Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-NoirSony’s newest live-action Spider-Man is basically a preview for what we’ll soon be seeing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Releasing in July, Brand New Day will be the fourth movie starring Tom Holland as the MCU’s Spider-Man. However, Sony has also just debuted Nicolas Cage as Spider-Noir, a live-action variant of the classic Webslinger who works as a detective in 1930s New York.
Currently streaming on MGM+ and Prime Video, Sony’s eight-episode Spider-Noir series features what is easily the most unique depiction of a live-action Spider-Man we’ve ever seen. Retired for five years before being pulled back to the mask, Nicolas Cage’s Ben Reilly is one of the more striking Webslingers, especially with his new origins. However, it’s worth noting that the internal struggles Ben Reilly deals with in Spider-Noir will likely be mirrored in Brand New Day with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Here’s how Spider-Noir may be secretly getting audiences prepped and primed for the plot of the MCU’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day when it releases later this summer.
Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Noir Struggles To Suppress His “Spider Impulses”
One of the most fascinating aspects of Sony’s new Spider-Noir series is how it approaches Cage’s “The Spider” and the origins of his powers during WWI. Unlike most versions of Peter Parker, Nicolas Cage’s Ben Reilly was not bitten by a radioactive spider. Instead, Reilly gains his abilities after being bitten by a prisoner of war who’d been hybridized with spider DNA. Once that happens, Cage’s Spider-Noir almost immediately finds himself fighting increasingly powerful spider-like impulses.
As revealed by Ben Reilly himself when recalling his origins, Ben had to relearn how to be human again and find ways of suppressing his newly inherent spider instincts.
Apparently, this was an idea the actor had way back when Cage nearly played Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin for director Sam Raimi in Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy, as he reportedly wanted to see a scene where Peter Parker is alone in his room and acts like an actual spider. Overall, the idea of an internal conflict between the Spider and the Man is pretty fascinating, and has been explored in the comics with “The Other” storyline. Keeping that in mind, Brand New Day may be heading in a very similar direction for Tom Holland’s Webslinger.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Will Give The MCU’s Spider-Man The Same Challenge
Close-up shot of Tom Holland’s eyes as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter has already lost nearly everything connected to his old life in Brand New Day. He’s living alone in a small New York apartment, his friends no longer remember him, and he’s operating without the support system he once had as an Avenger. He’ll also be facing new threats like The Hand, Scorpion, and a more mysterious, unseen foe capable of controlling minds. On top of it all, it’s been revealed that Peter will also have to contend with his own rapidly evolving DNA.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
Homecoming2017
Far From Home2019
No Way Home2021
VillainsSinister…
MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
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Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
The trailers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day suggest that the MCU may be exploring similar territory to what was just seen in Spider-Noir. As seen in the new footage, it seems as though the MCU’s Peter Parker will be experiencing significant biological changes tied to his spider powers. Rather than simply becoming stronger, faster, and receiving new abilities like organic webs, Peter appears to be undergoing an aggressive mutation as his DNA rapidly evolves.
Shown emerging from a web cocoon with his new abilities, it seems as though Brand New Day is taking some inspiration from “The Other” as well, which saw Peter receiving new powers along with stronger, spider-like impulses after a similar cocoon rebirth. Keeping all that in mind, the odds are quite strong that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will likely find himself dealing with similar struggles that were just shown with Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Noir (The Spider overtaking the Man).
Spider-Noir is now streaming on MGM+ and Prime Video. Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in theaters July 29th.
