Everyone knows Marvel’s Phase 5 and 6 didn’t quite hit the way earlier phases did. Somewhere along the way, the MCU became weighed down by the multiverse, endless Disney+ shows, and storylines that often felt more interested in setting up the next project than rewarding audiences for investing in the one they were currently watching.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day changes that.
This is the first Marvel movie in a long time that reminded me why I fell in love with the MCU in the first place. It puts storytelling and character development ahead of visual effects and CGI, proving there are still incredible stories and character development left to tell in this universe.
Picking up 4 years after Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker is exactly where we left him. MJ and Ned no longer remember who he is. His life consists of 2 things, protecting New York City and visiting Aunt May’s grave each week to drop off flowers. He’s alone, grieving, and trying to figure out who Peter Parker is without the people who once defined him.
Eventually, Peter decides it’s time to start living again.
It’s a surprisingly mature and darker direction for the character, and Tom Holland delivers what I believe is his strongest performance as Spider-Man to date. While the previous trilogy balanced high school comedy with superhero action, Brand New Day embraces loneliness, grief, and adulthood in ways we haven’t seen in his films. Peter feels older, wiser, and more emotionally layered, and Holland rises to the occasion beautifully.
One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is that his films have actually gotten better with each installment. Most franchises peak with the first movie or maybe even the second, but for me, his films have steadily improved from Homecoming to Far From Home to No Way Home, and now to Brand New Day, which stands as my favorite of the four.
Sadie Sink from Stranger Things fame makes an impressive MCU debut as Jean Grey. Marvel smartly avoids rushing her story, instead laying the groundwork for what feels like a much larger future involving the X-Men. It’s an old Marvel trick and it works well and is executed without forcing their entire arc into one movie.
The chemistry throughout the film is another highlight. Jon Bernthal his hilarious and brings an intensity that plays wonderfully against Tom Holland, while Zendaya faces the difficult challenge of portraying someone who no longer remembers the person audiences watched her fall in love with over 3 previous films. Those scenes carry an emotional weight that gives the movie much of its heart. Plus their chemistry is off the charts!
Director Destin Daniel Cretton also deserves tremendous credit. The film feels fresh, the web swinging sequences are among the best we’ve seen in Tom Holland’s era, and Spider-Man FINALLY moves with the creativity and skill true Marvel heads have been asking for since we first met Tom’s Spidey in Civil War. Visually, the film feels imaginative while still staying grounded in Peter’s perspective.
This film takes the best parts from Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man films without simply copying them. There are moments that feel reminiscent of Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst’s iconic romance, but Brand New Day gives those ideas its own emotional identity rather than completely relying on nostalgia.
The movie is a tad predictable (anyone who thinks they’re killing Peter at least right now is CRAZY), but it’s not such a bad thing when the story actually works. More importantly, Brand New Day never feels like it exists simply to just take our money. Between Peter’s attempt to rebuild his life, Jean Grey’s introduction, and the film’s larger implications for the future of the MCU, everything feels purposeful rather than overstuffed.
For me, this is the best Marvel film since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It restores a level of heart, sincerity, and character driven storytelling that has been missing from the franchise for years.
There is one post-credit scene, and while I won’t spoil it, I think it’s a tad weak and could’ve given us more. It’s a strong indication that we will see Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday.
If Brand New Day is any indication of where the MCU is headed next, then the future suddenly looks a whole lot brighter.
