What’s Next For Peter Parker and the MCU After Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
From the mysterious villain of the film to the eyebrow-raising post-credits scene, we break down where Spidey and the franchise might go next.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters, one question has been answered: the name of Sadie Sink’s mysterious character. But with it comes a whole new slew of questions as Spidey’s (Tom Holland) fate is inexorably linked with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, that post-credits scene is definitely teasing something. So with the film fresh in our minds, let’s take a look at some theories as to what might happen next in the MCU and for Spider-Man.
[Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day below.]
Memories…
Let’s start with something Spider-Man specific. Do MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) remember Peter? The handshake and Ned’s reaction in the final scene of Brand New Day indicate he recalls his best friend, though to what extent is left unclear. MJ’s last scene — lying on that particular roof and rubbing the necklace Peter gave her in Spider-Man: Far From Home — is even more ambiguous. Does she have it all back now? Certainly, it’s worth holding onto that dramatic revelation for the inevitable fifth outing for these characters. But with online discourse centering around MJ declaring she has no love for Peter earlier in the film, might it be worthwhile to investigate Peter’s other potential love interests in the next movie?
We’re inclined to say no. The emotional arc of the MCU Spider-Man movies centers on its characters. Although it would be interesting to see Betty Brandt (Angourie Rice) reappear or a proper live-action take on Black Cat, we doubt anyone at Marvel or Sony wants to break up a good thing. Sony, particularly, saw the results of ending such a powerful relationship too soon with The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Nonetheless, the question remains: Do Peter’s closest friends remember him now? The safe answer: “partially.” Or, maybe, the question will return in Avengers: Doomsday.
A Ping Out In Space
Let’s move on to that curious post-credits stinger: Ned’s Spidey app pinging a new Spider-Man sighting somewhere in space. This one already has the internet furrowing its brow with suggestions that the ping is not MCU Peter at all but one of his variants returning to the 616 universe as a result of Doomsday. It could also easily be our Peter relocated to the place Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) is marshaling those he’s chosen for his mysterious goal — let’s call it “Battleworld” for argument’s sake. Either way, it seems pretty clear the next time we see any Spider-Man, it will be off-Earth.
Although, considering its relative proximity to the planet, could Peter find himself on Asteroid M (as most recently seen on X-Men ’97)?
While we’ve learned not to always take Marvel at its word, Holland is currently not expected to appear in Doomsday. That said, rumors of Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire taking his place in the film persist. We hope this isn’t the case, as their appearances in No Way Home felt like loving send-offs and the only crossover we need with those versions of the character. Also, so many other character crossovers are happening in that Avengers film that another Spider-Reunion would lack for impact.
But let’s also entertain the idea that, perhaps, the ping has nothing to do with Doomsday and everything to do with MCU Spider-Man 5. What could lead Peter back out into space? The character has gone on space adventures without a Secret Wars-level threat pulling him there. He even gained cosmic-derived powers at one point.
One other thought: As the MCU Spider-Man films follow the tradition of the Marvel Team-Up comic book, could Peter’s next space adventure be a chance to rehabilitate some previously introduced space characters? For a moment, think of Stan Lee asking this next question: “Will The Amazing Spider-Man save the Eternals?”
This is wild speculation of the highest order, we admit, but there are rumors that Marvel wants to follow-up on Eternals and its dangling story beats. Of course, that notion could just go the way of Blade.
The Bus To Westchester
Sadie Sink’s final scene in Brand New Day sure seems like she’s taking the bus to upstate New York. Perhaps she’s on her way to the fabled Westchester Academy, where people like her learn to use their gifts under the tutelage of a respected teacher.
Close readers might note the name of the school we’re invoking is not Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, but a variation on that name inspired by Emma Frost’s Massachusetts Academy in the comics. And, as it happens, word recently surfaced indicating Samara Weaving will play the infamous White Queen in Marvel Studios’ eventual X-Men feature by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier.
So, let’s finally say it: After years of speculation, Sink was confirmed to be playing Jean Grey. But her version of the character is an orphan on the run from the Department of Damage Control and seemingly has nowhere to turn. Crucially, though, she’s made it to the age of 16 or so without a certain Charles Xavier finding her and giving her a home in his school.
Her story in Brand New Day leads us to a curious thought: What if there is no Professor X on Earth-616 (the mainline MCU Earth)? And even if Doom merges realities during the events of Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, what if it still results in a lack of formal X-Men by 2029?
To us, that means a more intriguing X-Men film if Jean and a few others must figure out all of this without Xavier’s wisdom or talents. Or, more crucially, what if Emma wakes up from the merging of worlds with a distant memory of Xavier’s School, but chooses to recreate it in her own image?
Again, the question leads to an X-Men movie with a different mission statement. It’s one we’d like to see, but maybe the answer is just as simple as Jean arriving on Xavier’s doorstep the next time we see her.
There’s also an appeal in a film taking its cues directly from Uncanny X-Men #1, in which Jean arrives at the school and meets Scott Summers (Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast), Bobby Drake (Iceman), and Warren Worthington III (Angel) for the first time. The only thing that makes this unlikely is the popularity of the X-Men ’97 team. Then again, could Rogue, Beast, Cyclops, Storm, Morph, Jubilee, and Wolverine serve the same purpose? Time will tell, of course.
One last thing to consider: In more recent comic book eras, the school has been known as The Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters…
The First Post-Secret Wars Film?
Speaking of an MCU without X-Men by 2029, the dates referenced in Brand New Day leave us wondering if, perhaps, the film is set after the Multiversal chaos is resolved in Avengers: Secret Wars.
As it happens, the MCU Spider-Man movies have always been more concerned with dates than the other in-universe film series like Avengers or Doctor Strange. Spider-Man: Homecoming established the Battle of New York occurring eight years prior to the events of the film — a notion Marvel subsequently reconsidered and altered. Spider-Man: Far From Home kept playing with the five years the main characters lost during the Blip, while No Way Home picked up immediately after Far From Home’s stinger scene. And now, Brand New Day adds this wrinkle: It takes place in 2028
That dating stems from Aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) tombstone, which stated her death occurred in 2024, combined with MJ and Ned returning to New York after four years at MIT.
In our world, 2028 is one year after the Multiverse Saga resolves in Secret Wars. It’s also the year we expect to see Black Panther III and Ghost Rider. But in Universe-616, it could also be the year of Doomsday. As we already mentioned, dates tend to be imprecise in the MCU, with the Fantastic Four arriving in the MCU 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts*. But when do the events of that New Avengers film take place? We assumed we caught up to Avengers: Endgame‘s five-year jump forward sometime in our 2024, but 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World pushed the MCU timeline forward into late 2026 and, seemingly, Thunderbolts* occurs a year after that, per comments about Bucky’s (Sebastian Stan) time as a congressman. If the added year-and-change pushes the MCU timeline fully into 2028, then Brand New Day is the relative calm before the Multiversal storm.
Alternatively, it could be the first glimpse of the 616 reality after Doom has had his day. The latter leads to interesting possibilities if, as we speculated above, there are no X-Men yet and Peter’s life is functionally the same on either side of the event.
The Damage Control Saga
While we expect Marvel Studios will step back from the notion of phases and sagas after Secret Wars, Brand New Day introduces a new antagonistic faction for the heroes to deal with: the US Department of Damage Control (DODC).
Okay, technically, the agency has always been shady since its first MCU introduction. Their appropriation of the Chitauri tech at the beginning of Homecoming inspired the Vulture (Michael Keaton) down his criminal path. Subsequently, one particular DODC agent’s obsession with Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) on Ms. Marvel led us to speculate the agent might be a Skrull (back when that speculation seemed to matter). Then there was the way Damage Control treated Peter after his identity became public in No Way Home.
Brand New Day takes this to a new level with Damage Control’s abduction of Jean’s sister, Sarah (Olivia Booth-Ford), and their subsequent treatment of Jean once she was in their custody. Sure, this could be another rogue agent taking their orders too far, but the Department’s accumulation of tech like Shocker gauntlets and their particular interest in Mutants feels pointed now.
So, for a moment, let’s go back to an X-Men without Xavier. Let’s extend that out to a universe in which Magento was never born and, suddenly, there’s no opposition for the X-Men to fight. Damage Control slots right in with government types like William Stryker and Henry Peter Gyrich — well-known names from previous X-Men films and shows — succeeding William Metzger (Tramell Tillman) as director.
Even outside of the Mutant connection, it is only a matter of time before Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) or the New Avengers notice Damage Control’s mission creep and persecution of young people such as Jean and Sarah.
Although, we have to admit, Marvel had an equally potent and potentially villainous organization in the form of the Global Repatriation Council. Sadly, that storyline fizzled out and became little more than a bus ad in one Moon Knight scene. The studio may be equally sheepish about casting DODC as the primary threat to Mutantkind or the Avengers in whatever form they take following Secret Wars.
Nonetheless, their presence in the MCU speaks to the range of threats our protagonists face even when a Doom or Thanos (Josh Brolin) sits defeated or lies dead. And as Marvel gets ready to end its current saga, smaller but no-less-lethal challenges may be the way forward for film series like X-Men and Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently in theaters.
