Brand New Day for Mutants

Spider-Man has swung high once again. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the second biggest box opening weekend for a movie ever. Better yet, the movie is being praised by the fanbase. The movie was able to bring a version of Spider-Man that fans wanted to see for some time. A Spider-Man that fends for himself and is not the recipient of other MCU characters reaching out to upgrade suits and the like. And plus, this Spider-Man was a Spider-Man that was down on his luck in every direction, something fans were making jokes about but also expressed that represents a true web slinger. Brand New Day also delivered the world that forgot who Peter Parker was. Once that was introduced in Far From Home, fans were wondering how his corner of the MCU specifically would look like. Brand New Day offered that glimpse. But one thing the movie did was establish a gateway for a specific group of heroes and villains to enter the MCU. This particular group is a staple across Marvel media but have not had their time within the MCU. However, Spider-Man: Brand New Day established a way for them to enter the MCU and has already set the seed to how they might be viewed.

*Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day*

The main threat in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was Jean Grey. All the rumors, speculation, theories and leaks turned out to be true. Sadie Sink turned out to be Jean Grey. Fans would know she is a prominent presence in the X-Men. It may have been odd for a mostly heroic X-Men to be a Spider-Man villain but it was the decision that played out. Although any references to the X-Men or even mutants were kept at a minimum, the inclusion of Jean Grey has huge repercussions for the X-Men. Very little by little they have been interrogated into the MCU. But now that Jean Grey has been established, the MCU is pressing on the gas a little more before a proper introduction of mutants in the MCU comes in Avengers: Doomsday. But Spider-Man: Brand New Day did a little more than bring in Jean Grey. The movie laid out the foundation for the Mutants. And just like the books, it may not look good for them.

Traditionally, Mutants are frowned upon. Which is a little ironic since they share the same space as heroes like Spider-Man who have powers who are also celebrated. But, in many platforms, Mutants are fear and even hated. Despite that though, the X-Men still go out to save the day. And even though Mutants haven’t fully been embraced in the MCU, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already set up the hate and fear the Mutants might face in the MCU.

In the movie, Jean Grey and her sister, Sarah, are runaways because their parents wanted nothing to do with them. At an early age, they had to fend for themselves. At first, it might be crazy to think why parents would do this to their kids with powers. Afterall, heroes with superpowers and enhanced skills save the day every day. True, but they are also the reason the world has to be saved in the first place. Heroes might save it but more likely than not, they are the beacon for tragedy. This is a world where New York has been the center of attacks a dozen times. London, Beijing, Washington D.C., Egypt, Germany, and Sokovia have also been the host of battles. Seeing that much damage and destruction world wide on a constant basis because of people with powers, could stir fear. So, when parents are naturally birthing people with powers, that could cause some paranoia. Having that power under the same roof, brings that fear closer to home, literally. And because it’s so close to home, all that frustration, paranoia, concern, hatred, impatience, fear, and the feeling of being small could concentrate on the Mutants being born. It would be easy to vent all that negative baggage on them. Parents and others may not want that power connected to them because those parents have already endured enough in a world where powers mince everyday living. That opens up a door for the MCU Mutants to experience the traditional treatment they must endure. Sarah Grey’s line about her parents may have been quick but it holds a lot of weight and potential.

And Spider-Man: Brand New Day introduced another element that makes living for Mutants even harder. Peter Parker was mutating in the film. His spider qualities were taking over which were also making him more aggressive. Peter wanted to stop that, so he created an inhibitor that suppressed his mutation. Bruce Banner, who helped him get insight on such an inhibitor, warned him of the potential consequences but Peter still went with it. Near the end of the movie, Spider-Man placed it on Jean, and despite being a powerful mutant, the device still depowered her. So, when the Mutants are properly introduced in the MCU, they will be facing an even steeper uphill climb. They are going to born in a world where they may be treated as scapegoats and there’s already a contingency set in place to take them out. That creates an interesting plot for the Mutants. They are just trying to simply live after all. And for many, their powers are a part of who they are. It is what they are and they take pride in that. And once Peter’s inhibitors are replicated and multiplied and then ultimately used, the Mutants are going to feel like their backs are immediately against the wall. That puts them in fight or flight mode. And if they choose to fight, they might go up against teams that could match their power.

The MCU rarely has embraced Mutants into its established universe. Even though Deadpool & Wolverine was an X-Men movie, it existed outside of the MCU home world. Again, Mutants have gradually been set up in the MCU. Jean Gray was perhaps the first time that proper MCU movie had a Mutant. And in this outing, so much groundwork has been set up for them. Jean Grey’s prominent inclusion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day kind of served as Checkov’s Gun. A huge plot element was carefully introduced for it to be brought back in a bigger way. The Mutants have arrived in the MCU.