Sony Pictures just released the much-anticipated second trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Like Tom Holland’s other outings as the wall-crawler, Brand New Day will connect to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Bernthal’s iteration of Frank Castle, better known as the Punisher, will make his big-screen debut in Brand New Day, and he will be joined by Mark Ruffalo returning as Bruce Banner. The first trailer only showed Bruce’s human form, but the new footage confirmed that he will turn into the Hulk, as fans hoped.
The trailer showcased the Hulk chasing after Spider-Man and using his signature thunderclap. The Hulk’s involvement is an exciting prospect, as his colossal brute strength will make an interesting contrast to Spider-Man’s agility, and the two heroes have clashed at multiple points in the comics. However, it also raises some concerns. The trailer strongly implied that Brand New Day will retcon a piece of lore established in the divisive She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which would deal a serious blow to the MCU’s shared continuity.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Will Change How Bruce Banner Transforms
In the latest Brand New Day trailer, Peter Parker visited Bruce to ask for help counteracting his physical mutation. Bruce showed Peter a device on his wrist and said, “If you see me with this off, run.” He then jokingly roared like the Hulk. This contraption, known as an inhibitor, was introduced in the She-Hulk series as a means for Bruce to maintain his human form, explaining his non-Hulk cameo in the post-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH MARVEL CHARACTER ARE YOU? Your Powers Are About to Be Revealed The Marvel Universe is full of extraordinary people — genius billionaires, super-soldiers, sorcerers, and gods. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. Your true self will assemble.
Iron Man
Captain America
Black Widow
Thor
Spider-Man
01
You’re outnumbered and outgunned. What do you do? A hero’s instinct is defined in their darkest moment.
02
Your team disagrees with your plan. How do you handle it? Every Avenger has their own idea of teamwork.
03
What does your hero identity mean to you? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
04
How do you typically make big decisions? A hero’s process shapes their outcome.
05
Someone takes credit for your work in front of everyone. You: Pride is the armor and the weakness of every hero.
06
A government agency wants to oversee your activities. Your response? Accountability is the line every hero must face.
07
When facing a villain, your strategy is: Every fighter has a philosophy.
08
Your biggest personal flaw is: Every hero has a crack in the armor.
09
A rookie hero is overwhelmed on their first mission. You: How a hero mentors others reveals their character.
10
What drives you more than anything else? The “why” behind the hero is everything.
11
You’ve just suffered a crushing defeat. What’s next? A hero is measured by how they get back up.
12
You could end a threat permanently — but it crosses an ethical line. You: The hardest choices define a hero from a weapon.
13
What do you actually fear most? Even the mightiest hero has something to lose.
14
People who just met you would describe you as: First impressions carry a grain of truth.
15
What’s your ideal base of operations? Where a hero operates reveals how they think.
16
What does “being a hero” actually mean to you? The philosophy behind the power is the real definition.
17
What do you want to leave behind? The mark a hero leaves is their truest measure.
18
Someone you love is in danger. Your first move is: Crisis strips away everything but the truth.
19
Your power — where does it come from? Origin shapes destiny in the Marvel Universe.
20
The final battle. Everything is on the line. You: This is the moment that defines everything.
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE HAS SPOKEN YOUR HERO IDENTITY
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which hero the universe chose for you.
Iron Man
Cap. America
Black Widow
Thor
Spider-Man
Brilliant, driven, and uncompromising in your ambition. You believe that the right technology — in the right hands — can solve any problem, and you’re confident enough in your own abilities to back that up. Beneath the armor and the bravado, you carry the weight of responsibility deeply. When it truly matters, you’re willing to sacrifice everything.
Principled, courageous, and steadfast. You have an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, and no amount of pressure, politics, or power can make you compromise it. People trust you instinctively — not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it. You lead not by authority but by example, and you will always get back up.
Strategic, precise, and formidably self-reliant. You don’t need a suit or a superpower — your greatest weapon is your mind and your nerve. You keep your cards close, trust slowly, and operate three steps ahead of everyone else. Your past is complicated, but you’ve turned it into something that makes you nearly impossible to stop.
Powerful, honorable, and ultimately humbled by what truly matters. You came into your power believing it was your birthright — and then you learned it had to be earned. Your strength is immense, but your greatest growth came from learning to serve rather than reign. Loyal to your people, terrifying to your enemies, and always magnificent.
Quick-witted, deeply compassionate, and driven by a responsibility you didn’t ask for. You’ve learned the hard way that great power comes with great cost — and you show up anyway. You stay grounded when others would ascend, and your humanity is your greatest strength. You make it look effortless. It never is.
Bruce’s warning to Peter was foreshadowing, because later in the Brand New Day trailer, he lost the inhibitor and turned into a rampaging monster. However, this contradicted the way in which the device functioned in She-Hulk. The inhibitor only affected Bruce’s body; when it broke in the first episode, “A Normal Amount of Rage,” he transformed into the Hulk, but he maintained his intelligence and personality.
In Bruce’s previous appearance, Avengers: Endgame, he merged his two identities to create the Smart Hulk persona, and the inhibitor did not change that. He created the device to help heal the Hulk’s wounds from the Infinity Gauntlet and to avoid the inconvenience that came from being stuck as a green-skinned giant, not to suppress the raging beast within.
In Brand New Day, it seems that the Hulk will be a separate entity once more, his wrath only kept in check by the inhibitor. Fans have longed to see the Savage Hulk persona in action once again, but it will be a shame if such a thing comes at the cost of retconning his cousin’s series.
She-Hulk Should Not Be Erased From the MCU’s Canon
Bruce Banner and Jen Walters doing yoga in She-Hulk: Attorney at LawImage via Disney / Courtesy the Everett Collection
She-Hulk was criticized for numerous factors, ranging from its absurdist humor to the quality of its CGI. The show currently sits at a 32% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of any MCU series by a significant margin. It was immediately followed by the similarly unpopular Secret Invasion, which caused some viewers to lose faith in the MCU’s small-screen offerings.
Despite that, She-Hulk should not simply be ignored. When Marvel Studios started creating shows for Disney+, it was based on the promise that they would be core parts of the franchise, just like the films. If Brand New Day blatantly retcons She-Hulk, it will prove that the Disney+ projects are a lower rung of canon, subject to be erased at the whims of film directors.
Luckily, there is hope that Brand New Day will offer an in-universe justification for this change in Bruce. Perhaps the Hulk grew angry at being suppressed for so long, or perhaps a third party will somehow manipulate Bruce’s mind. Sadie Sink’s mysterious character, rumored to be the Mutant telepath Jean Grey, clearly has some sort of mind-altering superpower, as the trailers have shown her consciousness taking control of others and jumping between their bodies.
She might undo Bruce’s progress by inciting a rampage from the Hulk, much like Wanda Maximoff did in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Brand New Day is set to swing into theaters on July 31, so fans do not have long to wait to see how the film reconciles its story with that of She-Hulk.
