Spider-Man is a major character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but writers face a key problem when portraying him. What makes Spider-Man so popular is his constant struggle to juggle his life as a superhero with his personal life – a theme that’s been central to almost every version of the character. However, this approach won’t quite work for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day storyline without some significant adjustments.
For a long time, a key part of Spider-Man’s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was keeping his identity secret. That changed at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home when Mysterio publicly revealed Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Spider-Man: No Way Home then explored the consequences of this reveal, leading Peter to seek Doctor Strange’s help and eventually resulting in the world forgetting Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Peter Parker’s Secret Identity Is Now A Problem
Although it was a good feeling that everyone forgot Peter Parker was Spider-Man at the end of No Way Home, it creates a big issue for future Spider-Man stories. The core reason Peter keeps his identity secret is to protect the people he cares about. In other Spider-Man comics and movies, Peter worries that villains like the Green Goblin will target his family and friends if they discover he’s Spider-Man, making the secret identity crucial for keeping them safe.
Following the events of No Way Home, the usual high stakes for Spider-Man are gone. Peter is completely alone, with no family or friends to protect. Since Aunt May is deceased and his former friends no longer know him, there’s no one for a villain to target. This creates a problem for the new story, Brand New Day, because it’s unclear why Peter would bother keeping his identity a secret when there’s no one left to protect.
One reason Peter keeps his identity a secret is to protect himself. If villains knew who he was, they could attack him anywhere – even when he’s just running errands or commuting. However, after everything that happened in No Way Home, Peter doesn’t really have a normal life anymore. This raises the question: what’s the point of keeping a secret identity if he’s always Spider-Man?
To maintain what makes Spider-Man so compelling, the movie needs to resolve this issue within the Brand New Day storyline. The fact that Peter Parker hides his identity as Spider-Man is central to the character, and the film needs to emphasize the risks associated with keeping that secret.
How The MCU Can Fix This Spider-Friends Problem
Aside from the anticipated appearances of the Punisher and Bruce Banner, details about the plot of the new Spider-Man movie are scarce. While the film is expected to resolve the issue of Spider-Man’s secret identity, how it will do so remains a mystery. The filmmakers have several options, and some approaches would be more effective than others.
The easiest fix for this problem would be to reverse the effects of the No Way Home spell in Brand New Day. If MJ and Ned remembered Peter, it would restore their friendship and make keeping his identity a secret important again. However, simply undoing the events of the last movie isn’t ideal. Resetting everything would feel unsatisfying and diminish the significance of No Way Home.
The most logical step for the next Spider-Man film is to introduce Peter Parker to some new friends. Bringing in Gwen Stacy, a significant character not yet seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, would be a great way to add drama and complexity. Alternatively, Black Cat could serve as a love interest, creating an engaging story based on their hidden identities if Peter isn’t ready for a relationship with a regular person.
A compelling idea would be to introduce Harry Osborn into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Ned no longer part of the story, the timing is right. This version of Harry could have a particularly interesting relationship with Peter, considering Peter’s previous encounter with Norman Osborn from the Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi. It would create tension, as Peter would be wary of Harry while also recognizing he’s different from the Osborns he already knows from another universe.
There are many ways the upcoming Brand New Day story could resolve this problem. Although it looks like Peter will team up with Frank Castle and Bruce Banner in the next movie, he also needs to build relationships with regular people he can trust and protect. This could involve the character played by Sadie Sink, or someone else entirely, but Peter needs to make some non-superpowered friends to help explain and justify keeping his identity a secret.
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2026-01-02 18:43