Spider-Man: Brand New Day
A brand new day starts now.
- Rating
Movie Details
About Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a 2026 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, it stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman, Marisa Tomei, and Mark Ruffalo.
The story takes place four years after Doctor Strange’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home erased the world’s memory of Peter Parker. Peter has chosen not to restore his relationships with MJ and Ned and instead concentrates on protecting New York City as Spider-Man.
That new life becomes increasingly difficult when Peter encounters a telepathic threat connected to the Department of Damage Control. At the same time, his own powers begin to change, forcing him to confront abilities he does not fully understand.
Plot Summary
After Doctor Strange’s spell, Peter Parker is effectively alone. MJ and Ned remember Spider-Man but no longer remember Peter, and he decides not to reveal himself to them. Over the following four years, he establishes himself as a street-level protector of New York and works with police detective Jean DeWolff.
Peter’s routine changes when a telepath begins possessing people and attacking Department of Damage Control facilities while searching for something called V-Max. The investigation eventually brings Peter into contact with Yelena Belova, Frank Castle, and Bruce Banner.
Peter’s personal life becomes more complicated when MJ and Ned return to New York. Seeing MJ with someone else reinforces the distance between them, while Peter’s own powers begin evolving. His senses become heightened, his eyes sometimes turn completely black, and he develops the ability to produce organic webs from his wrists.
Concerned that he is losing control, Peter turns to Bruce Banner for help. Meanwhile, the telepath is revealed to be Jean Grey, a young mutant searching for her sister Sara, who was taken by the Department of Damage Control.
Peter’s investigation eventually leads him to the truth about Sara and V-Max. The conflict brings him into direct confrontation with Jean, the Department of Damage Control, the Hand, and the Hulk.
Rather than resolving the conflict through force alone, Peter reaches Jean by allowing her into his mind and helping her understand that they share an experience of loss. The encounter also forces Peter to reconsider the isolated life he has built since No Way Home.
Main Characters
Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker, continuing his role from the previous MCU Spider-Man films.
Peter has spent the years since No Way Home separating his personal identity from Spider-Man. Without MJ and Ned knowing who he is, he has devoted himself almost entirely to protecting New York.
The film also changes Peter’s powers. His heightened senses, darker eyes, and organic webbing mark a physical change that he initially struggles to control.
Jean Grey
Sadie Sink plays Jean Grey, a young mutant with telepathic, telekinetic, and possession abilities.
Jean is searching for her sister Sara, whose disappearance is connected to the Department of Damage Control. Her actions bring her into conflict with Spider-Man, although her motivations are rooted in finding her sister rather than simply opposing Peter.
This version of Jean also has a different origin from earlier comic-book and live-action portrayals. The film presents her discovering her powers alongside Sara rather than through the circumstances used in previous adaptations.
Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson
Zendaya reprises her role as MJ. She and Ned have returned to New York after attending MIT, but neither remembers Peter because of Doctor Strange’s spell.
MJ has moved on with her life and has a new relationship. Her return forces Peter to confront the consequences of choosing to remain a stranger to the people closest to him.
Ned Leeds
Jacob Batalon returns as Ned, Peter’s former best friend. Ned has created an app called Spidey Tracker in an effort to identify Spider-Man.
Although he no longer remembers Peter, his connection with Spider-Man remains, providing a link to the friendship established in the earlier films.
Frank Castle / Punisher
Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, the vigilante known as the Punisher.
Castle operates by a much more lethal code than Spider-Man and becomes part of Peter’s street-level world in New York. His presence gives Peter another experienced vigilante to interact with as he deals with the increasingly dangerous situation around him.
Bruce Banner / Hulk
Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner. Peter seeks Banner’s help after his powers begin changing.
Banner’s own experience with controlling the Hulk gives him a practical understanding of the problem Peter is facing. He uses an inhibitor to suppress his transformation, and Peter develops a similar device to control his evolving abilities.
Comic Book Connection
Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is based on that character, but it is not a direct adaptation of the 2008 comic-book storyline that shares its title.
The film takes its name from Brand New Day, a major Spider-Man publishing storyline that began in The Amazing Spider-Man #546 in 2008. The comic storyline followed a major change to Peter Parker’s status quo and began a new phase in his life.
The film uses a similar idea of Peter entering a new stage of his life, but its reset comes from the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange’s spell has removed Peter Parker from the memories of the people who knew him, leaving Peter to establish a new identity as Spider-Man.
The movie also draws from The Other, a 2005–2006 Spider-Man storyline in which Peter experiences significant changes to his powers. The film adapts the basic idea of evolving abilities while giving Peter a different set of changes, including organic webbing and heightened senses.
Jean Grey brings another major Marvel Comics property into the story. Unlike Spider-Man, Jean is traditionally associated with the X-Men. The film changes her origin and places her in a story centered on her relationship with her sister Sara and the Department of Damage Control.
Several other comic-book characters appear as part of Peter’s New York environment, including Mac Gargan / Scorpion, Tombstone, Boomerang, Tarantula, and the Hand.
Production and Development
Sony began developing a fourth MCU Spider-Man film in 2019. After Spider-Man: No Way Home, work continued on the story, with Tom Holland becoming more involved in the creative process than he had been on the earlier films.
Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers returned as writers in 2023. Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct in 2024, and the film’s title was announced in March 2025. The title was taken from the 2008 Brand New Day comic storyline, reflecting the changed status quo for Peter Parker.
The filmmakers approached the fourth film as a new stage for Holland’s Spider-Man. Instead of placing Peter primarily alongside a mentor or other major superheroes, the story focuses more closely on his life in New York and his work against street-level crime.
That approach also shaped the supporting cast. Frank Castle brings another street-level vigilante into Peter’s world, while Bruce Banner becomes relevant because of Peter’s changing powers.
Filming took place from August through December 2025, with location work in Glasgow and England and soundstage production at Pinewood Studios. Brett Pawlak served as cinematographer, Nat Sanders and Gina Sansom edited the film, and Michael Giacchino composed the score.
Marvel Cinematic Universe Connection
Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues the story established by Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange’s spell remains the defining event in Peter’s personal life because the world remembers Spider-Man but has forgotten Peter Parker.
The film takes place four years after that spell. Peter has continued working as Spider-Man while keeping his civilian identity separate from MJ, Ned, and the rest of his former life. This makes Brand New Day a continuation of Holland’s Spider-Man rather than a reboot or a new interpretation of the character.
The MCU connections extend beyond Peter’s immediate circle. Frank Castle / Punisher, Bruce Banner / Hulk, and Yelena Belova / Black Widow all appear, while the Hand and the Department of Damage Control connect the story to other parts of the MCU.
The film is the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie, following Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). It also continues Peter’s development after the events of the previous trilogy, with the story centered on what his life looks like after losing his place in the lives of the people who once knew him.
