The Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene that fans really wanted just got released with Marvel Studios' newest movie. Many fans had high expectations for Brand New Day's post-credits scenes, given that it was the MCU's final movie before Avengers: Doomsday, and Marvel Studios had few expectations to set up its Phase 6 crossover. While some had theorized that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man or Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom could have made a cameo, the final result was a little lackluster. The summer stinger focused on Ned Leeds' Spidey Tracker app to confirm that the web-slinger is headed to space, although exactly what that means for Doomsday and Secret Wars is unclear.
Avengers Endgame: Encore has begun its global rollout with an extended ending and two major new post-credits scenes to tease Doomsday. The mid-credits scene brings back Mark Ruffalo's Hulk after Spider-Man: Brand New Day to reveal where he went after his savage turn and hint at his return in the next Avengers movies.
The Jade Giant had two major purposes in Brand New Day: to influence Peter Parker's mutation inhibitor that will one day plague mutantkind, and to be mind-controlled by Sadie Sink's Jean Grey into fighting Spider-Man and the Punisher. Those purposes were fulfilled when Hulk saw reason and stopped fighting Spidey, and Banner left Brand New Day as he was wheeled into an ambulance.
In his Endgame re-release surprise, a bearded Banner notes that he recently suffered his first Hulk-out in over a decade, and has responded by putting himself in "self-containment in a joint base military complex, two miles under the surface," where his rageful alter ego can't escape, and nobody can get in.
He also notes that he has been "experimenting with a gamma suppression serum," signaling that he may be looking for a long-term solution to his Hulk problem that his mutation inhibitor, which is clearly at risk of compromise.
But Banner has bigger problems going forward, as the lights and technology in his base began to glitch before Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom arrived in a bright green light and eerily said, "I've come to collect you." The cryptic tease indicates that Doom may need Banner, or a Hulk, to execute his Multiversal plans.
Endgame: Encore's mid-credits scene directly addresses the fallout of Hulk's incident, builds up Victor von Doom as a terrifying threat, and leaves audiences even more hyped for Doomsday. Those are all the pieces that would have been better placed at the tail end of Brand New Day, especially given how big an audience that movie attracted, with a worldwide gross of almost $2.5 billion.
Marvel Studios has often used post-credits scenes to clarify the fates and aftermaths left ambiguous by the movie's climax. For instance, The Marvels ended with Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau missing in another universe, before the mid-credits stinger confirmed that she had landed in the Fox X-Men reality, which fans are hoping will finally be paid off in Avengers: Doomsday.
Why Spider-Man: Brand New Day Barely Set Up Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Studios only tossed aside its plans for The Kang Dynasty and decided to move forward with Doomsday instead in 2024, leaving a very short runway to set up Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Fortunately, even when Jonathan Majors' Kang was still at the heart of the MCU's plans, the build-up toward the Incursions was already in full swing thanks to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Endgame: Encore is a clever way to offer a few last-minute teases for Doomsday and remind audiences why they love the Avengers franchise, all while raking in some extra money through the major re-release. However, there will still be questions about whether Brand New Day should have done more for Avengers 5.
Brand New Day was striving to be a stellar sequel to No Way Home while also setting up the MCU's future, though it laid more groundwork for Phase 7's X-Men reboot than Doomsday or Secret Wars. There was no sign of Doctor Doom or an Incursion, only a cryptic clue that Spidey is returning to space, with no indication of whether that is coming in Doomsday, Secret Wars, or Spider-Man 5.
With only five months between Spider-Man 4 and Avengers 5, it's tough to argue that Brand New Day should have done more legwork for the Multiversal event. Then again, perhaps a blockbuster that focuses on being truly great, not setting up larger crossovers, is what the MCU really needs to get back on track.
If the rumors are to be believed, most of Brand New Day's cast will be sitting out Doomsday as the two MCU blockbusters were in production at the same time. The studio may have limited the setup in Spider-Man 4 to avoid setting expectations of Tom Holland's Peter Parker appearing or delivering much payoff in Doomsday.
