Marvel Studios officially set up Spider-Man's return to space, and it may happen this year. Tom Holland's Spider-Man became the first live-action web-slinger to go to space over eight years ago in Avengers: Infinity War, a moment that the actor himself hilariously spoiled on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Back then, the MCU's Peter Parker was just 16 years old, roughly six years younger than he is now in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which set up the web-slinger's next space adventure.
Warning - This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day didn't feature a shocking cameo from Tobey Maguire's Peter 2 or Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom after the credits, but, as always, there was a surprise waiting for fans. The stinger focused on Ned Leeds' Spidey Tracker app glitching out as it recognized a new Spider-Man sighting out in space, millions of miles away, and well past the moon.
Why Spider-Man Is In Space In 'Brand New Day' Post-Credits Scene
Spider-Man: Brand New Day confirmed that "Spider-Man will return," but Marvel Studios kept it intentionally vague whether that will be in Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, or Spider-Man 5 - the answer to which is likely all three.
While fans have previously heard that Tom Holland is being sidelined for Doomsday due to his Brand New Day commitments, another web-slinger is poised to keep his suit warm for the time being. The legendary Maguire will reportedly appear in Avengers 5 in a minor role that sees his universe face an Incursion.
As there's nothing to say that Spidey Tracker is specifically identifying Earth-616's Spider-Man, it might make more sense to be hinting at Maguire's comeback. It's only logical that Marvel Studios would use its last theatrical post-credits scene before Doomsday lands on December 18 to the Multiverse-ending blockbuster.
Brand New Day may have used Spidey Tracker as a visual to signify that the Earth from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is on a collision course with Earth-616. Of course, that theory has some flaws, and rumors suggest that the RaimiVerse will suffer an Incursion with the Fox X-Men universe that is returning in Doomsday, not Earth-616, as the end of the Multiverse looms.
There have been several other prevalent theories for why Spider-Man is in space, such as a well-intentioned TVA abduction to set up Secret Wars, Spidey making his way to Battleworld, or a looming clash with the Symbiote king Knull.
Usually, Ned Leeds' Spidey Tracker relies on reports and sightings from the app's New York-based users, none of which are likely to be in space. Marvel Studios may just be using the app as a visual to hint at Spidey's space trip, but it's fun to imagine Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool logging in to report a sighting at the height of the Multiversal mayhem if he appears in Doomsday or Secret Wars.
What We Know About Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars' Connection To Spider-Man: Brand New Day
For the most part, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a rather standalone film focused on advancing the character arc of Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Once the credits roll, there is no inkling that Spider-Man is going away to face Doctor Doom or any kind of Multiversal threat beyond Spidey Tracker's cryptic space tease.
Unless he makes a surprise cameo toward the end or, more likely, in the post-credits scene, Holland will be getting the Ant-Man and Hawkeye treatment by missing out on the first half of the two-part Avengers epic. Fortunately, audiences will still have a little Spider-Man to look forward to through Tobey Maguire, but it seems neither will take on another leading role until Avengers: Secret Wars.
Scooper Daniel Richtman previously claimed that the two Spider-Men will both have a "major role" in next year's Doomsday follow-up. Holland isn't the only Brand New Day star expected to appear in Secret Wars after missing out on Doomsday, as Sadie Sink's Jean Grey is reportedly tagging along for the ride.
Perhaps the MCU will adapt the Life Raft from 2015's Secret Wars event, which allowed the heroes on board to survive the final Multiversal Incursion and land on Doctor Doom's Battleworld with their memories intact. By contrast, the others who landed on the patchwork reality, created by Doom from the Multiverse's remnants, had no recollection of a time before God Emperor Doom.
Brand New Day's post-credits scene may hint at Holland's Peter 1 being among those plucked away onto the Life Raft, possibly alongside Peter 2 and Jean Grey. Such a vessel could be crafted by the TVA or by Tom Hiddleston's Loki, setting up the surviving heroes to lead the charge against Doctor Doom.
If Sink is back for Secret Wars before the MCU's X-Men reboot, the sibling-esque bond that she formed with Peter Parker before the credits rolled could be explored further, as well as her newly-realized immense telepathic and telekinetic power.
Jean wasn't the only one who left Brand New Day with new superpowers, as Spider-Man's organic webbing and enhanced strength from his recent mutation seem to be sticking around. It would be fun to see Maguire and Holland reunited in Secret Wars, especially now that they can bond over organic webbing.
