A new Spider-Man 4 rumor has hinted at the darkest Spidey movie ever with Tom Holland's next web-slinging story. Spider-Man 4 (aka Spider-Man: Brand New Day) marks a new era for Marvel's wall-crawler, as it is the first MCU Spider-Man movie to be made without the director of the Spider-Man Home trilogy, Jon Watts, and the first where Holland's 20-something hero will be living under the guise of anonymity most Spidey stories find the hero working under.
Part of this new street-level story will reportedly see the web-head going up against Jon Bernthal's Punisher, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, the terrifying Scorpion (played by Michael Mando), and a myriad of unannounced villains. This is new territory for the iconic comic book character, all seemingly coming with a new tone to top it all off.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Spider-Man 4 will feature a significantly darker tone than the last three MCU Spider-Man movies.
The known scooper wrote that he had heard the movie's dark tone would mimic something like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 or the acclaimed Kraven's Last Hunt comic book storyline.
This could make Spider-Man: Brand New Day the darkest Spidey movie to date, incorporating more mature story elements and stakes than what Holland's typically teenage hero has seen on-screen.
Spider-Man 4 is due out on July 31, 2026, with production ongoing in Glasgow, Scotland. The new movie sees Tom Holland's wall-crawler growing up, leaving high school behind, and starting his life as New York City's full-time crime-fighting superhero. Holland will be joined by Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, and Michael Mando on its super-powered cast.
How Dark Could Spider-Man: Brand New Day Get?
While this 'dark tone' report likely does not mean Spider-Man 4 will come out looking like it was pulled out of the DC Snyderverse, it could get significantly more mature from where the MCU's Spider-Man story left off.
Yes, the previous three MCU Spider-Man films had dark moments, with scenes like Vulture's final battle with Peter in Homecoming or the Green Goblin's brutal murder of Aunt May in No Way Home. Still, it could go even deeper with this macabre tone if it wanted to.
Spider-Man has been a part of some dark stories in his over 60-year comic book history. Two of the character's darkest moments were mentioned in Richtman's Brand New Day report: Kraven's Last Hunt and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Kraven's Last Hunt sees Spidey at one of his darkest moments, as he embraces the evil power of the black Spider-Man suit and faces the ruthless Kraven the Hunter.
Meanwhile, TASM 2 saw the wall-crawler lose a loved one, and it adapted the devastating death of Gwen Stacy's storyline, which killed off his long-time love interest played by Emma Stone.
This probably means Holland's Spider-Man is about to be pushed to his limits in the new film, as that is often what spawns some of the character's moodiest and broodiest stories.
And with a terrifying actor/character combo like Michael Mando's Scorpion standing opposite Holland's Spidey in the new film, the movie feels primed to be darker than any MCU Spider-Man movie has ever been.
