Summary
Stripping away the multiverse noise, Brand New Day anchors its stakes in emotional peril and mature character growth. Driven by a standout debut from Sadie Sink, this is undoubtedly the best Tom Holland Spider-Man film.
I think it’s worth stating that there are minor spoilers for Brand New Day in this review; if you go in blind, as I did, then the premise becomes a reveal in itself.
Without stating the glaringly obvious, December 2026 is extremely important for the MCU. It’s the commentary that entertainment critics and avid comic fans repeat: Avengers: Doomsday has to deliver. And who is better suited to lead up to this event than Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?
Brand New Day is the fourth feature-length Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland – arguably, in live-action format, this is the most popular Spider-Man ever. What’s most endearing is how much Holland cares about how his fans feel about the superhero. I suspect if his version of the character were not so beloved, he’d have moved on, as he’s clearly outgrown the outfit. That makes it even more heartwarming to see how much effort he still puts into Peter Parker in Brand New Day.
Let’s start with a resounding fact: there has been no bad Spider-Man movie in the MCU. While the overall narrative felt like it fell apart after Phases 3 and 4, this part of the universe held strong, even offering the cinematic event of the Spider-Verse in No Way Home. Despite its quality, the third film felt as though it was created for social media more than the story – it was about clips and crowd reactions, especially when Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield entered the fold.
Brand New Day thrives on the consequences of its predecessor. Due to Doctor Strange’s spell, the world has forgotten that Peter Parker exists. Spider-Man continues to save the city as a hero, but following the trauma of his best friend, Ned (played as always, goofy and funny, by Jacob Batalon), and MJ (Zendaya) forgetting him, he experiences a terrifying evolution of his powers while facing a new threat.
That new threat is Jean Grey (Sadie Sink, Stranger Things, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Eli), an MCU debut that ties back to the X-Men. It’s worth noting that this is an incredible debut, almost sidelining Spider-Man in his own film. Jean Grey is an effective antagonist; she poses a threat unique to Peter Parker while also having a canonical connection to the audience, who will undoubtedly root for her. Sink was made to play a younger Jean Grey – this is perfect casting that will prove fruitful in films to come.
The real villain of Brand New Day is Peter Parker himself. One of the failures of the MCU since Thanos has been failing to find space for genuine peril that audiences care about. Whether this is down to rushed writing or Marvel Studios trying to expand the scope too much, the magic was lost. Brand New Day brings back peril worth caring about. And it’s not villain-led peril; it’s emotional peril. Peter Parker has to deal with the demons of being forgotten while grappling with potentially dangerous new powers that are unknown to him. This is a film about Spider-Man’s personal triumph more than saving the city; it’s about Peter Parker facing his existence. What does he represent without his previous life? What does it mean for his body to go through such concerning transformations? The writing also pays respectful homage to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man; Peter Parker’s transformation into a different Spider-Man serves as a nod to Sam Raimi’s trilogy without ever feeling too on the nose.
It’s the emotional peril that reminds audiences why we grew to love the MCU in the first place. It’s what brought Iron Man and Black Widow to their poignant deaths. Somewhere in the writing since 2019, the point of this universe was lost. Characters can live, die, revive, or barely survive – that’s not what matters. What matters is their experiences and what those mean to their connection with the audience, whether kids or adults.
The perfect concoction is brewed for the emotional angle in Brand New Day. Peter Parker’s inability to process his feelings for MJ, who now lives a completely separate life, is not rushed in the script just to serve action sequences. Instead, the film makes Peter Parker’s character development the crux of the narrative – how does someone who has experienced universe-ending scenarios now face emotional anguish while still being a powerful hero? That’s the main pitch of Brand New Day. The stakes are far higher in this film than they were in the first.
Frank Castle / The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) signals to the audience just how small Spider-Man’s world has become – he’s his only friend. The Punisher adds most of the humor to the film, too; a complicated MCU character providing Peter Parker with something to smile about.
But what really surprises in Brand New Day is the ending, which, for the sake of this review, I will not spoil. I honestly thought they were going to butcher the conclusion by leaning into a typical action-led third act. There’s action, of course, but once again, Director Destin Daniel Cretton (Wonder Man, Just Mercy) and writers Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers (Far From Home) chose emotional appeal. The ending bridges the hero’s existence and solidifies Jean Grey’s debut into the MCU in a purposeful, meaningful way.
This brings me to my final claim, which surprised me considering that, from a critical consensus, this is the joint lowest-ranked in the Holland series (July 30th, 2026). Brand New Day is Tom Holland’s best Spider-Man movie. It was already up against a lingering MCU slump and the fatigue of being a fourth installment, but it delivers a meaningful storyline with earnest rewatch value. Holland’s now-matured Spider-Man gives the story an edge while providing a brilliant counterweight for an MCU debut that turns into a delightful origin story.
I’m sure there’s more to come from Tom Holland and Spider-Man. The stories show no sign of losing momentum, and the actor clearly loves delivering for the fans. After the third installment, I wanted no more. Now, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at another. Roll on Doomsday.
