What the Heck Happens in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer 2

True believers, I’ve been a fan of Marvel for most of my life now. I have prided myself on my knowledge of decades of Marvel lore, even though I haven’t kept up to date on the comics for years now. So when I say that the new trailer for next month’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day has me stumped, that’s not to be taken lightly. I haven’t the foggiest idea as to what’s going on, and I both love and hate that!

Mutant Spider-Man

All right, let’s go through this one last time. His name is Peter Parker. He got bitten by a spider, became Spider-Man, helped save the universe, and got a girlfriend. But then this jerk doxxed him, reality almost broke, and the only way to stop it was by making everyone forget Peter Parker ever existed, leaving him all alone. And now, he’s facing two equally big problems: some new villain has appeared out of nowhere, and he seems to be mutating.

The first trailer already gave us a glimpse at how Spidey’s powers were beginning to grow out of control, but in this second trailer, we see firsthand just how bad things are getting. Besides seeing eyes go completely black at a few points, there’s also the fact that his wrists are starting to secrete organic webbing! Remember, outside of Tobey Maguire’s variant, no other live-action Spider-Man has been to do that. It’s a clear indicator that something is very, very wrong with our hero. And while it’s possible that this could be the result of him now being an adult, and thus he’s just growing more powerful, there is precedent to worry. Back in the 90s cartoon, Peter underwent a mutation that resulted in him turning into a Man-Spider, with there being an entire arc revolving around trying to cure himself.

If that’s not bad enough, we also have the person who looks set to be the main antagonist of this movie, a mysterious hooded figure whose identity remains unknown. Not that that hasn’t stopped people from speculating about who they might be.

Is Jean Grey the Bad Guy?

Now, I have never heard of Sadie Sink before, but I heard that she was in Stranger Things and that she is supposed to play a role in Brand New Day. A popular fan theory is that she will be playing the role of the MCU’s version of Jean Grey, a mutant and one of the most prominent members of the X-Men. At this point, it’s no secret that Marvel intends to use the upcoming Doomsday and Secret Wars films to bring the X-Men into the MCU. Everyone knows it by now. And while that will likely be the final bow for most of the actors from the 2000s X-Men films, it will also give the next generation the chance to step into their shoes. If Sadie really is playing Jean, then Marvel’s starting early. However, it also means that Peter is in for the fight of his life.

I should probably do a separate post on her in the future, but if you’ve read the comics, seen the movies, or watched the cartoons, then you know just how dangerous Jean Grey can be when she crashes out. If she is indeed the hooded figure, then she is likely responsible for whatever we see that makes the people of New York freeze in place. And that is only a fraction of what she can do. If she has Spider-Man in her crosshairs, he’s in big trouble!

And did we mention that the Hulk is back?

Hulk Smashes Again!

One of the major selling points about Brand New Day is the fact that the Hulk is supposed to play a prominent part in it. Not Bruce Banner mentally fused with the Hulk, but the destructive savior that the fans know, love, and technically haven’t seen since the start of Infinity War. During the timeskip in Endgame, Bruce decided to quit fighting the Hulk and treating him like a problem. Instead, he used gamma therapy to merge both their personalities into one, stable one. However, we all knew that wasn’t going to last. Whenever Bruce and Hulk become one or are on the same page in the comics, they always split. And it seems like this is the movie where that happens, as we get moments of Banner becoming the classic Hulk, complete with the thunderclap. Given how Banner had bad to wear a device to surpress his transformations, it’s likely this was going to happen eventually. If Jean really is the threat in the movie, though, then I think she could end up accelerating the process. Either way, it’s bad news for everyone…except the fans. What can I say? We can be sadistic like that!

Overall, this was a very confusing trailer for me on my first watch, and I’m still struggling to figure out what’s happening. Sony and Marvel seem to be playing their cards close to their chest on this. However, I’m just happy that we get to see Spidey get a second chance at happiness. I have been very vocal about how I think he got screwed over in No Way Home. That guy just deserves happiness already, no strings attached. It should also be noted that we have no idea how much longer Tom Holland will keep playing Spider-Man, so I want to enjoy it for as long as I can. I did appreciate the joke about him having to stretch since he’s not in high school anymore, though! It feels like a friendly jab at how Tom is getting older, and as I have learned for myself, stretching is important as you age.

Man, I can’t wait for us to find a way to eliminate the negative effects of aging. I would love to be able to do backflips in my 90s.