The Biggest Questions We Have After Watching ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
All of our post-‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ thoughts and questions in one place.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swung into theaters on July 31, 2026, marking the webslinger’s triumphant return to the big screen after four years. It’s safe to say that Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) is better than ever in what many fans are dubbing the best Spider-Man film, at least within this iteration of live-action movies featuring the beloved character.
To be fair, it’s really hard to top 2004’s fan-favorite Spider-Man 2. Still, this 2026 installment holds its own courtesy of stellar acting performances from the cast, a solid script from Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers that hits all the right notes, exquisite execution from director extraordinaire Destin Daniel Cretton, and an absolutely killer soundtrack (I am still not over the beyond-perfect usage of Tame Impala’s “Loser” during that pivotal scene).
As we begin to reflect further on the latest MCU flick, there are some lingering questions that we need answered. So, if you have not yet seen the film, be forewarned: there are major spoilers ahead as we discuss the biggest questions we have after watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Is it really over for Peter and MJ?
As fans may recall from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter asked Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to make the world forget he was Spider-Man. But Peter kept altering the rules mid-cast, resulting in various ripples occurring across the multiverse. Peter then proposed a drastic yet necessary solution to resolve this problem: Doctor Strange needed to cast one final spell that would erase Peter’s entire existence from public memory.
Peter promised to come find Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) in the aftermath, but the path toward reconnection was far from simple. Brand New Day picked up with Peter living on his own and placing all of his remaining energy into being Spider-Man full-time. He’s initially keeping up with his former best friends from afar by monitoring Ned’s social media for updates. However, he comes face-to-face with his once-pals after following Ned home, where he was hosting a vibrant housewarming party with his roommate, MJ. While there, Peter learned that Ned created the Spidey Tracker app—and that MJ was dating someone new.
At one point, an incognito Jean Grey (Sadie Sink), the once-mysterious telepath character eager to unmask Spider-Man’s identity earlier on in the film, revealed to Peter that not only has she determined who he is but she’s also discovered that MJ was important to him. Peter as Spider-Man arrived at MJ’s home, advising her to come with him since she was in danger. Once they were seemingly safe and Peter’s guard was down, MJ (who was under Jean’s possession, unbeknownst to Peter) tricked him into revealing his face—and sealing the moment with a kiss.
Peter and MJ managed to make it out of that situation unscathed, with him later bringing her to the Punisher/Frank Castle’s (Jon Bernthal) hideout for safety. MJ is left there alone as Spider-Man and The Punisher went to the Department of Damage Control (DODC), where Jean is possessing Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to aid her mission. However, upon Peter’s return, he discovered that MJ had found his letter to her and Ned, which contained the truth about their prior connection. It’s then that Peter attempted to explain himself while confessing his love, but MJ admitted to not reciprocating those feelings because she has no recollection of their past ties.
After taking MJ home, she invited Peter inside. He then spent ample time bonding with both MJ and Ned. However, before leaving their place to save Jean, MJ advised Peter to be careful, showing that she cares about his safety. Although this final exchange between Peter and MJ leaves things on an ambiguous note for the pair, it doesn’t necessarily seem like the door is entirely closed for these two.
As fans of the Spider-Man comics likely know, Peter and MJ do get married—maybe this could be where things lead for the pair if we do get a fifth standalone Spider-Man movie.
How did Jean Grey unmask Spider-Man’s identity?
It’s no secret that Sink’s Jean, who was previously played onscreen by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner, is an incredibly powerful mutant with impressive telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Yet we learned early on in Brand New Day that Jean could not possess Peter’s body because of Peter’s mutated biology.
However, as Spider-Man was testing out new technology, a local man approached him to make sure he was okay. But the conversation soon grew eerie, as it became clear the man was being possessed by the then-masked Jean. Through this man, Jean revealed that she had tracked down Spider-Man and broken into his home, noting that he was “easy” to find. This revelation raised more questions than answers, because howexactlydid she pull this off? Was she stalking Spider-Man for a long period of time? Did she use the Spidey Tracker app to help? Was she utilizing her 30-to-33-foot radius body-hopping abilities to get closer to him as well?
This can’t be the last time we see Jean Grey in Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,right?
In the aftermath of her final attacks on the Department of Damage Control (DODC) and the Greater New York City area, Jean—after using her telepathic powers to keep Peter alive as he was in critical condition while hospitalized—ended up leaving the city on a bus with an unknown destination. Some early theories point to Jean potentially heading upstate to be amongst fellow mutants at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
However, how exactly does this work given everything slated to occur within the MCU in the coming months? Sink is more than likely a part of a larger reset in the aftermath of 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which helped to bring the X-Men characters from the 20th Century Fox world into the MCU following 2019’s historic Disney-Fox merger. Yet, at the time, stars from the original X-Men films (including James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Ian McKellen’s Magneto and Patrick Stewart) are all slated to be a part of Avengers: Doomsday later this year. Sink is significantly younger than this crop of actors, as she just turned 24 in April. So, how exactly does that work? Could the legacy Fox actors’ appearances in Avengers: Doomsday simply be a continuation of the MCU’s ongoing multiverse storyline?
Bill Metzger manages to escape, but where is he? And, will we see him again?
Toward the back half of the film, Department of Damage Control (DODC) director Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) is revealed to be the true villain of the film—not Jean. Bill’s department previously kidnapped Jean’s sister, Sara (Oli, and conducted various experiments on her that led to her untimely death
After Peter subdued Jean with an inhibitor device amid her attack on the DODC, Jean muttered Sara’s name before falling unconscious. Peter had mentioned this detail thereafter while speaking to Bill, who claimed that Sara was a recently deceased colleague (did you catch that?), and Jean learned that information while allegedly possessing his mind. But Peter later discovered that when Jean engages in mind control, the possessed party’s mind goes blank—Bill, therefore, lied to Peter.
Um, can someone check in on Bruce Banner?
As previously mentioned, Bruce Banner was taken under Jean’s telepathic possession. This led to him transforming into The Hulk because she removed the inhibitor device that suppressed his scary green alter ego.
While under possession, Bruce repeatedly attacked Peter before realizing the damage he caused, leading to Bruce—as the Hulk—conceding. We last saw him being rolled off and placed into an ambulance. Fortunately, he does appear to be conscious—and very apologetic. Although it’s uncertain what happened next for him, he most likely returned to teaching after recovering.
Ruffalo is not slated to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but maybe there is a chance we can see him again as Bruce Banner and/or the Hulk in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Can we also address what was going on between Peter and Ned in that last scene?
In the final moments of Brand New Day, an unmasked Peter had another public encounter with Ned at a local bodega. Ned instantly recognized Peter from his housewarming party, but Peter had given Ned and MJ a different moniker, being “Maynard.”
This time, Peter introduced himself using his actual name and went in to do the pair’s signature handshake—something of which Ned remembered “Peter!”
It’s left ambiguous whether or not Ned’s breakthrough was him simply connecting the dots that Peter was Spider-Man based on MJ’s accidental revelation before the hero left their apartment. Or, maybe he remembered who Peter used to be to him. Regardless, it did appear to be a moment of genuine recognition.
Audiences previously saw Ned’s ability to utilize magical devices in Spider-Man: No Way Home, when he used Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals. Could there be a connection?
What’s up with that post-credits scene?
Although Brand New Day doesn’t offer an end-credits scene, audiences did get a post-credits scene. The brief scene involved Ned’s Spidey Tracker app searching for the webslinger’s location. And while this is a typical habit of the tracker service, it suddenly indicated that Spidey was nowhere to be found.
It then began to zoom out expeditiously, with the Spider-Man GPS icon now revealing his location to be somewhere in outer space. This appeared to indicate that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be involved in the larger scale, “big potato” crossover events his fellow Avengers are facing—but in what capacity remains to be determined.
When will we next see Spider-Man on the big screen?
After the credits concluded, audiences were informed through a final title card that “Spider-Man will return.” It remains unclear when exactly that return would come to be—and in what capacity the Holland-portrayed character would return.
The next MCU film is the hotly-anticipated Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026. It’s not impossible for Spider-Man to make a surprise cameo in an effort to help his fellow superheroes go up against a new threat, Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.). Additionally, there’s also Avengers: Secret Wars, which is slated to come on December 17, 2027
Spider-Man could, however, be holding off to return for a possible fifth standalone film. Although Holland recently expressed to The Hollywood Reporter that he’s down to play Spider-Man for “as long as they have me,” he gave a more firm update on a possible fifth movie to Serieously as he said: “It’s on the cards… It’s a little unclear right now, but I’m sure that whatever happens with Spider-Man, it’ll be very bright.”
The British actor also revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that “there’s a whole plan that we have been working on” since Spider-Man: No Way Home wrapped that would continue the franchise without him in the lead role. “It’s laid out. It’s gonna change for sure, but I have a really clear vision to the passing on of the baton, and I think it’s really exciting,” he added. “I know I get really excited when we have these meetings and chat about it. But that is the thing I want to do most in this character, for sure.”
It might be a while until we get a concrete answer on what’s next, but we can at least enjoy Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the meantime.
