What to Remember Before Watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Originally published July 25, 2026. This article prepares Marvel audiences for Spider-Man: Brand New Day with a Spider-Man: No Way Home summary and analysis, as well as connections to previous MCU Spider-Man movies.

Thwip! In case you couldn’t tell, that’s the sound of Spidey swinging into view, just in time for his triumphant, web-slinging return to theaters in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s been almost five years since we last saw our intrepid Peter Parker fight tooth and nail to save the world (and the Multiverse). Tom Holland has struck gold in his depiction of the popular comic book character, and I’m interested to see how his story continues in the fourth installment of this franchise.

Before you settle into your seat on July 31 with a bucket of popcorn in one hand and a carbonated beverage in the other, let’s dive into what you need to remember before watching Brand New Day.

It Picks Up Where Spider-Man: No Way Home Left Off

If you found yourself reaching for the tissues at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, you’re not alone. It’s a tearjerker. Well, Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up right where the third movie left off, except we’re now four years into the future.

Before all that, though, Peter asked Doctor Strange for help – he wants everyone, but especially MJ, Ned, and Aunt May, to forget that he’s Spider-Man. This is after Quentin Beck, AKA Mysterio, revealed Peter’s super hero identity to the world in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Peter wants Strange to cast a spell that erases his alter ego from public perception.

Naturally, nothing goes as planned, and Strange’s spell rips open the Multiverse, sending villains from other Spider-Man universes into the Earth-616 timeline. Despite saving the day with the help of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men, the Multiverse continued collapsing, with more baddies from those other universes barreling into the main one with the objective of taking out Peter. The solution? Make everyone forget Peter. Period. He doesn’t exist anymore. Our guy saves the Multiverse by making a monumental sacrifice.

With that in mind, here’s a synopsis for Brand New Day per Marvel:

“It’s a brand-new day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves—a powerful villain no one can even see.”

The Main Players in Brand New Day

Of course, Tom Holland reprises his much-beloved role as our titular hero. Also returning alongside him are Zendaya as MJ, Peter’s girlfriend (well, not anymore … sorry), and Jacob Batalon as Ned, his best friend.

We’ll also see familiar faces join the fray: Mark Ruffalo gets green again as Bruce Banner/Hulk, almost four years after his last appearance in the MCU, which was 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Jon Bernthal is back as Frank Castle/The Punisher. He starred in Disney+’s recent special presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, which takes place before Brand New Day. Bernthal also appeared in season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again as Frank last year.

And speaking of Born Again, Zabryna Guevara returns as Sheila Riviera, who’s now the mayor of New York City following Wilson Fisk’s downfall at the end of season 2. Marvin Jones III makes his live-action debut as Tombstone after voicing the character in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. (This is the second time we’re seeing the Spider-Man villain this year. The first was in Prime Video’s excellent Spider-Noir.) Tramell Tillman is stepping into the role of William “Bill” Metzger, the Director of the Department of Damage Control and an X-Men villain.

Based on the trailers for Brand New Day, we can also expect to see Spider-Man battle the Hand, the powerful, mystical organization that last appeared in the Marvel Netflix series Daredevil and the Marvel street-level crossover miniseries The Defenders (2017).

Now, we have two newbies boarding the film whose characters are under lock and key: The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas and Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. Sink’s role, in particular, has been the subject of endless debate. Is she playing Jean Grey? Another version of Mary Jane? Only time will tell…

Remember This Seemingly Minor Character in Homecoming?

Holland’s Spider-Man had his first solo film in 2017 with Spider-Man: Homecoming. MacDonald “Mac” Gargan, who had a minor role in the film and swore to get revenge on Peter while in prison, is returning for Brand New Day, nearly a decade later. If you recall, Gargan approached Adrian Toomes in prison, claiming he had “some boys on the outside who’d love to meet him (Spider-Man).” Gargan claimed he “heard a rumor” that Adrian knew Spider-Man’s identity.

The criminal and gang leader’s villainous alter ego, Scorpion, will debut in Brand New Day. As Scorpion, this super-villain boasts superhuman strength, durability, ability, stamina, and reflexes, and even a “precognitive scorpion-sense.” In the comics, Gargan even becomes bonded with the Venom symbiote, so naturally, before the reveal that he’s Scorpion, the internet was flush with rumors that he would play Venom in Brand New Day.

Where the Movie Sits in the Marvel Timeline

Understandably, it can be confusing to keep track of when everything takes place in this currently multiversal-laden timeline. Brand New Day takes place in 2028 (No Way Home was set in 2024). The narrative of the film also unfolds one year after Thunderbolts* and Daredevil: Born Again season 2. That means we last saw Hulk in 2025, when She-Hulk took place. I wonder what he’s been up to these past three years.

Are you excited to watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

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