By ISAIAH BORCHERT ’28
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 25 Sept 2026
One of the biggest movies of the summer ended up being the highest-grossing film of all time; Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes remarkably close to being a perfect superhero movie, lacking only one crucial element: surprise. In Tom Holland’s fourth movie as Spider-Man, we finally see Peter Parker stripped of his safety net, leaving him broke, living alone and cut off from Iron Man and the Avengers’ backup. The result is the most authentic screen version of both classic comic Spider-Man and Peter Parker we’ve gotten yet, grounded in real financial and emotional stakes rather than technology gifted to him. For the first time in a Spider-Man movie, our hero was depicted as he always should have been: lonely, broken and yet hopeful for the city he loves.
The opening montage, stacked with classic villains, sets the tone perfectly and rewards longtime fans immediately with cameos from stars in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery like Tombstone, Boomerang, Tarantula and Ramrod. The color grading and the practical swinging were both monstrous improvements on previous MCU Spider-Man movies and went a long way to making the whole movie feel more real. Frank Castle, who first appeared in a Spider-Man comic, stepping into the “mentor” role once occupied by Tony Stark was a fantastic choice, as he supports Peter’s story without overshadowing it. As a massive fan of the Netflix shows, I was extremely apprehensive about the inclusion of Frank Castle’s Punisher given how mature and morally complicated Castle’s history is, and I was worried that would not translate well to the big screen. He is a fantastically written and developed character across two MA shows, but thankfully his characterization here is a pleasant surprise, staying true to the source material except for maybe a slightly too-warm, too-friendly interaction with Peter in the finale. The absence of a rumored Daredevil cameo stings, especially for fans (like myself) hoping to see Matt Murdock alongside Peter Parker, but that was just speculation.
Hulk’s scene might be the best the MCU has seen in years, as it was a treat to see our first truly angry Hulk since the opening sequence of Infinity War almost 10 years ago. The MJ and Ned subplot was one of the weaker parts of the movie; it often got in the way and felt mostly like fan service, bringing back two beloved characters and actors but distracting from the overall theme. I did like how they used Ned and MJ to remind Peter that he is alone and forgotten, but the rest of their appearances in the film rarely helped the plot and distracted from Peter’s overall character development.
Sadie Sink’s character being revealed as Jean Grey wasn’t exactly a shock, as most people expected it due to the press tour and because Sadie Sink looks like Jean Grey in the comics, but using another hero as the antagonist in a Spider-Man movie is a bold structural choice that mostly pays off. It does raise a concern that after the possession and apparent killing she’s responsible for here, redeeming Jean as a genuine hero in the upcoming X-Men film may be a tough sell for most of the audience. That predictability is the film’s core weakness. Jean’s identity, Peter’s survival in the end and his gradual mastery of his new mutant-adjacent abilities all play out exactly as expected, with no real twists to keep viewers guessing. Still, as a comic book superhero movie, it’s a fantastic film, well-written, character-driven and visually satisfying, and it sets up both a great sequel and a new X-Men story, as well as building hype for this December’s Avenger’s: Doomsday. 4.5 stars out of five. ★
