All 5 MCU Spider-Man Stories That Happened Offscreen Before Brand New Day
It’s been five years since the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home and four years in the MCU since Dr. Strange cast the spell that erased Peter Parker (Tom Holland) from the minds of every living being in the universe. That’s a pretty substantial amount of time for audiences to be without Spider-Man and for Peter himself to establish himself as the primetime superhero of New York City. Spider-Man Brand New Day tells audiences that for the four years that Peter has been active as Spider-Man, he has set up his own rogues gallery, dismantled major crime organizations, and eaten lots and lots of Little Caesars.
Marvel was careful to set up Spider-Man’s activities in a way that tells audiences he’s improved as a solo act now that he no longer has the Avengers or their technology, and realigns him with his comic counterpart. These events and more have made Peter one of the most prolific heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But here’s a rundown of all the significant events in Spider-Man: Brand New Day that actually happen offscreen and are only conveyed through brief references. By the end of the list, you’ll understand just how much has changed in Peter Parker’s life.
5) Ned & MJ Experienced Their College Years
At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Michelle Jones (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), Peter’s lover and closest friend, were taking the steps to start their first day at MIT. The place that was once Peter’s dream school before being Spider-Man got in the way of it. But while Peter had to leave college life behind and get a GED, Ned and MJ enrolled at MIT and made their own lives and friends without him. Ned, for example, seems to have made himself quite a social butterfly in college (a stark contrast to his time in high school), going so far as to host a remarkably large housewarming party. It was a smart storytelling decision by director Destin Daniel Cretton and writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna to show that Peter himself would not be living such a lonely life if he went to MIT or embraced other people.
Michelle, or MJ, has also changed her degree from Aerospace to Biomedical and found an interesting relationship with an unnamed lover. Unfortunately, the MCU will likely not explore Peter’s formative college years; in the comics, this is where he met famous characters like Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn, but this decision highlights a major theme of the film. Peter’s lack of balance has stunted him entirely.
4) Punisher & Spider-Man Team Up on Staten Island
A recurring comedic beat in the film is the ‘Staten Island incident.’ Jon Berthal’s Punisher is a recurring character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for better or worse, and has a brotherly rivalry with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. While both are on the side of good, they tend to have different viewpoints on how to handle any situation involving a villain. Early in the film, during a confrontation, Peter reminds Frank of the incident on Staten Island where Spider-Man saved Frank’s life. The audience never gets the full information about this incident, but there is a vague understanding. Later on, fans can hear from their arguments that Peter mentions: “a drug dealer was holding him[Frank] at gunpoint.” Peter likely webbed and defeated that drug dealer, saving Frank’s life and creating a moment where Peter believes Frank owes him for the save.
Beyond the Staten Island incident, it’s clear that Punisher and Spider-Man have teamed up numerous times while fighting New York’s underground criminals. Peter’s relationships with other heroes are also a point brought up in the film, as he has a brief scene with Yelena of the New Avengers, where it seems decided that Spider-Man handles the “small potatoes” emergencies while the New Avengers handle the “big potatoes.” This relationship is similar to Spider-Man’s relationship with many heroes, where the Avengers handle larger-scale threats while Peter takes on smaller, street-level ones.
3) Spider-Man Fights The Hand
The Hand is an ancient and powerful organization whose ultimate goal is to gain immortality. First introduced in Daredevil Season 2, they were a major antagonist in Netflix’s branch of the MCU, taking on threats like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. But in 2016, the Defenders defeated the Hand and their leaders for good, putting the organization to rest. That is, until the montage in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which reveals to the audience that not only has the Hand revived itself, but it has also taken on a new leader, a woman named Snow, portrayed by Fan Xiaoshuang.
The trailers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day tease the Hand as a major threat Peter may have to face, but the beginning of the movie reveals that Peter had already taken on and dismantled the Hand before 2028, the year in which the movie is set. This confrontation between Spider-Man and the Hand revealed the organization to the public and led to their arrest by Damage Control. As for where Daredevil was during this time? The likely answer can be found in Daredevil: Born Again Seasons 2 and 3.
2) Spider-Man Battles A Whole Rogues Gallery
Spider-Man’s rogues gallery is the second most interesting rogues gallery in comic history. With villains like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Big Wheel, there is a wealth of villains to pick from. Spider-Man: Brand New Day reveals that over four years as a lone vigilante, Peter takes on and defeats many villains on his own, establishing a more comic-book-accurate Marvel universe filled with diverse villains. The first of these is MacDonald “Mac” Gargan, played by Michael Mando, who appeared inSpider-Man: Homecoming. Before 2028, Gargan got his own mechanical Scorpion suit and finally took on the moniker Scorpion as he battled Spider-Man. The two would get into many confrontations before Spider-Man defeats him once again and sends him to Damage Control for lock up.
Spider-Man’s new foes include Boomerang, Frederick “Fred” Myers, played by Aidan Kennedy. In the comics, Boomerang is a super criminal consistently for hire. Another threat Spider-Man faces is Tarantula. Tarantula, also known as Anton Miguel Rodriguez, was defeated by Spider-Man before 2028, after Spider-Man thwarted his plans of running an illegal smuggling operation on a passenger boat. The final threat Spider-Man faces is much more famous: Tombstone, Alonzo Thompson “Lonnie” Lincoln, played by Marvin Jones III (DC’s Black Lightning). Tombstone is a notorious crime boss that Spider-Man puts away thanks to his NYPD contact: Jean DeWolff, played by Liza Colón-Zayas.
1) Spider-Man Gets the Key to NYC
The concept of a superhero getting a key to the city is nothing new, especially for Spider-Man – but it’s always refreshing to see. Receiving the key to the city is a symbolic gesture that indicates the local government and people thank and value the hero. New York City has lots of reasons to thank Spider-Man (even if he wasn’t there for the Sentry incident or any of the incidents involving Kingpin), because as audiences see in the film, Spider-Man is looking out for the average person. Keeping children safe, taking drug dealers and mercenaries off the streets, and putting away major crime organizations. Receiving the key to the city shows that New York City values Spider-Man as one of its own, which is a great evolution for the character.
But what really makes this moment is what audiences see afterward. Peter, holding the key to the city, stares at it with empty eyes as his suit rotates in the washer next to him in his dark apartment. The crew uses this juxtaposition to show that despite how well things are going for Spider-Man, things are only getting worse for Peter Parker. A theme that is expertly portrayed throughout the film.
