‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Adapts the Marvel Comics Story That Introduced Morbius in 1971

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The 2022 movie Morbius was a critical and commercial failure, but the comic series Spider-Man: Brand New Day is surprisingly revisiting the character’s backstory. Jared Leto’s Morbius didn’t do well in theaters and is mostly remembered for the jokes and memes it inspired. The series of Sony films featuring Spider-Man villains – often called the ‘villain-verse’ – appears to be over. However, Brand New Day seems determined to draw from these past stories as it continues the narrative from 2021’s No Way Home.

The current popular image of the Marvel vampire, Morbius, is unfortunately well-known for negative reasons. However, Morbius was originally well-received when he first appeared in a classic Spider-Man comic book in October 1971. The upcoming Brand New Day movie clearly draws heavily from that 54-year-old storyline. While Brand New Day isn’t a direct remake of the original 1970s comic, its influence will be obvious. Plus, the previous Morbius film set expectations quite low, so Brand New Day has a good opportunity to be much better.

Peter’s Mutation Twist Is Taken From the Same ‘Spider-Man’ Story that Introduced Morbius


Sony Pictures

The trailer for the new Spider-Man movie, Brand New Day, reveals significant changes for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. The spider bite he received in Homecoming continues to affect him, making him even more like a spider over time. The biggest change fans are discussing is his ability to create organic webbing, a power previously seen in Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man films. However, this isn’t a new idea – it actually originated in a 1971 Marvel comic book storyline called the Six Arms Saga. While inspired by that classic story, Brand New Day is still introducing its own unique twists.

Peter Parker is at a low point and wants to give up being Spider-Man. He tries to create a serum to remove his powers, but it unexpectedly makes his condition worse, causing him to grow four extra arms. The story introduces Morbius as a potential fix, with an enzyme from his blood offering a way to reverse Peter’s mutations. We learn about Morbius’s origins through flashbacks during this storyline. The 2022 Morbius movie borrowed elements from this backstory, but left Spider-Man out of the picture. Now, with Brand New Day, the creators are doing the reverse – using the same Spider-Man story but removing Morbius.

‘Spider-Man’s Six Arms Saga Had Already Been Adapted Before ‘Morbius’ & ‘Brand New Day’

The second season of Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1996) adapted the Six Arms Saga remarkably well – it remains the most accurate version of the story. While some changes were made from the original comics, the core story remained intact. Like the Brand New Day storyline, the animated series portrays Peter Parker’s mutations as a delayed reaction to his initial spider bite. Notably, the animated Spider-Man actually develops six arms and continues to transform into a wild, monstrous form called Man-Spider – something that seems unlikely to happen with Tom Holland’s version of the character, even if he were to gain extra limbs.

The animated Spider-Man series features Madame Web as part of the Six Arms Saga, a storyline that recently saw the character appear in a poorly received Sony film.

Originally called the “Neogenic Nightmare” arc in the 1990s animated series, this storyline adapts a comic book plot from 1971 and introduces Morbius, giving him a backstory similar to the original. However, the show toned down Morbius’s blood-sucking tendencies, as it was considered too frightening for younger viewers. Instead of drinking blood, he had strange openings in his hands that sucked plasma. Ironically, this new approach ended up being even more unsettling. Despite this change, this adaptation of the “Six Arms Saga” is still considered the most faithful and complete, largely because Spider-Man and Morbius were allowed to appear together on screen.

The Biggest Difference Between Peter’s Mutations in the Six Arms Saga & ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’


Sony Pictures

Beyond the fact that Peter isn’t physically transforming, there’s a major difference in how the mutation storyline is being presented now compared to the original comics. Essentially, the changes are portrayed as challenging but ultimately beneficial, with things like organic webbing being seen as a significant advantage. This is a contrast to the comics and Spider-Man: The Animated Series, where Peter actively wants to reverse his mutations and return to being a normal superhero, instead of a frightening spider-human hybrid.

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In Brand New Day, Holland’s character primarily focuses on adjusting to his changed condition. The story hasn’t indicated any attempt to undo the mutations, and they’re actually presented as a benefit to his work as a crime fighter, particularly since he’s no longer part of the Avengers. While the movie could potentially take a darker turn and explore the negative aspects of Peter’s transformation, the trailer doesn’t hint at that direction. However, I’d be excited if Spider-Man: Brand New Day incorporated the Man-Spider storyline – it could be really compelling if handled effectively.

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2026-03-22 01:18