Tom Holland’s tenure as Spider-Man has been very different from his peers, because his Spidey is a part of a much larger universe. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men were seemingly the only superheroes in their respective universes, but Holland’s Spidey was introduced alongside the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. He became Iron Man’s young ward, a thorn in Doctor Strange’s side, and Anthony Mackie’s worst enemy.
After Civil War had already established Holland’s Spider-Man and his standing in the MCU, it didn’t seem necessary for his first solo movie to cover his origin story. We saw the radioactive spider bite and Uncle Ben’s death and the early days of Spidey’s crimefighting career in two different forms in the Maguire and Garfield movies. Everyone knows Spidey’s origin story, so there was no need for his first solo adventure, Spider-Man: Homecoming, to get bogged down in it.
But skipping the origin story meant we missed out on a lot of context for this incarnation of the character. Uncle Ben is never mentioned, we don’t know how this version of Spider-Man acquired his powers, and since he has Tony Stark’s trust fund at his disposal, he’s never had to worry about money.
That all changed in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Although it was billed as the culmination of Spidey’s journey in the MCU, it ended up feeling more like a true origin story than any of his previous outings. The twist ending, in which Peter agrees to be forgotten by the world in order to fix the multiverse, is just the kind of selfless sacrifice this kid would make, but it also brought him back down to the “neighborhood” level, and cut his ties with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This summer, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will finally pay off that origin story with a grounded, street-level Spidey adventure.
Spider-Man’s New MCU Origin Story Is Finally Getting Paid Off This Summer
Spider-Man: No Way Home has been trending on Disney+ for the past week, and it has to be because its long-awaited sequel is just a few short weeks away. Set to release in theaters on July 31, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will follow up on No Way Home‘s origin story as Peter becomes more of a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He’s not going into space to fight aliens; he’s leaving the Avengers-level threats to the Avengers and staying in his city to fight ninjas.
Brand New Day isn’t doing away with the MCU connections entirely. Mark Ruffalo is reprising his role as the Hulk and Jon Bernthal is reprising his role as the Punisher, so there will be some of the MCU’s signature team-up action. But those characters aren’t drawing Spidey away from New York to tackle a much bigger threat; they’re fighting New York street crime with him.
The ending of No Way Home had an immense feeling of finality. It really felt like the end of Peter’s journey, where he would give up everything to save the world and ensure the people he loves are safe. It’s exactly what that character would do, and it was as dramatically fulfilling as it was emotionally devastating. So, it was a risky move to follow up that perfect ending with yet another sequel. But, as satisfying as it felt as an ending, it also serves as a new beginning.
The MCU’s Spider-Man is finally more in line with his comic book counterpart. He’s completely on his own, struggling to pay his rent, and still making the time to put on a red-and-blue spandex suit and fight crime. Brand New Day will be the first MCU Spider-Man movie that actually feels like a typical Spider-Man comic, and I, for one, can’t wait to see it.