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The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them. The world’s most beloved super hero returns to the big screen, in Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Legions of fans around the globe, who have waited almost five years since the unforgettable events of No Way Home, will experience a story that feels wholly original while remaining true to the character they know and love.
Legions of fans around the globe, who have waited almost five years since the unforgettable events of No Way Home, will experience a story that feels wholly original while remaining true to the character they know and love. In advancing and heightening Spidey’s spirit and humanity, the film celebrates what has made him a relatable figure and an impactful global icon over decades of comic stories and ten major motion picture events. But this time, instead of going bigger, Brand New Day goes deeper – ushering in a new era of super hero movies.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, from a script written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers and Justin Kuritzkes, the film is based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
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.
Peter Parker remains his scrappy, broke self, with his charm and humor intact. But every person – even a hero – has a turning point, and this is the first time audiences will see Peter as Spider-Man full time.
This is a Spider-Man forged by loss, driven by responsibility, and ready to prove why he’s the most beloved superhuman of all time. New York City needs him more than ever – and this time Spider-Man is answering the call on his own terms.
In his fourth outing as the titular hero, Tom Holland brings the necessary emotional weight through restraint, hesitation, and internal conflict. Peter is no longer discovering what it means to be Spider-Man; he’s reckoning with the cost of continuing to be Spider-Man.
Holland calls the film “a fresh start, where Peter Parker is experiencing something profound and unique in the super hero genre. It’s a movie about when young people find their identity and become adults. Peter is embarking upon a new chapter. He’s made the ultimate sacrifice to protect MJ and Ned and the entire world, and that’s having a catastrophic effect on his personal life and even his health.”
Brand New Day is also about community. “The key arc of Peter’s journey is him learning that he can’t do this alone,” Holland points out, “and that’s especially relatable given what’s happening in today’s world. It feels like there’s a real need for community. Peter’s learning that as his journey unfolds. At the beginning, he’s determined to push Peter Parker to the side and allow Spider-Man to take up his entire life. But that creates a pressure and stress that leads to metamorphosis, like a spider would go through. Not only has everyone else forgotten Peter; but Peter is beginning to forget who Peter Parker is. That becomes his biggest fear because his identity as Peter is what links him to MJ, Ned, and to his late Aunt May, who sacrificed everything for Peter.
“Peter is miserable about no longer being able to connect with them,” Holland adds. “He’s struggling to find happiness, which is why he’s begun to put everything into being Spider-Man. Still, we continue to have fun with MJ and Ned, and there are twists and turns between them and Peter that audiences will love.”
The theme of community also resonated with director Destin Daniel Cretton
“It’s the first time that Peter is operating alone,” he explains. “Peter has always had a wonderful community around him, but now, because of the world-changing events at the end of No Way Home, he must do everything by himself. It’s quite emotional but it’s also a lot of fun. It’s a more mature Peter Parker, but in other ways it’s the same Peter that everybody knows and loves.”
Cretton adds that that balance of work – no matter how passionate one feels about it – and community and personal connection “is the most important thing to try to find in life. Who you really are is defined by the people who love you and the people you love.”
The filmmaker takes the helm from Jon Watts, who directed the previous trilogy and laid an exceptional foundation for this new era of the beloved Marvel figure. Watts captured the heart of Peter Parker – his awkwardness, optimism, and humanity – while weaving him into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the world has shifted as does the person behind the camera. Cretton, who’s known for grounding spectacle in emotion and character work, brings a bold vision to the Spider-Man mythos, one that isn’t afraid to explore a more grounded and mature hero, in a resonant story that never loses sight of the person at its center.
Producer Kevin Feige, who, as the president of Marvel Studios, has been the principal architect of its cinematic universe, calls Cretton “an artist who is also a fan. Destin has created some of the best fight sequences in any Marvel movie. At the same time, he’s incredibly character oriented and has brought Spider-Man into a new direction.”
Feige emphasizes that this direction includes Cretton’s focus on community. “Destin conveys the dangers of isolation,” he notes. “Peter Parker, who’s lived by the credo, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ initially believes that this responsibility is only to others, when, in fact, there must be an element of it that encompasses being responsible for yourself, so that you can be your best for others.”
“A huge part of the story is watching Peter undergo an emotional and physical transformation,” says Cretton. “The two are linked.”
To an entomologist, the changes would be expected. They know that spiders have three life cycles. Between cycles, it can leave the spider vulnerable to threats, but for those spiders that make it through, it amounts to a kind of rebirth.
Peter’s “rebirth” accelerates after he comes face-to-face with MJ at a party, and he’s filled with hope and love. Then he sees her kissing her new boyfriend, and Peter swings his way home, filled with memories of his past romantic life, and stumbles into his apartment. After falling asleep, Peter wakes up surrounded by a cocoon of webs that connect him to the outside of his apartment.
“We call that his ‘molting process,’” says Cretton with a laugh. “It’s a fun metaphor for transitions that so many adolescents make as they’re growing up.”
As Peter begins a startling transformation, he’s seeking answers and looks up a former fellow Avenger who’s now a distinguished scientist and professor. That would be Dr. Bruce Banner, who of course doesn’t recognize Peter.
The good doctor offers Peter an explanation – and a warning – about his change in genetic makeup: “If your DNA is mutating, it’d be enormously dangerous.”
As dire as that sounds, it turns out to be an understatement of Peter’s evolution. Moreover, it sets the stage for an epic confrontation between Spider-Man and Banner’s monstrous alter-ego, Savage Hulk. Gone is the Smart Hulk character, which brought intelligence and depth to the Hulk in Avengers: Endgame; Banner now is back to basics as the towering figure we know so well from the comics and the earlier films in the MCU.
Says Cretton, “To many, the most iconic pairing in the comics is Spider-Man and The Hulk. When we brought back Mark Ruffalo, we gave careful consideration as to what iterations of the character we would see and how to put these two icons together, and what – or who – would cause Bruce to become savage again.”
Spider-Man’s newest and most dangerous foe in the motion picture franchise is a mysterious figure that cannot be controlled or even seen. For now, the filmmakers are keeping the character under wraps but are providing some intriguing clues.
Cretton teases that “Spider-Man encounters an unknown entity that he senses but doesn’t really see.
He alone senses that something … or someone … seems to be hopping between the consciousnesses of different bodies. This figure tries to hop into Spider-Man’s head, but is unable to do so, which it finds to be fascinating. We learn that this figure is not a ghost or a demon, but a person who is able to take its consciousness and jump into the mind of another person and basically play him or her like a video game.”
Getting a little more specific, Cretton offers that this formidable antagonist “seems to be lost in some ways, not unlike how Peter has become a little lost. You see that these are two characters who can sense that they are in a similar place in life. Though they are at odds, there is an intrigue there that makes them want to know more about each other.”
Choreographer Nathan Kim was tasked with bringing to life the physical manifestation of movement between unsuspecting characters, as the entity manipulates their thoughts. “We wanted to make sure the audience experiences the full impact of the entity’s power, and the sense that it has caused a person’s consciousness to jump from one body to another,” Kim says.
The emotional heart of Peter Parker’s journey is him growing up, stepping forward, and accepting that he cannot return to who he was; he can only honor his legacy by becoming something better. In accepting these changes, Peter doesn’t lose his humanity. He carries it with him, transformed, stronger, and more deeply connected to the world than ever before.
Says Tom Holland: “Tonally, the film feels more mature. Audiences will relate to what the characters are going through. I really think this is our best film yet.”
Cretton concludes, “At first, Peter Parker is doing everything possible to keep himself from changing – from undergoing a process that is natural. The beautiful thing is watching him ultimately accept that life changes and that there are new chapters in life. And yes, it’s sad to say goodbye to them, but it’s exciting that every morning brings a brand new day.”
DESTIN DANIEL CRETTON (Director) is an acclaimed Maui-born-and-raised director, writer, and producer.
He most recently co-created, directed, and executive-produced the hit Marvel TV series Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley. Marvel renewed the series for a second season in March after the show received praise from both fans and critics.
Previously, Cretton directed American Born Chinese, a Disney+ series based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang starring Ben Wang, Daniel Wu, Ng Chin Han, and Oscar-winning actors Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Also, for Marvel Studios, he directed and co-wrote Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, and Tony Leung.
In 2024, Cretton launched the multimedia production company Hisako, named after his grandmother, who gave him his first VHS camera. The banner has a few upcoming projects, including a live-action adaptation of Naruto with Lionsgate. Under Hisako, Cretton founded a non-profit educational arm, Hisako Film Lab, a filmmaking education organization that provides hands-on resources and instructions to young Maui filmmakers. Cretton’s feature film debut, I Am Not a Hipster, premiered at Sundance in 2012. The following year, he debuted Short Term 12, which he wrote and directed. The film won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013, featuring early performances by Brie Larson, LaKeith Stanfield, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever, and John Gallagher Jr. His third feature, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling memoir, The Glass Castle, starred Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts and was released in 2016 by Lionsgate. Following this, Cretton directed Just Mercy for Warner Bros, the adaptation of the NYTimes best-selling memoir by civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, starring Michael B. Jordon and Jamie Foxx.
CHRIS McKENNA (Written by) is an Emmy-nominated writer currently co-writing the upcoming movie Avengers: Secret Wars. McKenna has co-written all four of the current Spider-Man film series, including Brand New Day, No Way Home, Far From Home, and Homecoming. McKenna also serves as an executive producer of the Netflix animated series, Haunted Hotel. McKenna’s other feature writing credits include Ant-Man and The Wasp, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, and The LEGOBatman Movie. McKenna was an executive producer and co-showrunner of the critically acclaimed TV series Community, for which he earned nominations for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, and a Hugo Award for the episode “Remedial Chaos Theory.” McKenna began writing for TV on the long-running FOX animated series American Dad.
ERIK SOMMERS (Written by) is a writer/producer currently co-writing the upcoming movie Avengers: Secret Wars. Sommers has co-written all four films in the current Spider-Man film series: Brand New Day, No Way Home, Far from Home, and Homecoming. His other feature writing credits include The LEGO Batman Movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Sommers has previously written for television shows, including Community, Happy Endings, and American Dad, for which he shared a 2012 Emmy nomination.
JUSTIN KURITZKES (Written by) is a playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. He wrote Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. For his work, Kuritzkes was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2025 Writers Guild Awards, and the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, and the film was nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture. Kuritzkes also wrote Queer, adapted from the William S. Burroughs novel of the same name; the film marks his second collaboration with director Guadagnino. Starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, Queer played at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released by A24. The New Group, JACK, and Actors Theatre of Louisville have staged productions of Kuritzkes’s plays. His debut novel, Famous People, was published by Henry Holt in 2019.
