Spider-Man's new status quo in the MCU doesn't feature a few familiar faces from his first trilogy. Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures probably didn't envision Spider-Man: Brand New Day becoming as big a hit as it is. Sure, the Wall-Crawler has always done well for himself at the box office. However, his latest solo project is taking the franchise to new heights, dethroning some of the biggest movies of all time in the process.
At least a small portion of the credit for Brand New Day's success belongs to its drastic shift in tone from its predecessors. Rather than being in high school and dealing with all the problems associated with that, Peter Parker is on his own, focused solely on being the best hero he can be. That means he doesn't have time to keep up with relationships. And even if he did, nobody remembers him anyway after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Brand New Day puts a lot of stock in Peter's new working relationships. He spends much of the movie seeking counsel from the likes of Frank Castle, Yelena Belova, Bruce Banner, and Jean DeWolff, his contact within the New York City Police Department. It's DeWolff who tells Spider-Man to go out and make meaningful connections.
At first, Peter is apprehensive about opening up because he doesn't want to get hurt all over again. Running into MJ and Ned Leeds again makes him rethink his stance, though. By the end of Marvel Studios' latest movie, the titular hero is ready to put himself back out there. But he's not going to rekindle all of his friendships because his fourth solo movie abandons a handful of characters that played key roles in the first three.
Important MCU Spider-Man Characters Missing From Brand New Day
Happy Hogan
Tony Stark wasn't the only friend Peter made when he traveled to Germany in Captain America: Civil War. Happy Hogan served as his chauffeur and remained in that role in Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tony was gone, leaving Happy to step into the mentor role. Unfortunately, that connection was lost at the end of No Way Home.
Brand New Day returns to the last place Happy was spotted in a Marvel Studios project: May Parker's grave. Peter brings flowers to his aunt throughout the movie and keeps her up to date about his life. Happy never shows up, though, Peter doesn't seem to be keeping tabs on him, either.
Flash Thompson
Ned can't shake the feeling that Spider-Man is someone he knew in high school, since the hero saved him and his friends on several occasions. One of his top suspects is Flash Thompson, who didn't get along with many people at Midtown School of Science and Technology.
Despite attending MIT with Ned and MJ, Flash doesn't show up in Brand New Day. Well, that's not totally true. His picture appears on Ned's Spider-Man wall in his apartment, which makes Peter laugh when he stumbles upon it during a house party.
Betty Brant
Midtown recruited the best and brightest. Betty Brant was one of the school's biggest success stories, as she caught the journalism bug and used her skills to tell stories. All her hard work paid off, with her landing a job at the Daily Bugle, which gave her a platform to report on Spider-Man's identity.
Betty and Ned had a summer fling in Marvel Studios' Far From Home. However, their feelings for each other must have fizzled out entirely after high school because he doesn't mention her at all in Brand New Day. Betty also doesn't pop up in any news reports, leaving the status of her career up in the air.
J. Jonah Jameson
The person who unmasked Spider-Man to the entire world in Far From Home's post-credits scene was none other than J. Jonah Jameson, played by J.K. Simmons. Jameson returned in No Way Home, remaining on standby to report on all of the Wall-Crawler's mistakes. He delivered an especially scathing report after May's death that hit Peter like a ton of bricks.
Spider-Man spent the years leading up to Brand New Day cleaning up his image. By the time the movie starts, he's New York's golden boy, even earning the key to the city. Jameson is probably still posting stories about how much of a menace his nemesis is. But it seems like far fewer people care about them than before.
Roger Harrington
Peter and his friends went on their fair share of field trips while attending Midtown. On every one, they were accompanied by Roger Harrington, their science teacher. Roger last appeared in No Way Home, when Peter returned to school for the first time after being unmasked.
With everyone in college now, Brand New Day has no place for Harrington. All he gets is a quick shout-out from Ned, who believes his former mentor could be the city's greatest hero.
