The Importance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

This year, one of Marvel and Sony’s most anticipated movies was released, surpassing $1.7 billion in the box office on a worldwide scale. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, released in theaters on July 31st, features Tom Holland’s fourth solo rendition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man, facing personal and hero-related struggles alone. 

Before continuing, here is a warning about spoilers that will be discussed ahead. If you haven’t seen the film yet, or the previous ones, come back once you’ve watched and see what you resonate with. 

In this piece, I will be focusing on what Spider-Man and Peter Parker symbolize in this installation, as well as short speculations of previous ones, and how Tom Holland portrays that for fans. 

In Brand New Day, we see Peter Parker struggle like never before: Aunt May has passed, MJ and Ned have forgotten his existence, and he is trying to find his way through life without anyone by his side, keeping everyone at arm's length. He isolates himself for at least four years after the events of the previous film. 

Despite being alone, Peter has a strong moral compass and always strives to do the right thing, which is what makes Spider-Man a well-grounded hero. At the end of the day, he truly understands that with great power comes great responsibility. 

What Peter and the viewers eventually learn from the events of this film is that you can’t solely rely on yourself, operating completely alone. There needs to be a web of community to depend on. A team that shares or relates to the moral missions that you align with.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter is a sophomore in high school, properly taking on the role of being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man after Captain America: Civil War, and being among the Avengers. We are given small but important moments that add to Spider-Man’s credibility as a neighborhood hero.  

The main antagonist of the movie, Vulture, was revealed to be the father of his first love interest, Liz Allen. Despite securing a date with her to their homecoming dance, Peter had to leave her in order to stop her dad and save countless lives from being ruined, and save Vulture. This came at the cost of his happiness, something he didn’t hesitate to do. 

When we see Peter again in Spider-Man: Far From Home, he is dealing with the loss of Tony Stark and ends up trusting the wrong person with the one thing that Tony had left for him. By the end of the film, the weight of this failure strengthens his intuition but fully shatters his confidence, as the main antagonist, Mysterio, reveals Peter’s identity in a video shared worldwide. 

Because of this choice, Peter was forced to learn how to trust the right people while also still doing the right thing. That lesson is continued in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as the whole world now knows his identity and he has been deemed public enemy No. 1. 

He is still trying to serve the city as Spider-Man but also protect his reputation and life as Peter Parker. He goes through legal, academic, and personal struggles (as always), but has no problem showing up and being there for those around him and the community.

During the latest Spider-Man installment, Peter has to learn the hard way that isolation is not always the best route. This choice had also cost him his happiness, as his friends are living brand new lives without any memory of him, after going through thick and thin with one another. 

The main antagonist for this movie is none other than the infamous Jean Grey. Mysteriously introduced into the MCU, Jean and Peter are in conflict for a majority of the movie; she orchestrates her plans of vengeance, and he does what he can to stop her. Later realizing that she was mourning her missing sister, Peter empathizes with Jean after saving her from the people who had kidnapped her sister. 

Brand New Day highlights the changes and growing pains of adulthood, losing connections and rekindling them, and a transformation into something greater. Although Jean had gone out of her way to threaten his personal life, Peter didn’t hesitate to help Jean and remind her that she didn’t have to be alone anymore. Something that was also a reminder for himself.

Tom Holland has been able to be expertly consistent with his portrayal of Peter Parker, making him the only actor to hold this role for four separate films and a handful of cameos, let alone the first to portray him in the MCU.

Though Holland did not have the same origins as his previous counterparts, it allowed us to explore different parts of the character that were not shown before. Holland was able to carry this on for nearly ten years, and it got better every time he played the character on screen. 

Holland has listened carefully to what fans and Spidey lovers want, bringing a different light to this character that reminds us why he’s a favorite in the first place. 

Make sure to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters while you can.