It has been 372 days since Fantastic Four: First Steps released to theaters, so it’s nice to say that another entry in the MCU is finally upon us. Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released this weekend, and it has been shrouded in secrecy. Who’s Sadie Sink playing? Is there a secret villain? Will this connect with December’s star-studded Avengers: Doomsday? There’s just so much we want to know. And if you haven’t seen the film yet, or are still on the fence, be sure to check out our Non-Spoiler Review HERE.
But I think everyone else is ready to talk spoilers. So let’s check our Spidey Tracker App and get into the spoilers of Spider-man: Brand New Day.
A Second Opinion
As a lifelong Spider-Man fan, I was so excited at the tease at the end of No Way Home, where we’d finally see a street-level Spidey. He’d no longer be dealing with cosmic stakes and would instead focus on New York exploits. And he’d do it without all the Stark tech that came before, sometimes making Peter feel more like Iron Man than our Friendly Neighborhood Wall Crawler. And he’d have to do it on his own, as no one remembers who Peter Parker is. Do they follow through on that? Ehh…
Spider-man is definitely more street-level, and we get a fun montage showing that he’s been taking on a variety of villains over the years ranging from Scorpion to Boomerang to Tombstone and more. And it’s a good thing we get these moments, as we don’t really have a main villain in this film. That’s a bit disappointing given that Spidey has the best Rogues Gallery out there, so thank god they’re at least giving us some of the smaller ones to make up for it.
He’s also still pining over the loss of his friends. To give them their memory back would be to betray the sacrifice made at the end of No Way Home. So I was relieved that they didn’t go back on that ending, and instead had Ned and MJ reconnect with Peter through new experiences versus a simple memory reinstatement.
And as much as he’s very “back-to-the-basics”, Peter does use E.D.I.T.H. again and has access to quite a bit of advanced technology. So it’s not exactly the stripped-back approach, but I think that was always going to be a pipe dream. The MCU’s Peter Parker started off with a leg up due to Tony Stark, so I think they’ll never be able to do a fully non-tech approach.
At least we got what is easily the most gorgeous suit ever in a live-action Spider-Man movie. I always hated how the prior Holland movies would do CGI suits, despite the fact that they filmed with a practical one. Now, we’re getting every little awkward detail that comes with a real-life Spidey suit. It immediately grounds him in the world in a way that CGI could never. And to see the way the lighting interacts with the practical mask is an absolute thing of beauty.
The Hulk and The Punisher
Like many, I was concerned that Brand New Day would be bloated with characters, yet the film does a great job keeping Spider-Man as the main focus. We see Bruce Banner through his interactions with Peter. We get to witness Frank Castle organically behaving like The Punisher would in this world. They are essential cogs int his story versus simple Easter Eggs for comic fans.
I was honestly surprised at the limited screentime that Hulk gets, but I’m absolutely not complaining. This is exactly how they should be using these characters: coloring the world versus taking it over. He’s there when he’s needed, but the focus never strays too far from Peter. And it’s so nice to see Hulk as a terror again.
Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle absolutely steals the show and is one of the best parts of the movie. His bickering with Spidey is hilarious and the bond they form together is very sweet. Spider-man has always had some of the best pairings, as he has chemistry with so many, it’s nice to finally see that come to fruition. Here’s hoping we’re not far off from him and Johnny Storm bro-ing out.
Was hiding Sadie Sink’s character worth it?
It’s always weird when a film hides the identity of a character so vehemently. Most of the time, it ends up being exactly who we always thought it was going to be. And that’s exactly what happened here. I genuinely have no clue why they opted to hide the fact that Sadie Sink is playing Jean Grey. She’s been rumored for the part for years, and it just made sense. There’s somebody who’s taking over people’s minds? Sounds like something a young Jean would do. Yet they opted to hide it, so you’d think that it would have a massive payoff, right?
No, she’s just Jean Grey. This is obviously setting up the new X-Men, who will take center stage post-Secret Wars, so maybe Marvel was worried advertising her would somehow overshadow this being a Spider-Man movie? That argument goes out the window when you remember that the Punisher and Hulk are both in this movie and were both advertised prominently. Either way, it was a very odd choice that ultimately doesn’t affect the viewing experience one way or another.
Connection to Avengers: Doomsday
Those that stayed after the credits will be rewarded with just one post-credits sequence, and it confirms something that we’ve all long suspected: Spider-man is heading to space. Or, more specifically, Battleworld. While Tom Holland is rumored to be skipping out on Doomsday (though there are other rumors saying he’ll show up in the final act), he’s said to be leading Secret Wars, so it makes sense as to why he wouldn’t be on Earth.
Why is this important?
In the comics, Battleworld is where Secret Wars takes place and sees many of our heroes being transported there to fight. It’s also the place where Spider-man first gets the black suit. Obviously, the MCU hasn’t always stayed faithful to the comics, but it feels like a perfect opportunity to give us the symbiote and avoid the Spider-Man 3 route of an alien goo just crashing on Earth.
It’s funny, while I really liked Brand New Day, it’s pretty inconsequential to the overall MCU. This was really more about building up the Spidey that we all know and love, putting him a spot where it makes sense that he would be mature enough to lead an Avengers film.
What did you think of Spider-man: Brand New Day? Was it worth it to hide the identity of Sadie Sink’s Character? When do you think we’ll get the rest of the X-Men cast announced? Let us know in the comments!
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