Spider-Man: Brand New Day is on the way, but audiences still don’t know much about Tom Holland’s return to the titular role. The fourth solo Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home hasn’t confirmed much about its plot and tone, with only a handful of stars and the director formally attached to the project. The success of Holland’s previous appearances makes any return for his Spider-Man an exciting prospect.
Rumors are circulating around the identity of the villains, with a recent post by Discussing Film suggesting three longtime villains of the franchise might appear. Here are all of the biggest Spider-Man: Brand New Day rumors and confirmed facts ahead of its projected 2026 release, along with the best movies and shows to watch or revisit ahead of Spider-Man’s return.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Returns
Tom Holland’s performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man shot him into stardom, so it’s exciting to know that he’ll be back for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Debuting as Tony Stark’s newest recruit in Captain America: Civil War, Holland’s take on the wall-crawler finds a delicate balance between modern tropes and the classic character that he refined across a trilogy of films. Holland has already been confirmed to reprise the role for another trilogy of movies, on top of appearances in other potential Marvel properties.
Given the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it seems Holland’s Peter will be more on his own than ever. He will face a world where he’s just a forgettable face in a crowd, even though he’s become one of New York City’s most important heroes in secret.
Destin Daniel Cretton Directs
While the previous three Spider-Man films were all directed by Jon Watts, the filmmaker has moved onto other projects like Wolfs and an upcoming Star Wars film. In his place will be Destin Daniel Cretton, who already has some MCU credentials thanks to his involvement in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
That film’s best elements are in the first half, which has a fun sense of humor and a keen eye for fight scenes in urban environments. That bodes well for Cretton’s approach to Spider-Man, as the acrobatic hero fits right at home amid the urban sprawl of New York City. Building off that energy without having to take the character in a wildly different and overtly supernatural direction (as he did in Shang-Chi) could be exactly what Cretton needs to get momentum back in the MCU—and, hopefully, finally set up a sequel for Shang-Chi.
Zendaya's MJ And Jacob Batalon's Ned Will Return
Regardless of the plot or focus of Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s storyline, audiences are on pins and needles to find out how MJ and Ned will feature in the film. Played by Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, respectively, Peter Parker’s love interest and best friend have been a charming constant for the series. The ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home erased their memories of Peter Parker, giving them an easy write-out if need. However, both actors are confirmed to return in Brand New Day.
It will be interesting to see how MJ and Ned interact with a Peter Parker they’ve never met before, especially if Peter also gets a new love interest in the film. This could also be an ideal way to turn Batalon’s Ned into a possible villain, paying off his comics counterpart and a tease about that sort of fate awaiting Peter Parker’s best friends in No Way Home.
Sadie Sink Joins 'Brand New Day' In An Undisclosed Role
While most of the casting of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has not been announced at the time of writing, one of the biggest teases about the film is the casting announcement of Sadie Sink in an undisclosed role. The Stranger Things and O’Dessa star will likely fit in alongside Holland pretty easily, with both actors having plenty of experience bringing a grounded emotional core to fantastical settings and stories.
Rumors have circulated around Sink’s casting, with some claiming she’ll be playing a version of Felicia Hardy/Black Cat, Peter Parker’s long-lost sister, Teresa, or, Peter’s alternate universe daughter May Parker/Spider-Girl if the film retains the multiversal scope of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Another popular theory is that Sink has been cast as Jean Grey for the MCU’s upcoming X-Men adaptation, and that she’ll be debuting in Brand New Day before making the move to that storyline.
Villain Rumors
Since so little has been formally confirmed about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, many fans are still theorizing on who will be the big bad. If the film has a grounded focus, then many are expecting the relatively new villain, Mr. Negative, to serve as the primary antagonist of the film. While the character has appeared in some shows like Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Mr. Negative’s most high-profile appearance outside of the comics so far has been in the Insomniac Spider-Man games as an enemy of Spider-Man.
There have also been rumors that an older female character is being set up as the main villain of Brand New Day. Spider-Man, historically, only has a few villains who could fill that sort of role, although the MCU has never been afraid to make changes from the source material.
Rumored Minor Villains
Recent rumors surrounding the next Spider-Man movie have only intensified after a recent Disney event hinted at three potential new additions to the franchise. This includes three villains, specifically Scorpion, Tombstone, and Boomerang. Scorpion was set up by the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which introduced the villain’s civilian identity, Mac Gargan, as a criminal accomplice of The Vulture who gains robotic armor in most adaptations of Spider-Man. Audiences curious about how dangerous the villain could be should check out Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which showcased a ruthless version of the villain.
That show also did a good job of humanizing Tombstone, a frequent street-level gangster and crime boss who often endangers Spider-Man. Tombstone also appeared as a henchman for the Kingpin in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which could also be the kind of role Tombstone plays in the next MCU Spider-Man film.
The biggest wild card would be Boomerang, a relatively minor (and often comedic) villain who has a working relationship with Tombstone’s daughter in the comics, a fellow masked criminal known as The Beetle. Boomerang doesn’t have any major non-comics appearances, but the 1990s animated Spider-Man TV show has a lot of great showcases for Scorpion and Tombstone, which could inform the direction the MCU takes.
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Might Tie Into The Next Two Avengers Movies
One of the biggest questions about Spider-Man: Brand New Day is what it means for Spider-Man in the greater MCU. After fighting alongside The Avengers during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker has been more or less erased from history as part of the spell cast by Dr. Strange. Spider-Man is too popular a character not to feature in the MCU’s upcoming crossover films, with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars even bringing back Peter’s old mentor in a new villainous role by casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.
Originally, Spider-Man: Brand New Day was set to debut between the release of those two films, making it something of an answer to Ant-Man and the Wasp’s placement between Infinity War and Endgame. However, recent schedule changes have raised more questions about how the latest Spider-Man film will factor into the future of the MCU.
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Seems To Be Leaning Towards A Grounded Story
The full scope and stakes of Spider-Man: Brand New Day remain a mystery to audiences, but the MCU has found itself shifting back and forth between grounded storytelling in shows like Daredevil: Born Again and more bombastic films like The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Spider-Man has been able to hop between both tones, with Spider-Man: No Way Home serving as a multiversal-level event that still kept the focus on Peter and his loved ones.
Given the way Born Again sets up future conflicts for the MCU’s street-level heroes, that show might be indicative of the style of adventure Spider-Man could embark on next. Spider-Man: Brand New Day may build off the ending of that film to reflect a more grounded and desperate Peter Parker, which would track with rumors that have circulated about the tone of the film. While fans may be desperate to see what happens to Spider-Man next in the MCU, there’s plenty of Spider-Man films and media to watch in the meantime to keep up the excitement.
What Movies And TV Shows To Watch Before 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'
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