Spider-Man: Brand New Day

This article is about the 2026 film. For the 2008 comic book storyline, see Brand New Day (comics).

Spider-Man: Brand New Day
A close-up of Spider-Man, with Michelle-Jones Watson is shown in his eye reflection. Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Destin Daniel Cretton
Produced by	Kevin Feige Amy Pascal Avi Arad Rachel O'Connor
Written by	Chris McKenna Erik Sommers
Based on	Spider-Man by Stan Lee Steve Ditko
Starring	Tom Holland Zendaya Sadie Sink Jacob Batalon Jon Bernthal Florence Pugh Tramell Tillman Michael Mando Mark Ruffalo
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Cinematography	Brett Pawlak
Edited by	Nat Sanders Gina Sansom Harry Yoon
Production company	Columbia Pictures Marvel Studios Pascal Pictures
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	July 27, 2026 (2026-07-27) (Dolby Theatre) July 31, 2026 (2026-07-31) (United States)
Running time	145 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$225 million

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a 2026 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Pascal Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man film series following Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland stars as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo. In the film, Parker anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution.

Sony was developing a fourth MCU Spider-Man film by August 2019, and producer Amy Pascal revealed in November 2021 that it was intended to be the first in a new trilogy starring Holland. Work on the story began that December, with Holland more involved in development than he was for the previous films. McKenna and Sommers returned as writers by February 2023, Cretton was hired to direct by October 2024, and the title—derived from the 2008 comic book storyline "Brand New Day" that reset Spider-Man's status quo—was announced in March 2025. The producers wanted Holland's Parker to be a "proper Spider-Man" for the first time, on his own and fighting street-level crime in New York City. Ahead of filming, Bernthal and Ruffalo were revealed to be reprising their MCU roles of Frank Castle / Punisher and Bruce Banner / Hulk. Filming took place from August to December 2025, with location filming in Glasgow, Scotland, and throughout England. Soundstage work occurred at Pinewood Studios in England.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on July 27, 2026, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 31, as part of Phase Six of the MCU. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Following Dr. Stephen Strange's spell at the end of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the world has forgotten that Peter Parker exists. Four years later, Parker anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution.

Cast

• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:
  A former Avenger who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Following Dr. Stephen Strange's spell at the end of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the world has forgotten that Parker exists and he is now focused on anonymously protecting New York City from street-level crime, with director Destin Daniel Cretton stating that Parker is "dedicating his entire existence" to being Spider-Man. Holland felt this was a unique and "profound" superhero story to tell, and said Parker's dedication to selflessness and sacrifice would have consequences for his personal life and health. He also said the film focuses on Parker's search for identity as he transitions from youth to adulthood, and Holland took inspiration from his own journey into adulthood. The pressure of fighting crime full-time and seeing his former friends move on without him triggers an evolution in Parker's superpowers, resulting in changes that include: his eyes turning completely black as he temporarily loses control and becomes more aggressive; heightened senses; increased agility; and the ability to generate organic webs from his wrists instead of relying on mechanical web-shooters—similar to Tobey Maguire's portrayal of the character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series (2002–2007) and in No Way Home.
• Zendaya as Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson:
  Parker's former classmate and ex-girlfriend who is attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with Ned Leeds, with whom she shares an apartment. MJ has a new love interest in the film, causing conflicting feelings for Parker.
• Sadie Sink as Jean Grey:
  A mutant with psionic abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy and possession who was captured by the Department of Damage Control (DODC) and comes into conflict with Spider-Man.
• Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds:
  Parker's former best friend who is attending MIT with MJ. He has created an app called "Spidey Tracker" in the hopes of learning who Spider-Man is to thank him for saving Ned and his classmates while they were in high school. Batalon stated that Ned and MJ live "really great full lives" despite both feeling that "something's kind of missing", and added that the creation of the Spidey Tracker by the former is his way of finding the "missing link" between them and Spider-Man.
• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher:
  A vigilante who, following the brutal murder of his family, aims to fight the criminal underworld by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results are. The film follows Castle's role in the Disney+ television special The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026), which explores his "psychological state" going into Brand New Day; Bernthal stated that the character has essentially "sworn off human beings" by the start of the film. Castle operates from a houseboat named Golden Girl, built from a converted industrial barge, which serves as both a command center and a safe house. Producer Kevin Feige said the character would have a "different tonality" in the film compared to his previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appearances, which lean more into his violent actions than this film's PG-13 rating would allow. Holland said the dynamic between Parker and Castle evolved as he and Bernthal improvised during filming, with their characters going from hating each other to developing a "big brother/little brother rivalry". Holland also highlighted the similarities between Parker and Castle by stating that both characters are "going through the same thing", which leads Castle to take on a mentor role for Parker, helping him cope with his troubled state of mind. Castle's Battle Van from the comics is featured for the first time in live-action.
• Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova: A member of the New Avengers who was trained in the Red Room as a Black Widow assassin.
• Tramell Tillman as Bill Metzger:
  The head of the DODC who is policing superpowered individuals. Following a breakout at the DODC facility, Metzger enlists Spider-Man's help in dealing with an invisible threat that only he can sense and to which he is immune thanks to his powers.
• Michael Mando as Mac Gargan / Scorpion:
  A criminal who wears a suit of armor equipped with a mechanized scorpion-like tail. He was previously captured by Spider-Man and arrested in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk:
  A founding Avenger and genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a muscular, green-skinned humanoid when enraged or agitated. Banner is now a professor at Empire State University (ESU), teaching quantum mechanics, and Parker turns to him for help regarding his evolving superpowers. Banner wears an inhibitor device to suppress the gamma radiation in his body and appear in his human form; this technology was introduced during the mid-credits scene of the film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and explained in the television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). After Banner successfully merged both sides of his personality into "Smart Hulk" in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019), Brand New Day sees him regressing to his uncontrollable, destructive "Savage Hulk" persona, last seen in the film Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

Additionally, Zabryna Guevara and Marisa Tomei reprise their MCU roles as Sheila Rivera and Peter's deceased aunt May Parker from the Disney+ television series Daredevil: Born Again and from previous films, respectively. Marvin Jones III portrays Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone, a crime boss with albinism, near-indestructible skin, and superhuman strength; Eman Esfandi appears as Harry, a new boyfriend for MJ; Liza Colón-Zayas portrays Jean DeWolff, a detective; Olivia Booth-Ford portrays Sara Grey, Jean's older, also-mutant sister who possesses the same powers as her; Billy Clements portrays Ramrod, a cyborg supervillain; and Naomi Watts voices E.V., Parker's artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Keith David voices the narrator in a documentary on spiders that Peter watches. Other characters appearing in the film include Boomerang, and Tarantula, as well as the organization the Hand. Stunt performer and martial artist Fan Xiaoshuang appears as the leader of the Hand. Tiffany Espensen reprises her role as Cindy Moon in a cameo appearance, while Tony Revolori and Martin Starr appear in photographs as their respective MCU characters Flash Thompson and Roger Harrington.

Production

Development

Interest and writing delay

Sony Pictures was reported in August 2019 to be developing a fourth Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Spider-Man film alongside the third, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), after they co-produced Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) with Marvel Studios and its president Kevin Feige. Later that month, Sony said it would be making No Way Home without Marvel Studios and Feige after negotiations to update the production deal between the two companies failed. Following a negative fan reaction, Sony and Marvel's parent company Disney returned to negotiations and announced a new agreement at the end of September, which allowed Marvel Studios and Feige to produce No Way Home for Sony with producer Amy Pascal. In February 2021, Tom Holland said No Way Home was the final film in his contract with Sony and Marvel but he hoped to continue playing Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the future. That July, Zendaya—Holland's then-girlfriend and later wife, who portrays Parker's love interest Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson in the MCU—said that she did not know if another MCU Spider-Man film would be made. In October, Holland said No Way Home was being treated as the end of a franchise that began with Homecoming. He said any further MCU Spider-Man films would differ from the first trilogy and feature a tonal change.

Holland said in November 2021 that he was unsure if he should continue making Spider-Man films, feeling he would have done something wrong if he were still portraying the character in his thirties. He expressed interest in a film focusing on the Miles Morales incarnation of Spider-Man instead of Parker. Despite this, Pascal hoped to continue working with Holland on future Spider-Man films, and said work on the first film in a new trilogy was about to begin. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Sony did not yet have official plans for further MCU Spider-Man films, but hoped to continue its collaboration with Marvel Studios. Holland said he did not know about plans for future Spider-Man films but there were some "very, very exciting things" being discussed and he felt the franchise had a bright future. The next month he added that he had achieved what he wanted with the character and was ready to say goodbye to the role if he did not end up starring in another film, but he would be saddened to leave the franchise. Pascal expressed her hope that the partnership between Sony and Disney would last forever, and Feige promised that it would not break down again as it did during the development of No Way Home. He said Holland's Parker would return in another MCU film at some point, and confirmed that he had begun discussing the story for the next Spider-Man film with Pascal, Sony, and Disney. This would continue from Parker's "momentous decision" at the end of No Way Home to make everyone forget who he is.

By April 2022, when series director Jon Watts exited as director of Marvel Studios's Fantastic Four film (2025), Sony was expecting Watts to return for the next Spider-Man film. A month later, Sony Pictures CEO and chairman Tom Rothman confirmed that he hoped the "whole group" from the previous films would return, including Watts, Holland, and Zendaya. Feige said in February 2023 that they had a story with "big ideas" and writers had begun work on it, but this was put on hold in May because of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Pascal said work would resume on the film after the strike concluded. Holland said he had been in meetings about ideas and "ambitions" for the film, and these had also been put on hold because of the writers's strike. He was happy with the creative reasoning for why a fourth film should be made, but was apprehensive about the stigma surrounding fourth films in franchises and felt they had "hit a home run" with the first three films, with No Way Home the "perfect send-off" for his Parker, adding there was a part of him that wanted to exit the franchise on that high note and "pass the baton" to another actor. Holland wanted to return for another film if it would "do justice to the character".

Restarting active work

The writers's strike ended in late September 2023, and Holland confirmed in November that discussions about the film had restarted. Since the release of No Way Home, Holland was aware of fan sentiment on the internet for the future of the series, and tried to get a "really good sense of what it is the people wanted" for the next Spider-Man film, with fans interested in a film that was relatable where Spider-Man was not saving the world but focused on "maybe saving himself". He presented this "vibe" during his meetings with the studios, believing it was important to understand what fans were interested in seeing since "we make these movies for [the fans]". Holland pitched that Parker should go through puberty-like changes to his powers, a "kernel of an idea" that the creative team liked and developed further. Another idea pitched was to give the character a pet dog, but Holland stated that it "fell through very quickly". Holland was able to have more input on the fourth film's story because he was involved in the creative process much earlier than he was for the previous MCU Spider-Man films.

Journalist Jeff Sneider reported in early 2024 that Marvel Studios was considering Drew Goddard and Justin Lin to direct; that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers had returned from the prior three Spider-Man films to write the script; that Holland and Zendaya were both expected to return; and that filming was set to begin in September or October of that year, delaying filming for the third season of Euphoria (2026) to accommodate Zendaya's schedule. Variety reported in March that the script was still being worked on and there was no director or filming date set. The next month, Holland said they were giving the writers the time that they needed to work on the script following the strike. He added that he would "always want to do Spider-Man films" and owed his career to the franchise, but reiterated that he wanted to make sure the next film was made the right way to preserve the legacy of the previous trilogy. Feige said in July that a draft of the script was being submitted "relatively soon", and Watts might not be available to direct due to his busy schedule with other projects. Watts ultimately chose not to direct the film.

Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct the film after working on other Marvel Studios projects.

After further work on the script, the studios began meeting with directors. Destin Daniel Cretton was the top choice to direct by September 2024 when he was in early talks. He directed the film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) for Marvel Studios and signed an overall deal with them in December 2021 that included directing a sequel to that film and developing the Disney+ series Wonder Man (2026–present). Cretton was also hired to direct the MCU crossover film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in July 2022, but stepped down in November 2023 due to schedule delays; at that time, he met with Feige to discuss other work with the studio and the fourth Spider-Man film was brought up as a possibility. Kang Dynasty was subsequently reworked into Avengers: Doomsday (2026). The fourth Spider-Man film was said to be the priority for Marvel Studios over a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Also in September 2024, McKenna and Sommers were confirmed to be writing the film, Holland and Zendaya were reportedly in talks to return, and filming was expected to begin in early 2025. Sneider reported a planned release date in 2026 and questioned the extent of Zendaya's role due to her busy 2025 schedule filming Euphoria and the film Dune: Part Three (2026). At the time of Cretton's hiring, Holland said the script was "going in a hundred different directions"; Cretton had discussions about the possibilities for the fourth film with Feige and Pascal, both of whom were interested in a "[more grounded] story" that focused on some of the issues Parker might be going through during his period of isolation following the events of No Way Home. The idea allowed Cretton to gravitate toward exploring the character as someone "who is, by every sense of the word, completely alone", believing this approach to be an "exciting place to start" from.

A month later, in October 2024, Holland was cast in the film The Odyssey (2026). He asked Sony to push the start of filming by six months to allow him to film The Odyssey first, which the studio agreed to out of respect for him and The Odyssey director Christopher Nolan. Holland believed this delay allowed Cretton to join the film, with Cretton clarifying that the delay allowed for more development time, but he would have been able to join and complete the film on its original schedule. Holland said he was excited after reading a draft of the script with Zendaya, but he felt it still needed work. He said one of the challenges was fitting into the overall plan for the MCU and described the schedule needed for this as a "tall order but definitely achievable with the fantastic people we have working on it now". He confirmed that filming would now begin in mid-2025. Soon after Holland's comments, he and Cretton were confirmed to have signed on. The film was scheduled for release on July 24, 2026. Justin Kuritzkes rewrote the script with Cretton during the additional six months of development, after Kuritzkes worked with Zendaya and Sony on the film Challengers (2024); however, only McKenna and Sommers received writing credit on the film.

Sneider reported in November 2024 that filming would not begin until late 2025 or early 2026 and there was potential for the release date to be delayed until 2027 as a result, in part because Sony did not plan to release it the same year as the animated film Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which was expected to be ready for a 2026 release; Beyond the Spider-Verse was later scheduled for release in 2027. A month later, Sneider reported that filming would take place from June to October 2025, between the filming of Euphoria's third season and Dune: Part Three, and Zendaya's role had been "severely reduced" due to this schedule, as well as her role in The Odyssey. He also reported that alien symbiotes were included in the script; a new group of Parker's classmates would be introduced; Sacha Baron Cohen would appear as Mephisto, reprising his role from the series finale of the Disney+ miniseries Ironheart (2025); and Charlie Cox would reprise his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil from No Way Home and other MCU media. Cox denied his involvement in October 2025, and journalist Brandon Davis reported in May 2026 that Cox was not expected to appear at that time. J. K. Simmons—who portrayed J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series (2002–2007), and later reprised the role as a alternative version of the character in Far From Home and No Way Home—also denied his involvement.

Pre-production

In February 2025, filming was confirmed to start in mid-2025 in London, and the release date was pushed back a week to July 31, 2026, to distance it from the release of The Odyssey earlier that month. Variety reported that it was still unclear whether Zendaya would be returning for the film, while Deadline Hollywood reported that she would but her deal had not been finalized. Sadie Sink was cast in a significant role in March, following rumors that she could portray the X-Men member Jean Grey in the MCU. She was offered the role without auditioning, having previously worked with Cretton on the film The Glass Castle (2017). Sink accepted the role for the chance to appear in a Spider-Man film, being a lifelong fan of the character. Due to the secrecy surrounding it, Sink's role became the subject of fan speculation, with Pascal likening the situation to what she regarded as the "worst-kept secret in Hollywood"—namely, the appearances of Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker / Spider-Man, from Raimi's Spider-Man film series, and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker / Spider-Man, from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man film series (2012–2014), in No Way Home—since both instances involved actors who had been cast in roles kept under wraps that fans were aware of and yet pretended not to know anything about; she attributed this attitude to the fact that "people love to be surprised. They don't really want to know everything. They want the experience of what movies give you, which is shock and awe and surprise." Cretton said there was a "very real reason not to tell people" who Sink was playing before the film released, believing audience would be not be upset by the reasoning and happy they did not know the role beforehand.

At Sony's CinemaCon panel at the end of March 2025, Holland and Cretton announced the title as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, derived from the 2008 comic book storyline "Brand New Day". Holland said the title was appropriate because the film was a "fresh start" following the ending of No Way Home, and that the title refers not to the film's beginning, but rather to its "last frame". He later elaborated that it was a "rebirth... something completely new" which felt to him like the "first movie in the next chapter" rather than the fourth installment of a franchise. Cretton also described the film as the beginning of a new chapter for Spider-Man and said it would feature a tonal shift from the previous trilogy. Holland added that Brand New Day would have a more mature tone than past MCU Spider-Man films, which he likened to the "experience of a teenager". Feige stated that the intention behind that trilogy was to evoke the first act of Raimi's 2002 film Spider-Man—in which Maguire's Parker is in high school—but at a slower pace, following Holland's Parker year by year through his academic journey until culminating in the conclusion of No Way Home, a moment when the character is "very classically Spidey by himself, alone in his apartment listening to a police scanner, going out and being Spider-Man". Cretton and the creative team were excited to take the franchise in a new direction. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon were expected to return, with Batalon reprising his MCU role as Ned Leeds. Liza Colón-Zayas joined the cast in May, as detective Jean DeWolff.

Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo reprised their respective MCU roles of Frank Castle / Punisher and Bruce Banner / Hulk as part of an agreement between Sony and Marvel Studios.

Zendaya and Batalon were confirmed to be returning in June 2025, but the extent of their roles was unclear. Filming was set to begin that August, and Jon Bernthal was revealed to be reprising his MCU role of Frank Castle / Punisher in the film. Holland and Bernthal had previously worked together on the film Pilgrimage (2017) and helped each other during the casting process for their respective MCU roles. Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter said the addition of Bernthal indicated that Brand New Day could have a more grounded story due to the Punisher's characterization and background, and questioned how his violent nature would translate into the family-friendly Spider-Man property. Feige confirmed Bernthal's role a month later. Holland noted that it was a "challenge" to incorporate an R-rated character like the Punisher in Brand New Day, though he also acknowledged fan concerns regarding this inclusion and stated that the production team worked to ensure that the character's portrayal was "authentic to the Frank Castle [fans] know", including by finding "fun ways to get around" the profanity and violence associated with him; one example is Spider-Man webbing the Punisher's mouth whenever he tries to swear. Bernthal said it was important to himself, Holland, and Cretton that the film's portrayal of the Punisher feel like the same character that is seen in the Disney+ television special The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026).

The filmmakers were in constant discussions with the creative team behind the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2025–present), to ensure "impacts are felt" between the two projects and events line up for their shared characters, which include the Punisher and Sheila Rivera. Brad Winderbaum, the head of Marvel Television, said the tones of each project were different but they still wanted to highlight that they exist in the same world. Following rumors that Mark Ruffalo would be reprising his MCU role as Bruce Banner / Hulk in the film, his casting was confirmed with the start of filming in August 2025. Both Kit and Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter said Ruffalo's role had only "firmed up" as the script came together in the lead-up to filming. They noted that the previous MCU Spider-Man films each featured a major MCU co-star—Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man in Homecoming, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Far From Home, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in No Way Home—as part of Sony and Marvel Studios's special agreement, and compared this to the Marvel Team-Up comic books which feature Spider-Man teaming-up with different heroes. They felt Brand New Day was "stacking the deck" by featuring both Bernthal and Ruffalo; the latter made a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for Cretton. Holland previously expressed interest in an MCU team-up with Spider-Man and the Hulk, enjoying an image from the comics of the pair together and believing they should have a "big brother–little brother" dynamic. Bringing these two characters together on screen was a long-held dream of Feige's. Also in August, Michael Mando was set to reprise his role as Mac Gargan / Scorpion from Homecoming, following up on the tease of more story for the character in that film's mid-credits scene.

Feige said the ending of No Way Home was a promise to audiences that they would see Holland as a "proper Spider-Man" for the first time in the MCU, highlighting that Brand New Day focuses on the character's "classic elements" from the comics; specifically, it shows the hero acting on his own and "using his great power responsibly" to fight street-level crime in New York City, rather than dealing with "world-ending events" as seen in his previous appearances in the franchise. Because of this direction, Marvel wanted to include other street-level heroes that Holland's Spider-Man had not interacted with before, such as the Punisher and the Hulk. Pascal stated that these two characters were chosen because they both face the same problems as Parker—a parallel she felt contributed to his story in the film. Feige noted that the Punisher was introduced in a Spider-Man comic, The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #129 (February 1974). Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings protagonist Xu Shang-Chi was one of the heroes considered for an appearance in Brand New Day. Additionally, both new and returning villains appear in the film; among the newer ones are Tombstone, Boomerang, Tarantula, and Ramrod. The creative team carefully selected the film's lineup of villains, combining recognizable Spider-Man antagonists with lesser-known ones, as they wanted Parker to face enemies he could realistically defeat within a day or two while also surprising long-time fans. While the villain Shocker from Homecoming does not appear in Brand New Day, Spider-Man uses his gauntlet to fight the Hulk.

Holland said that the spell cast by Strange at the end of No Way Home—to make everyone forget who Parker is—was a "creative challenge that presented some logistical issues" for Brand New Day, specifically regarding its effects on the memories of characters such as Parker's ex-girlfriend, MJ, and his former best friend, Ned; Holland explained that the spell works in such a way that people "remember Spider-Man, they remember their interactions with him, they just don't remember who he is"—except for one person. Brand New Day is set four years after the events of No Way Home and before those of Doomsday, with Holland stating that one of the reasons for the long time gap between No Way Home and Brand New Day was to "allow the characters to grow up off-screen". Batalon corroborated this statement by saying that Cretton gave the cast "space to really explore" their respective characters as they saw fit. Speaking to Brand New Day's relationship to Doomsday, which was originally scheduled to release before Brand New Day before moving to December 2026, Cretton said it allowed Brand New Day to "stand on its own" without needing to find a way to connect to Doomsday, and do "certain things" that would not have made sense or had been possible if it came out after Doomsday.

Holland said that Parker is "at the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life" in Brand New Day, as the plot focuses on the character's decision to suppress the trauma of being forgotten by neglecting his civilian life while dedicating himself full-time to being Spider-Man, a choice that Holland said prevents the character from realizing that the "person he is makes him the hero that [fans] love". This premise addresses what Holland identified as one of the film's central themes: the inability to balance professional and personal life—as Parker chooses to immerse himself in his work as a superhero rather than confront everything he has lost and reconnect with people in real life, making it difficult to regain balance after sacrificing his civilian identity—a message Holland considered important for young people in the digital age, where it is "so easy to sit at home in the evening and just scroll through your phone and turn your mind to mush and forget about how important socializing is". The trauma of being forgotten by everyone, combined with the pressure of fighting crime full-time, triggers an evolution in Parker's superpowers; among the changes is organic webbing, an ability for which the filmmakers drew inspiration from the 2005–2006 "The Other" comic book crossover storyline. Cretton described the transformation as "frightening", with Parker initially believing he is turning into a monster, though he ultimately learns to accept the changes he is undergoing.

Design

Costume designer Sanja Milkovic Hays returned from No Way Home and other MCU films, and production designer Charles Wood also returned from previous MCU media. Cretton had eight or nine comic book covers on the art department wall which he was planning to recreate in Brand New Day, including those of: The Amazing Spider-Man #129; Spider-Man's debut comic Amazing Fantasy vol. 1 #15 (August 1962), which shows Spider-Man swinging with a civilian; The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #134 (July 1974), which shows Spider-Man fighting Tarantula; The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #221 (July 1981), which shows Spider-Man dodging Ramrod; The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1 #142 (May 1988), in which Spider-Man is about to be thrown off the top of a building by Tombstone; The Punisher War Journal vol. 1 #15 (December 1989), which shows several guns aimed at Spider-Man and the Punisher; The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #345 (March 1991), in which Spider-Man is attacked by Boomerang; Spider-Man Adventures #2 (November 1994), in which Spider-Man is struck by Scorpion's mechanical tail; and The New Avengers vol. 1 #27 (February 2007), which shows Ronin facing several members of the organization the Hand, led by Elektra Natchios. Many of these covers appear in the film's opening montage that shows what Parker has been up to in the four years since the end of No Way Home, with Cretton enjoying being able to choose covers that "allowed us to imagine what could've happened a little bit before or a little bit after that frame that we're all used to seeing".

Parker's homemade "Fabricator" to build and repair his Spider-Man suit in Brand New Day, seen at the Sony/Little Caesars apartment replica fan experience.

Holland was involved in the process of creating the new Spider-Man suit for Brand New Day, focusing on the story reasons for why it looks the way that it does, while also researching which details fans liked most about the suits worn by Maguire's and Garfield's versions of Spider-Man to design the new one. Holland also wore both costumes, explaining that this helped shape the final design of the suit for Brand New Day. Those details included a tighter-fitting mask to give Holland's Parker a more mature silhouette, while the proportions intentionally evoked artist John Romita Sr.'s classic take on the hero. Additionally, the belt was positioned lower to create the illusion of a longer torso—much like the boot design, which aimed to achieve the same effect for the legs. Holland said the suit was constructed in a completely different way from the Spider-Man costumes he wore previously which made it comfier and more flexible. The new suit is similar in design to the one that was introduced at the end of No Way Home, which was made by Holland's Parker following his interactions with both Maguire's and Garfield's Spider-Men in that film. The script for No Way Home explains that Parker took inspiration from the suits worn by those versions of the character when designing his own, which Holland described as a "Spider-Child" of the three costumes worn by all the iterations of Spider-Man that appeared in that film. He also liked the idea of Parker "trying to be his big brothers, that he looks up to them and sees little details on their suits that he thinks are really cool", especially now that he is no longer connected to the Avengers and is making his own suit. Because Parker no longer has access to Stark's money and resources, he builds his own technology in the film—including an artificial intelligence (AI) called E.V., voiced by Naomi Watts, and a homemade hybrid machine called the "Fabricator" (a combination of a sewing machine and a 3D printer) that allows him to build and repair his own suit. Cretton described the latter as a "3D printer on steroids". Parker's spider-sense, referred to as the "Peter-Tingle" in previous MCU Spider-Man films, received a new sound effect for Brand New Day, designed to allow the audience to experience the power the same way Parker does. The production team analyzed online footage of wingsuit flyers and parkour athletes as a reference for the scenes where Spider-Man swings on his webs, observing not only their physical performance but also how they captured the action using GoPro cameras and selfie sticks.

Regarding the mysterious villain's ability to hop from one body to another, Cretton and the rest of the production team did not want to rely too heavily on visual effects to visually portray this power in action on screen; instead, they sought a practical, "grounded" approach, and to that end, Cretton hired his friend and dance choreographer Nathan Kim, who carefully mapped out the ways people's bodies would contort and twist when possessed by the villain. Cretton noted that there is a "lot of very meticulously coordinated choreographed body movement" in the film that allows the audience to perceive when the villain is at work. The Punisher's appearance draws inspiration from various comic book eras of the character, including the cover of The Punisher War Journal #15. The creative team experimented with several versions of the Punisher's iconic skull emblem before settling on a design that evoked artist John Buscema's classic look, in which the skull intentionally functions as a "bullet magnet over Kevlar armor". The Hulk was given a more frightening appearance, inspired by his early comic book stories, with Ruffalo's facial features becoming less recognizable during the transformation to emphasize the character's monstrous nature. The filmmakers considered using the Hulk's original gray look from the comics—dubbed "Gray Hulk"—in Brand New Day before ultimately deciding that the audience should see him in his more familiar green "Savage Hulk" version. Tarantula's chest emblem was discarded because it too closely resembled Spider-Man's; instead, tactical straps were used over the character's suit to subtly recreate the shape of a spider.

Filming

Principal photography began on August 3, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland, under the working title Blue Oasis, with Brett Pawlak returning as cinematographer from many of Cretton's previous films. Filming was originally expected to begin in early 2025, but was delayed by six months so Holland could film The Odyssey. He was inspired by Nolan's efficient and prepared filmmaking approach and wanted to bring a similar work ethic to Brand New Day, insisting that they have each day's filming planned ahead of time with a clear idea of what the film should be rather than trying to work it out during filming, and that real, practical stunts be performed whenever possible. Some of these stunts were inspired by the Marvel's Spider-Man game series. Holland also had the confidence to ask the producers and Cretton to stop filming a scene between him and Zendaya that they felt needed to be reworked. The production team recreated the New York City borough of Queens both on the streets of Glasgow and on elaborate sets at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. For the latter, they built the equivalent of about three city blocks, basing the design of the buildings on carefully selected areas near the Queensboro Bridge, where Parker's apartment is located in the film, and focusing on the rooftops rather than street-level locations.

NYPD cars and NYC taxis (left) were featured in the Glasgow, Scotland, location shooting in August 2025, with the city standing in for New York City. An armored vehicle was also part of filming (right).

Production was scheduled for around two weeks throughout Glasgow city centre—including Merchant City, George Square, and Trongate—for scenes set in New York, and one of the film's action set pieces. Holland was excited to start principal photography with location shooting, returning to the feeling of making Homecoming after production on No Way Home was restricted to soundstages due to shifts in the film industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was glad that fans could experience the start of filming with the cast and crew. Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Peng Zhang coordinated the film's fight sequences, returning from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and other MCU projects. Set photos from Glasgow showed armored vehicles with a red demon logo on them. Bradley Russell of Total Film compared this logo to the symbol for the Inner Demons gang, who are led by Mister Negative in the comics, and speculated that Mister Negative could be appearing in the film. Paul Trainer at Glasgow World reported that the Glasgow set was using a reference bust in the shape of a rhinoceros head, similar to the comic book character Rhino.

Bernthal was set to film his scenes back-to-back with One Last Kill, which finished filming in early August 2025. Filming for Brand New Day took place at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, England, on August 7. Around then, filming in Glasgow was extended until August 18, for the shooting of a commercial. Tramell Tillman joined the cast at the end of August, as Bill Metzger, the head of the Department of Damage Control (DODC). Tillman, a fan of superhero films, had been interested in appearing in one for some time and was thrilled to be cast in Brand New Day. The film establishes that the DODC has a new headquarters in New York City and weaponry built from recovered alien technology—including that of the Chitauri, the Sakaarans, and Rocket Raccoon. Soundstage work for the film took place at Pinewood Studios for most of September. At the start of the month, Ruffalo said he was "still waiting to hear" about his role in Brand New Day and had not seen a script for it. Despite being aware of the character she would be playing and the general premise of the film, Sink did not receive a script until she arrived in London for filming, which took place in the city's Battersea Park between early and mid-September. On September 19, Holland suffered a mild concussion while filming a stunt on the Pinewood set. Filming at Pinewood was subsequently paused until September 29 while Holland recovered, because the production determined that they could not shoot around his scenes. This was not expected to impact the film's release date.

Also in late September 2025, Marvin Jones III was revealed to be portraying Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone after voicing a different version of the character in Sony's animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Filming took place then at Fanum House in Basingstoke, England, with one of Holland's stunt doubles. Filming at Basingstoke continued in early October, with Holland joining the filming there, along with Mando. Later that month, Holland, Sink, and Ruffalo were seen filming at Senate House in London. In early November, filming took place at Ravenscourt Park in London. Throughout November, filming took place at HM Prison Dorchester in Dorchester, England. Cretton announced on December 19, 2025, that filming had wrapped, and said directing the film was "one of the roles of a lifetime" for him. Holland said the film was the "most creatively fulfilling filming experience" he had ever had, and he praised Cretton for making it the "best version of any Spider-Man movie going".

Since the Hulk is created using motion capture and computer-generated imagery (CGI), Cretton initially did not expect Ruffalo himself to be on set for the scenes where his character is transformed—most of which he shared with Holland, who found filming with Ruffalo a "really peculiar experience" due to the motion capture process, which he felt made shooting those scenes seem somewhat ridiculous. The scenes recreating comic book covers were filmed at 420 frames per second, a rate Cretton described as "virtually impossible" for an actor to perform in, so much so that one of these shots—of Spider-Man "flying into" the organization the Hand, which had previously been featured in Marvel Television's Netflix television series—required at least 65 takes. However, for the scene mimicking the cover of Spider-Man Adventures #2, Holland managed to nail the desired pose in two or three takes—a feat Cretton felt demonstrated "how much control Tom has over every muscle in his body". Brand New Day is the first film to have particular sequences filmed specifically for ScreenX, with its manufacturer CJ 4DPlex coming to set to shoot the footage that would appear on ScreenX's side screens to create a panoramic viewing experience. The film was shot in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, with select sequences shot for IMAX. Cretton believed Brand New Day was a good fit for the IMAX experience.Template:Independent source needed

Post-production

In January 2026, Justin Kroll from Deadline Hollywood reported that Feige had been solely focused on the production of Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) for the last year, and had let Pascal handle much of the production for Brand New Day. Cretton disputed this saying, though Feige is busy, the film was "not on the back burner" in terms of his attention, adding that Feige, Pascal, and Rothman were all involved. In addition to Feige and Pascal, Avi Arad, a frequent producer of the Spider-Man films, also served as a producer with Rachel O'Connor.

The film's first trailer was released in March 2026 and confirmed the appearance of the Hand. The filmmakers noted that the organization had been leaderless since the events of Marvel's Netflix television series and might reach its full potential under new guidance, with stunt performer and martial artist Fan Xiaoshuang playing the new leader of the Hand. She had previously worked on other Marvel Studios films such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and The Marvels (2023). The trailer also revealed that Zabryna Guevara reprised her role as Sheila Rivera from Born Again for a scene in which her character hands Spider-Man the key to New York City; Eman Esfandi was playing a new love interest for MJ; and that Keith David had an undisclosed role. In April, Holland said additional photography was taking place in London to add more humor and incorporate an unspecified villain plotline in a new way. He added that the film already worked before these changes and they were just putting "icing on the cake". Feige indicated in mid-July that Florence Pugh would reprise her MCU role of Yelena Belova in Brand New Day, ahead of her appearance in Doomsday. At the end of the month, Rosario Dawson revealed that she reprised her role as Claire Temple from Marvel's Netflix television series for a scene in Brand New Day that ended up being cut. Sink was confirmed to be portraying Jean at the end of July. Additional actors appearing in the film include Olivia Booth-Ford as Jean's older sister Sara Grey, and Billy Clements as Ramrod. Clements previously portrayed the Russian in the MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Pugh was also confirmed to be appearing in the film.

The opening logo for Marvel Studios features archival footage from previous MCU Spider-Man films as "memories" that Parker no longer shares with characters such as MJ and Ned. Nat Sanders, Gina Sansom, and Harry Yoon edited Brand New Day, after Cretton previously worked with Sanders and Yoon on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and with Sansom on Wonder Man. The first assembly cut of Brand New Day was around 170 to 180 minutes, but was too long for what Cretton wanted the film to be, ultimately ending up with a final cut of the film around 144 minutes that did not sacrifice any scenes. Jerome Chen served as visual effects supervisor, while David Bosco was the visual effects producer. Visual effects were provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Rise FX, Cantina Creative, Soho VFX, and SDFX Studios.

Music

Michael Giacchino was confirmed in December 2025 to be returning as composer from the previous MCU Spider-Man films. Giacchino stated that he intentionally removed specific musical notes from the MCU Spider-Man theme for the score of Brand New Day to represent "pulling away all the pieces of [Parker's] life that he doesn't have anymore". The Japanese dubbed version of the film will feature the song "Brand New" by Mrs. Green Apple over its end credits; Feige is a fan of the band and contacted them to be involved with the film.

Marketing

Cretton discussed the film at Sony's CinemaCon panel in March 2025, where Holland appeared via a video message to announce the title. Commentators noted the appropriateness of the title considering the "Brand New Day" comic book storyline explores a reset of Spider-Man's character and story following the events of the 2007–2008 "One More Day" storyline, similar to the reset for the MCU's Peter Parker at the end of No Way Home. There was also speculation about what impact the events of Doomsday would have on the film. Diego Peralta at ComicBook.com questioned whether it would adapt specific elements from the comic storylines, such as having Parker make a deal with Mephisto to resurrect his aunt May Parker following her death in No Way Home, or if the title was just a reference to Parker's new life. Kevin Erdmann of Screen Rant said the "One More Day" and "Brand New Day" storylines were controversial with readers, in part because they reverted Spider-Man's character growth and relationships. He felt the film could follow a similar storyline without making the same mistake.

External video

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Tom Holland New Suit Reveal presents a full look at the Spider-Man suit worn by Holland in the film

Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Day One on Set presents a behind-the-scenes look at the first day of production for the film in Glasgow

On August 1, 2025—known as "Spider-Man Day"—Sony released an eight-second teaser showing glimpses of the new Spider-Man costume in the film. It has comics-accurate red and blue colors, raised webbing, and the same faint hexagonal webbing design on the fabric from Holland's previous suits. Michael McWhertor at Polygon likened the raised webbing to the suits worn by Maguire and said the fabric was "glittery and textured", a contrast to Holland's prior high-tech suits. Gizmodo's James Whitbrook said the new costume retained some of the "metallic shiny blue" from the suit that was introduced at the end of No Way Home. The following day, a 22-second teaser was released, offering a full view of Holland in costume. The teaser was directed by his brother Harry. Justin Carter, also at Gizmodo, said the biggest change other than the raised webbing was the spider logo on the chest, which is bigger than the one on Holland's previous costumes. Carter also noted the use of Giacchino's MCU Spider-Man theme in the teaser. Jordan Moreau at Variety said the full costume was closer to the comics than Holland's previous costumes, while McKinley Franklin of The Hollywood Reporter said it resembled the suits worn by Maguire and Garfield in previous films. On August 10, Sony released a behind-the-scenes video recapping the first day of filming. Jack Dunn, also of Variety, felt Sony and Marvel had been generous with the amount of looks at the film they had released thus far.

The first trailer was released on March 18, 2026. Sony partnered with fans and content creators around the world to release short clips of the trailer on the previous day. Tom Bacon at ComicBook.com compared this release strategy to a cast announcement livestream that Marvel Studios used for Doomsday the prior year, noting how both were intended to "maximize engagement" throughout the day. He thought it was nice that fans were included in the strategy, but questioned the lack of a pattern for the short clips, which were mostly "vibes-based" atmospheric shots without context. Rebecah Jacobs at Men's Journal and Kaitlyn Booth of Bleeding Cool both described the rollout as a scavenger hunt. Jacobs felt this was more interactive than the Doomsday livestream, while Booth was more critical of the approach. Variety's Zack Sharf thought the "gloomy, slow-motion aesthetic" of the footage was closer to director Zack Snyder's films than the previous MCU Spider-Man films. Several commentators noted that the footage features Spider-Man swinging with a civilian in an homage to the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15. Commentators also discussed the trailer's reveal that Parker's superpowers are mutating to include organic web shooters and black eyes, with some believing that this was an adaptation of "The Other" or "The Six Arms Saga" from The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #100–102 (1971)—the latter of which was also adapted for the Man-Spider storyline from the "Neogenic Nightmare" arc of Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1995–1996). Sony stated that the trailer became the most-viewed ever with 718.6 million views in 24 hours, according to market research firm WaveMetrix. It surpassed the 365 million views of the previous film record holder, Deadpool & Wolverine, in eight hours, and also surpassed the overall 24-hour trailer record set by the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (2026). WaveMetrix further reported that within four days the trailer surpassed 1.1 billion views, becoming the first film trailer to cross that threshold. Rothman and Holland introduced footage from the film at CinemaCon in April.

A second trailer was released on June 17, 2026. Casey Loving at TheWrap felt the trailer provided a "slightly better understanding of the highly-secretive plot". He also highlighted the return of Banner's uncontrollable "Savage Hulk" persona, who was last seen in the MCU film Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and noted the apparent narration from Marisa Tomei's May Parker. Commentators discussed the appearance of a mysterious hooded figure in the trailer, whom they believed to be Sink's character. WaveMetrix reported that, in one week, the second trailer gathered 590.8 million views, becoming the second most-viewed trailer of all time. Sony screened the first 18 minutes of the film at the CineEurope convention later that month. A final trailer was released on July 21. It largely contained footage from the three previous MCU Spider-Man films, which Germain Lussier from Gizmodo said "really, really works" to establish the emotional stakes of Brand New Day. Tom Phillips of IGN believed that, with the release of the trailer, the marketing campaign had "revealed everything it's going to" about the film, taking into account both the trailer's description as "final" and its content. Bernthal presented a clip from the film showing Spider-Man and the Punisher fighting the Hulk at the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con in late July.

Sony and Little Caesars created a replica of Parker's apartment from Brand New Day as a fan experience, which featured Easter eggs from the film, such as a villain tracking board (left) and Parker's computer workstation (right).

On June 17, 2026, Samsung launched an online interactive fan experience of Ned's "Spidey Tracker" from the film, allowing fans to follow updates for the film and submit real-world Spider-Man sightings. On June 27, Sony, in partnership with Little Caesars, created a replica of Parker's apartment from Brand New Day as a fan experience in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The space featured Easter eggs from the film, including a first look at Jones as Tombstone and the reveal of Colón-Zayas's role, and promoted Little Caesars's Spider-Man-inspired "Webberoni" Pizza; a Zillow listing was also created for the apartment. At the end of the month, Sony released a promotional video for the film in conjunction with the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage which saw Argentina national football team player Lionel Messi meeting Parker in a café while searching for Spider-Man using the Spidey Tracker app. Two different commercials—one for Samsung and the other for the Unilever-owned brand Liquid I.V., both featuring Spider-Man and Batalon reprising his role as Ned—were released in mid-July. The Samsung commercial, promoting the eighth Galaxy Z series, was directed by Kasra Farahani and saw Pawlak return as cinematographer, while the Liquid I.V. commercial promoted the brand's limited-release flavors created for the film. Batalon appeared at Samsung's July 2026 Galaxy Unpacked event in London in character as Ned to further promote the phones, with Spider-Man also appearing. A third commercial, for Major League Baseball (MLB), was released around the same time, showing Spider-Man interacting with Juan Soto of the New York Mets and the team's mascot, Mr. Met, at Citi Field. The Spider-Man suit from Brand New Day, referred to as the "Fresh Start" suit, was added as a free update for the video game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023) on July 28.

Release

Theatrical

Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on July 27, 2026, and will be released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on July 31. It will be released in ScreenX, being the first film to be specifically shot for that format and marketed under the "Shot for ScreenX" program, as well as RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, D-Box, and 4DX. It is also expected to be released in IMAX in select international markets. Early screenings occured on July 29 in the United States for Amazon Prime members. Brand New Day was previously scheduled for release on July 24 but was pushed back a week so it would be released two weeks after The Odyssey instead of one, avoiding contention for the majority of IMAX screens, which The Odyssey will have exclusively for four weeks. Disney had intended to release an unspecified Marvel Studios film on that initial July date, but removed this from their release schedule in August 2024, which allowed Sony to schedule Brand New Day then. It will be part of Phase Six of the MCU.

Home media

In April 2021, Sony signed deals with Netflix and Disney for the rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, following the films's theatrical and home media windows. Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window and included future Spider-Man films following No Way Home. Disney signed for "pay 2 window" rights for the films, which would be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks. In January 2026, Sony and Netflix announced a new agreement giving Netflix "pay 1 window" rights globally, an increase from just the United States, Germany, and Southeast Asia in the previous deal. The new agreement would begin later in 2026 as territory rights become available, before being fully in effect in early 2029.

Reception

Box office projections

Brand New Day had the best first-day ticket pre-sales in the United States in five years since No Way Home in 2021, which had an estimated $78 million in pre-sales. With a budget estimated at $225 million, it is estimated to earn $195 million in the United States and Canada in its opening weekend, and $270 million internationally for a worldwide debut estimate of $465 million.

Critical response

Tom Holland (left) and Destin Daniel Cretton (right) were generally praised by critics for their performance and direction, respectively.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% based on 192 critical reviews, gave positive reviews with an average rating of 7.8/10. The critics consensus reads: "Spinning a web of spectacular set pieces together with mature emotional stakes and Tom Holland's soulful performance, Brand New Day is a promising reset that portends Spidey will remain sticky on the big screen for years to come". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Pete Hammond for Deadline Hollywood called Brand New Day a "dark and thrilling new chapter" for the franchise, praising Tom Holland's performance, Destin Daniel Cretton's direction, and the film's balance of character drama and superhero action. Owen Gleiberman for Variety praised the film for its action, villain, and Holland's performance, but described the film as "arduous", "clunkily episodic", and "half an hour too long", arguing that it is more self-serious than emotionally involving. Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian praised the ambitious tone, strong performances and emotional focus, particularly highlighting Zendaya and Holland's chemistry. However, he found the film uneven, with some familiar superhero elements limiting its impact.

William Bibbiani for TheWrap praised Brand New Day as "a fantastic film about Peter Parker" and "one of the highlights of the whole franchise", commending its emotional, character-driven story and the performances of Holland and Jon Bernthal, despite criticizing the villain's plan as illogical. John Nugent for Empire gave the film four out of five stars, praising its grounded, comic-faithful approach and Holland's performance, describing Spider-Man as "still Marvel's ace in the pack", while noting that the second half loses momentum due to unnecessary ties to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised Cretton's direction for balancing "adrenaline and feeling", while highlighting "the humanity that has always been Spidey's greatest strength", Holland's "never-better" performance, and the film's emotional focus on Parker, though he criticized occasional pacing issues and plot convolutions.

Tori Brazier for Metro called the film "exactly how you should be making superhero movies in 2026", praising Cretton's direction, Holland's performance, and Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers' for demonstrating a "deft touch" in making the film meaningful, though she felt the film was slightly overlong. David Ehrlich for IndieWire gave the film a C−, describing it as a "dull and downbeat action sequel" that "causes more problems than it cures", criticizing its pacing, its reliance on MCU setup, and its failure to meaningfully advance Parker's story, although he praised Holland's performance and considered Cretton "a more sure-footed stylist" than Jon Watts. David Fear for Rolling Stone criticized the film for relying too heavily on fan service, MCU crossovers and franchise setup at the expense of Spider-Man's story, arguing that Parker risks becoming "a supporting player in his own movie", while praising Holland's performance and the emotional scenes between Parker and MJ.

Future

Pascal stated in November 2021 that Brand New Day was planned to be the first film in a new Spider-Man trilogy. In early 2026, Holland revisited his previous comments about not wanting to play Spider-Man when he is 30 and hoping to pass the mantle to another actor. Since the latter had not yet happened by his 30th birthday, Holland said he may need to "change the quote to 37" and added that "playing Spider-Man has been the joy of my life... I'll do it for as long as they'll have me." In July, Pascal expressed the hope that Cretton would continue to direct Spider-Man films in the future. Feige also noted how the live-action Spider-Man films had a "destiny" to introduce Miles Morales following the conclusion of the Spider-Verse film trilogy with Beyond the Spider-Verse, and that he and Pascal have had "in-depth" discussions about what the next five additional Spider-Man films could be about.

External links

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• Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Marvel.com
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the Sony Pictures website
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day on IMDb