Spider-Man: Brand New Day is going to take the web-slinging franchise to a place it has never been before, specifically doing something that Tobey Maguire's three movies weren't able to, as well as Andrew Garfield's two. After it is released in theaters on July 31, Brand New Day will likely become one of the year's biggest financial hits and could shake up the future of the MCU for good. The upcoming movie will introduce many elements never seen in any Spider-Man movie before, making Brand New Day one of the most anticipated superhero releases in a long time.
Based on the film's trailers, other marketing, and information released about what it will include, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be the first Spider-Man movie in history in which major villains will not be traditional Spider-Man antagonists from the comics, but instead characters/organizations most often affiliated with a different superhero. Brand New Day is expected to feature many bad guys, but only a few are typically designated Spider-Man villains, and those could be the ones with the least screentime.
For example, Brand New Day will showcase characters such as the Hulk and Sadie Sink's Jean Grey in antagonistic roles. Neither of those characters is normally depicted as a villain (Jean is sometimes, but she is mostly shown as a hero), let alone as a Spider-Man villain.
Similarly, Brand New Day will also incorporate other characters, such as Tramell Tillman's William Metzger, an anti-Mutant activist, as well as full villain organizations, such as the Hand, a popular antagonist in Netflix's Defenders continuity.
Notably, none of those characters have any history as Spider-Man villains, making Brand New Day the first Spidey flick in history with antagonists of that kind.
For example, Tobey Maguire's first film featured two major villains: Green Goblin, often recognized as one of the most popular and well-known Spider-Man villains, and the carjacker who shot and killed Uncle Ben.
In Maguire's Spider-Man 2, the main villain was Otto Octavius (aka Doc Ock), another Spider-Man villain who has always been described as such.
Then, in Spider-Man 3, there were three main villains, but they were still known as Spider-Man villains. Those included Sandman, Harry Osborn, and Venom.
Andrew Garfield's two Amazing Spider-Man films only feature Spider-Man villains as their main antagonists. For instance, the first movie's main bad guy was the Lizard, with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 showcasing Electro and Harry Osborn.
It is worth noting that Rhino also appeared in that franchise. He didn't have a substantial role and likely wouldn't be considered a main villain, but even so, Rhino is a Spider-Man villain.
It is worth noting that Maguire and Garfield's movies didn't have a choice about the types of villains they included. Sony didn't have the rights to non-Spider-Man characters, so those movies couldn't just throw whoever they wanted to in there. They had to be Spider-Man villains or characters, because those are the only names Sony could legally use.
However, this is also the first time any of Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies have featured major villains who aren't classified as Spider-Man villains. Homecoming showcased Vulture, Far From Home centered around Mysterio, and then No Way Home brought back all those classic villains from Maguire and Garfield's movies.
This is crucial because Marvel Studios hasn't had its hands tied as Sony did. Holland's movies could have included other villains, but a specific decision was made not to.
Other Ways Brand New Day Will Be Different Than Maguire & Garfield's Movies
Mechanical to Organic Web Shooters
One major aspect of Spider-Man: Brand New Day teased in the movie's trailers is that, at some point in the film, Peter Parker will undergo molecular changes that alter his physical and genetic makeup.
One side effect of this change will be that he will no longer need the mechanical web shooters he created himself. Instead, Peter will be able to shoot webs organically from his wrists.
Interestingly, this will be the first time a Spider-Man movie has featured a character changing from mechanical to organic. Maguire always had organic webs, never building web shooters of any kind. On the other hand, Garfield's Spider-Man only ever used mechanical web shooters.
Peter Being Without Aunt May
Marisa Tomei's Aunt May was killed in Spider-Man: No Way Home, so Peter Parker will have to navigate life without her for the first time in not only the MCU but in any Spider-Man movie. This will likely be a major part of Brand New Day's story, as Aunt May has always been an important part of Peter's life.
Aunt May lived through all three of Maguire's films, and she was around for both of Garfield's movies. Therefore, this will be the first time fans will see Peter Parker without Aunt May. It will likely be heartbreaking, but it will add a new layer to a Spider-Man movie that has never been there before.
No Harry Osborn
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will also still not introduce fans to a Harry Osborn character, at least as revealed so far about the film. It is always possible that Marvel Studios could throw Harry in there as a surprise, but it seems like the upcoming flick already has enough to juggle, so adding Harry to everything else would likely make things confusing.
If Brand New Day doesn't introduce Harry Osborn as a character, this will continue the trend of Holland's Spider-Man films not including Harry, whereas Maguire and Garfield's movies included Harry as a major character and plot device.
Fans assume that Harry will have to be introduced at some point, but Holland can't play Spider-Man forever, so time is seemingly winding down.
