey. This was also an important point of this work. The 'too powerful power' and 'loneliness' she carries. That resonates with Peter. Just because you have power doesn't mean you can be happy.

Rather, because of that power, you become unable to live as a normal human being. Peter is the same. Every time he saves someone, his own daily life drifts further away. The more he tries to protect someone, the more he has to distance himself from that person.

The ending of 'No Way Home' was the ultimate version of that.
So Jean's sadness is not just a surprise of 'X-MEN joining the fray', but overlaps with Peter's story. This is clever.

And Black Widow!

Furthermore, Black Widow, who is as laid-back as ever. This presence is also fun. When it comes to this point, you realize that the worlds of 'X-MEN', 'Avengers', and 'Defenders', which once existed as separate movies and dramas, have finally begun to mix naturally.

Even so, the reason the movie doesn't become a 'Marvel grand gathering tournament' is because Peter's loneliness is firmly placed at the center of the story. I think this is what is important.

The MCU has become huge. The world has expanded. The number of characters has increased. Even the multiverse has appeared. However, for a movie to be interesting, you need one human being that the audience can think, 'What will happen to this person?' This time, that is Peter Parker.

A long-awaited 'Hulk smash!'

And—Hulk! This is it! A 'Hulk smash!' seen on the screen for the first time in a while. Bruce Banner has changed quite a bit throughout the long history of the MCU. He came to allow his intellect and the Hulk's body to coexist, and at some point, the sense of fear that was in the early works of being a 'monster who doesn't know what will happen due to anger' had faded.

Of course, that is also the growth of the character. But, when the Hulk comes out, I still want him to go on a rampage (laughs). A giant green body rampaging, and the city shaking. That overwhelming sense of weight. The excitement from when I was watching the early Avengers has been revived. Moreover, this time, it is not just fan service.

The story of Bruce Banner, who says, 'There is something inside me that I cannot control myself,' overlaps with Peter, who begins to have physical abnormalities in this work. Even in the official introduction of the movie, this 'can Peter himself control the change' is clearly stated as the core of the story. In other words, in this work, various Marvel heroes are 'mirrors' that reflect Peter's figure from different angles.

From a hero movie, once again to a 'youth movie'

The director is Destin Daniel Cretton of 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'. The screenplay is by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. While inheriting the high school youth movie atmosphere of the 'Home' trilogy handled by Jon Watts, in this work, Peter is stepping into a slightly more adult world.

That is natural. He is no longer a high school student. He is not a boy looking up to Tony Stark forever either. The era where someone could tell him the 'correct answer' is over. He decides for himself. He fails for himself. He takes responsibility for himself.

That must be what it means to become an adult. But, what is interesting there is that the more Peter becomes an adult, the more the Spider-Man movie actually approaches its origin.

No money. Loneliness. Love doesn't go well either. Balancing work and hero activities is also difficult. But someone is in trouble. So he goes. The Peter Parker depicted in the Sam Raimi version returns there.

The phrase "Your Friendly Neighborhood"

Spider-Man is not a god. He is not a king. He is not a billionaire. He is a "neighbor" in New York. This is what makes him different from Superman, Batman, or the Avengers.

If you look out the window, he might be swinging between some buildings. He might be catching a bicycle thief. He might be helping a lost child. And when he goes home, he struggles as a young man. That "closeness" is the charm of Spider-Man.

That is why, within the massive, universe-scale series that is the MCU, returning Peter to the street corners of New York once again holds great significance. A boy who saved the universe becomes a "neighbor" once more. I believe that is the fresh start of "Brand New Day."

And, Ned

And the ending. That thing with Ned. I cried! After being shown such massive action, with the Hulk rampaging and the worlds of the X-Men, Avengers, and Defenders intersecting, what finally tugs at your heartstrings is a story about "friends."

That is what Spider-Man is. Ned has been by Peter's side ever since "Homecoming." He was surprised and happy to learn Spider-Man's identity, and he kept helping Peter. But the current Ned doesn't remember that.

Only Peter remembers. The times they laughed together. The dangerous situations they faced. The stupid things they did. That they were best friends. Of the two who should have shared those memories, only one holds that time.

There is nothing more cruel than this. That is why that small event at the end is so effective. A miracle smaller than saving the world. But for Peter, it might be a greater miracle than saving the world.

Spider-Man stands up again and again

Come to think of it, the Spider-Man films have always been stories of "loss." Tobey Maguire lost Uncle Ben. Andrew Garfield lost Gwen.

Tom Holland lost Tony Stark, lost Aunt May, and finally, lost even the people who knew him. Yet, all three stand up.

Why? Because someone needs help. That is all there is to it. I think that is the reason why the character of Spider-Man has been loved for over 60 years. It is not because he is strong. It is not because he never loses. He loses many times. He makes mistakes many times.

Sometimes he cannot save the people who are important to him. Life does not go as planned. Even so, the next day, he puts on the mask. That is why it is "Brand New Day." A new day does not mean forgetting the past. It does not mean that what was lost returns to how it was.

It means welcoming the morning while still carrying the sadness. In 2002, Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker flew through the New York sky. In 2012, Andrew Garfield inherited those webs. In 2016, Tom Holland dove into the MCU.

And in 2026. At the center of the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Parker became a young man on his own once again.

There is the Punisher. There are the X-Men. There are the Avengers. There is a world that continues from the Defenders. And in a corner of that massive world, there is Ned. There is MJ. But in the end, what Peter must do has not changed since the old days.

He puts on the mask. He opens the window. He shoots a web. And he leaps out into the streets of New York. Even if no one knows who he is. Even if no one remembers "Peter Parker." As long as there are people in trouble, he will continue to be Spider-Man.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
This is a new chapter of the MCU, and at the same time, it was a fresh start for the oldest and most important story that the hero Spider-Man has repeated for over 60 years. And seeing Ned at the end, I think: Peter. You weren't completely alone.

—Man, Spider-Man really is the best.