In hindsight, naming the last live-action Spider-Man film No Way Home could have been the moniker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as a whole. After years of box-office domination, Marvel seems to have lost its sense of direction. The company has become so consumed with setting up the next chapter in its never-ending superhero soap opera that it has struggled, minus a few exceptions like Thunderbolts* and Wonder Man, to tell self-contained stories across its theatrical and streaming platforms. The fascinating thing is that it’s not just Marvel in search of the identity it once had, but its characters as well.
The loss of one’s sense of self has been a recurring theme in several MCU films of late, but it really hits home for the company’s flagship hero Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Brand New Day finds its hero Peter Parker (Tom Holland) wrestling with the fallout of his decision to make the ultimate sacrifice and have the knowledge of his identity wiped from his friends’ consciousness. Living a solitary life, he dedicates most of his time to being the hero New York City needs, including assisting Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas), who he has formed Batman/Commissioner Gordon style working relationship with, and her officers take down various criminals. While the city crime rate has dropped drastically, it has done little to heal the Parker’s broken heart. Reduced to following the lives of his former best friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) on social media, the sense of isolation begins to take its toll physically as well.
Suffering from frequent headaches, Parker starts to notice weird changes in his body that interfere with his daily activities. Despite DeWolff’s recommendation to take time off and enjoy life, leisure is not an option with villains like the Scorpion (Michael Mando) on the loose. Complicating matters further is the emergence of a mysterious individual (Sadie Sink), who can control people like puppets, who only Spider-Man seems to be aware of.
Unsure of who this individual is or where they came from, the one thing that is clear is that they are determined to locate something believed to be within one of the Damage Control facilities. A government agency, led by William Metzger (Tramell Tillman), that claims to want to rehabilitate superpowered villains and use their gifts for good, Damage Control enlist Spider-Man’s help to stop the mysterious foe before they put more lives in danger.
Facing a new threat unlike anything the hero has encountered before, while dealing with hazily explained physical changes that play like a form of arachnid puberty, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is arguably the most mature Spidey film to date. While not as fully formed as director Destin Daniel Cretton’s other Marvel entries, such as the criminally underrated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the aforementioned Wonder Man, there is much that fans will enjoy here. Aside from several well-placed nods to the comic books, Spider-Man: Brand New Day features some of the best action beats in any of the Spider-Man films, including a fun superhero melee within Damage Control’s walls. There is also a fair number of entertaining cameos by other MCU characters, the most memorable of which is Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle aka the Punisher.
Playing up the odd couple dynamics between Punisher seeing the worst in people and Spider-Man inherently seeing the best in them, the film is able to establish some genuine comedic beats while simultaneously softening Castle’s gruff edges. It is in these interactions, and when Spider-Man is conversing with Ned and MJ, that the film’s themes about the importance of connection resonates the most. Unfortunately, despite these moments, one never feels as if Parker has truly found the tribe he desperately longs for.
Public adoration and personal connection are two separate things that often get confused in both the age of social media and the film itself.
Spider-Man may have his “Neo” moment of self-realization, Matrix fans will instantly notice the parallels in a key scene, but Parker’s emotional journey isn’t explored with much depth. Part of this is due to the fact that Brand New Day is juggling too many narrative balls in the air. Furthermore, the introduction of Sink’s character completely shifts the film into unexpected directions. The real emotional heart of the film, when not playing like a mystery thriller, Sink’s arc is so intriguing that it pushes Spider-Man into the passenger seat of his own vehicle.
The addition of the character not only sets the stage for another franchise but also exposes Marvel’s recent inability to produce actual villains worthy of the hero’s time. One does not need to have the power of Thanos or Dr. Doom in order to test a hero’s abilities or moral compass, just the brains to put them in a difficult position in the first place. Unfortunately, the MCU has become nothing more than a universe where heroes are essentially fighting themselves both figuratively and literally. Even the much advertised battle between Spider-Man and the criminal organization of ninjas known as the Hand, while visually inventive, lacks energy when you realize who is really pulling the strings.
Without a true villain to add colourful and complex layers to the hero’s journey, the film’s muddled and overstuffed plot becomes even more apparent. It can even be argued that the themes of isolation, and the darkness it can fosters, were tackled with far more nuance and heart in Thunderbolts*. Peter Parker may have finally matured, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day spins a web that ultimately lacks direction.
