Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened worldwide on July 31, picking up after the events of No Way Home, in which the entire world forgot Peter Parker’s identity. Parker has not told his friends the truth and instead watches them through social media while obsessively catching criminals to fill the void.
His DNA is also changing, becoming increasingly spider-like. His senses sharpen, his emotions run high, and web shoots from his wrists rather than mechanical gadgets, forcing him to relearn old skills. During a fight with Scorpion he nearly kills a police officer.
The telepathic villain
A mysterious villain appears in the city, a telepath who can possess and control people and who repeatedly targets the Department of Damage Control. Spider-Man is the only person the telepath cannot possess. When she enters his mind she finds herself in the middle of a conversation with Aunt May, and Parker forces her out.
The villain then threatens MJ to pressure Parker. He brings her to the Punisher’s hideout for safety, the only ally he can think of aside from Yelena Belova, who has set up an office in a swimming pool. MJ finds an old letter from Peter explaining his past, his feelings, and the spell that erased everyone’s memory. She acknowledges she may have loved him once but says she does not know him now, and no warm reunion follows.
Jean Grey revealed
Parker builds two power-suppressing devices, one for himself to control his changing DNA and one for the villain, who is revealed to be Jean Grey. She is about to attack the Department of Damage Control when Spider-Man arrives, only to find Bruce Banner also there. Under Grey’s control, Banner removes his own device, turns into the Hulk, and fights Spider-Man. Parker manages to subdue him at great cost.
In a second confrontation Parker attaches the suppressor to Grey, the Department captures her, and she is sent to prison. It then emerges that the Department’s own leadership are the true villains: they previously seized Grey’s sister and drove her to her death, and now want to use a new telepath as a weapon.
The ending
Parker rushes to help Grey, but she does not need it. She breaks free, puts part of New York into a trance, and turns Hand ninja against Spider-Man. Parker is losing until he accepts himself, removes his device, and makes peace with his transformed body and new powers. He reaches Grey and, instead of fighting, they share their pain. Parker opens his mind to her, and she finds herself with Aunt May, who tells her that even the strongest person should not be alone and must find people who support them for who they are, not for their abilities. Parker then promises to be there for Grey.
The Punisher, seeing the anomaly over the city, shoots Grey with a sniper rifle. Spider-Man senses it and takes the bullet himself. He wakes in hospital; Grey has healed his wounds using her powers and left New York, likely to find other mutants. The Punisher sits in his room, apologises for the shot, and cannot hold back tears.
Before the credits Parker approaches Ned in a cafe, gives his real name, and begins their handshake from earlier films. Ned unconsciously continues it and appears to genuinely remember his old friend.
Post-credits scene
Ned’s app, the Spidey Tracker, searches for Spider-Man across New York but cannot locate him. The camera pulls back beyond Earth, and the words “Location found” appear in space, suggesting the scene is setting up Spider-Man’s role in Avengers: Secret Wars.
