Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a 2026 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Pascal Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man film series following Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman, Marisa Tomei, and Mark Ruffalo. In the film, Parker is on his own and dedicated to protecting New York City as the hero Spider-Man. His personal struggles and overworking cause his superpowers to evolve while he faces a new telepathic threat.
Sony was developing a fourth MCU Spider-Man film by August 2019, and producer Amy Pascal revealed in November 2021 that it was intended to be the first in a new trilogy starring Holland. Work on the story began that December, with Holland more involved in development than he was for the previous films. McKenna and Sommers returned as writers by February 2023, Cretton was hired to direct by October 2024, and the title—derived from the 2008 comic book storyline "Brand New Day" that reset Spider-Man's status quo—was announced in March 2025. The producers wanted Holland's Parker to be a "proper Spider-Man" for the first time, on his own and fighting street-level crime. Cretton rewrote the script with Justin Kuritzkes. Ahead of filming, Bernthal and Ruffalo were revealed to be reprising their MCU roles of Frank Castle / Punisher and Bruce Banner / Hulk. Filming took place from August to December 2025, with location filming in Glasgow, Scotland, and throughout England. Soundstage work occurred at Pinewood Studios in England.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on July 27, 2026, and was released in the United States on July 31 as part of Phase Six of the MCU. It received largely positive reviews from critics, with praise for Holland's performance, the action sequences, and the more mature, character-driven story compared to the previous MCU Spider-Man films. The film has grossed $2.506 billion worldwide and set multiple box office records. It became the highest-grossing Spider-Man film, the highest-grossing film of 2026, the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada, and the third-highest grossing film of all time.
Plot
After Dr. Stephen Strange's magic spell makes the world forget that Peter Parker exists, he chooses to protect his girlfriend Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson and best friend Ned Leeds by not reintroducing himself to them. Over the next four years, Parker anonymously protects New York City as its celebrated hero Spider-Man. He defeats major criminals, including Mac Gargan and the Hand ninjas, earning the trust of police detective Jean DeWolff. Parker regularly visits his aunt May's grave.
Parker stops Frank Castle from causing collateral damage in pursuit of a tank that crashes into a Department of Damage Control (DODC) prison. The driver is possessed by a telepath who body hops from person to person to help Gargan escape, but is unable to enter Parker's mind. Yelena Belova informs Parker that multiple DODC facilities have been attacked by someone searching for "V-Max". DODC director Bill Metzger, now using the Hand for security, denies any knowledge of "V-Max" to Parker.
Ned and MJ move back to New York after graduating from MIT. Parker encounters them and sees MJ kiss her new boyfriend. Returning home in distress, he wakes up the next day with heightened senses and spinnerets in his wrists. When the telepath attacks another DODC facility with a possessed Gargan, Parker loses control of his new abilities and brutally beats Gargan, inadvertently injuring a police officer. After DeWolff tells him to regain control, Parker learns from Bruce Banner, who has an inhibitor device that uses siRNA to suppress his super-powered alter ego, the Hulk, and builds his own inhibitor. While he tests it, the telepath finds his apartment and learns about MJ from an unsent reintroduction letter he wrote to her. Parker races to get MJ to safety, but the telepath possesses and almost kills her. He rescues MJ and identifies the telepath as teenager Jean Grey.
Parker takes MJ to Castle's hideout for protection, where she helps complete his inhibitor and a universal inhibitor. Jean attacks the DODC's headquarters with a possessed Banner, whose inhibitor is removed, causing him to become the Hulk. While Parker fights the Hulk, Jean possesses Castle to open a vault hiding DODC agents. Parker calms the Hulk, then blocks Jean's powers with the universal inhibitor while Metzger tranquilizes her. Jean mentions "Sara" before losing consciousness; Metzger claims he remembers thinking of a colleague by that name while possessed by Jean. Parker returns to MJ, who has found the letter. He apologizes for not telling her and declares his love, but MJ does not remember him nor reciprocate his feelings. Despite this, she invites him to her and Ned's apartment, where a masked Parker bonds with them both. After MJ describes not remembering anything while possessed, Parker realizes Metzger lied. Parker contacts Yelena, who learns from redacted DODC files that Sara is Jean's sister, another telepath kidnapped by the DODC.
Metzger experiments on Jean at a DODC facility on Roosevelt Island that Parker infiltrates. Jean deduces that "V-Max" is the weathered label on the air vent in her cell, the last thing Sara saw—and mentally communicated to Jean—before she died. Enraged, Jean creates a psionic field that extends beyond the facility, freezing everyone within it except for Parker, including MJ and Ned. Jean rebuffs Parker's apologies and attacks him using the Hand. He removes his inhibitor and embraces his new abilities, defeating the Hand and stopping Jean from killing Metzger. Parker lets her enter his mind, where she experiences a memory of May saying she loves him for who he is. Parker and Jean reconcile over their respective losses. He senses Castle shooting at Jean from a distance and shields her, sustaining a critical injury. Jean drops the psionic field.
Parker wakes up in a hospital with a remorseful Castle, who says Jean remotely kept him alive with her powers. Jean leaves the city, Metzger disappears, and the DODC comes under investigation. At May's grave, Parker vows to stop trying to do everything alone, later agreeing to let DeWolff handle a robbery while he recovers. Peter encounters Ned and greets him with their secret handshake; Ned performs it, looking confused, until they complete it and he says Peter's name.
Cast
Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:A former Avenger who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Following Dr. Stephen Strange's spell at the end of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the world has forgotten that Parker exists and he is now focused on anonymously protecting New York City from street-level crime. Director Destin Daniel Cretton said Parker is "dedicating his entire existence" to being Spider-Man. Holland felt this was a unique and "profound" superhero story to tell, and said Parker's dedication to selflessness and sacrifice would have consequences for his personal life and health. He said the film focuses on Parker's search for identity as he transitions from youth to adulthood, inspired by Holland's own journey into adulthood. In Brand New Day, Parker's superpowers begin to evolve: his eyes turn fully black at times; his senses are heightened; and he gains the ability to generate organic webs from his wrists instead of relying on mechanical web-shooters, similar to Tobey Maguire's version of the character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series (2002–2007). Zendaya as Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson:Parker's former classmate and ex-girlfriend who attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with Ned Leeds, with whom she shares an apartment. MJ has a new love interest in the film, causing conflicting feelings for Parker. Zendaya worked with the writers to ensure MJ's "quirks" from the previous films were retained while still maturing the character, after she felt an initial draft had made her too "normal". Sadie Sink as Jean Grey:A young mutant with psionic abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, and possession. She is searching for her sister Sara, who was taken by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), bringing her into conflict with Spider-Man. Jean's origin story is depicted differently from the comics and prior adaptations, showing her learn about her powers alongside Sara instead of them manifesting after her friend Annie dies in a car crash. Sink watched the previous screen adaptations of Jean as reference, but noted that this version is very different. She and Cretton focused on portraying her as a "hurt teenager" who is lonely, angry, and desperate. Jean is still learning about her abilities, does not believe she is a villain, and thinks her actions are justified. Cretton said using a young, lonely person as the villain solidified his understanding of the film's ideas. Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds:Parker's former best friend who attended MIT with MJ. He has created an app called "Spidey Tracker" in the hopes of learning who Spider-Man is, to thank him for saving Ned and his classmates while they were in high school as shown in the previous films. Batalon said Ned and MJ live "really great full lives" despite both feeling that "something's kind of missing" since forgetting about Parker. Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher:A vigilante who, following the brutal murder of his family, aims to fight the criminal underworld by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results are. Castle's "psychological state" going into Brand New Day was explored in the Disney+ television special The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026), with Bernthal saying the character has essentially "sworn off human beings" at this point. United States Army Special Forces member Colton Hill was on set to assist Bernthal with his portrayal, as he did on previous projects. Holland said the dynamic between Parker and Castle evolved into a "big brother/little brother rivalry" as he and Bernthal improvised during filming. Bernthal said Castle's role in the film was a "cautionary tale" for Parker, showing where the latter could end up if he goes down a darker, more solitary path. Castle operates from a houseboat named Golden Girl, built from a converted industrial barge, which serves as both a command center and a safe house. He also uses a comic-accurate version of the Punisher's Battle Van. Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova / Black Widow:A member of the New Avengers who was originally trained in the Red Room to be a Black Widow assassin. The character uses a New York bathhouse as her "office", where Spider-Man consults her and gains information that he needs for his missions. The film reveals that Belova is now known as the "Black Widow", an alias used by her sister Natasha Romanoff before her death. Tramell Tillman as Bill Metzger:The head of the DODC. A radical anti-mutant activist in the comics, Metzger is revealed in the film to be experimenting on superpowered individuals. Tillman discussed the character's motivations, which are kept from the audience, with Cretton and writer Justin Kuritzkes. His performance was inspired by politicians, particularly the calmness and steadiness of former U.S. President Barack Obama. Marisa Tomei as May Parker: Peter's aunt, who was killed in No Way Home. She appears inside a memory that Peter shares with Jean.