Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in theaters, which means that years of speculation regarding the film’s true villain, the identity of Sadie Sink’s mysterious character, how the film may set up Avengers: Doomsday, and more have finally come to an end.
In the months and years leading up to its release, fans picked apart every casting announcement, set photo, trailer detail, and cryptic comment for clues about what Marvel had planned for Tom Holland’s fourth solo adventure as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Some theories seemed almost too obvious to be true, while others grew increasingly elaborate as fans attempted to connect Brand New Day to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now that the movie has finally arrived, however, there is an opportunity to look back at those predictions with the benefit of hindsight. Which fan theories managed to accurately predict the movie’s biggest twists, and which ones turned out to be nothing more than wishful thinking?
From speculation surrounding Sink’s role to theories about the film’s villains, its connections to the multiverse, and its potential impact on the MCU’s next major crossover, there was no shortage of possibilities for fans to debate.
With Brand New Day now revealing what Marvel was actually planning, it’s time to revisit some of the most popular theories surrounding the movie and determine just how close fans came to figuring it all out before Spider-Man swung back onto the big screen.
10
Venom’s Symbiote Will Play a Role in the Movie
One popular fan theory posited that Venom’s symbiote would somehow appear in the film. The post-credits scene for Venom: Let There Be Carnage teased a clash between Venom and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man that had yet to happen, and trailers indicating an evolution in Spider-Man’s powers had fans speculating that the Symbiote may underlie this change.
Clear to anyone who has seen Brand New Day, this fan theory was far from accurate. Neither Venom nor the Symbiote appear in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s film in any form. It appears that Venom’s involvement in Brand New Day was more aspirational than probable. However, given the Symbiote’s first appearance came in the original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars comic run, it is possible that Spider-Man may don the iconic black suit sooner rather than later on the big screen.
9
Mister Negative is One of the Movie’s Villains
Much of the speculation leading up to Spider-Man: Brand New Day pertained to the identity of the its main villain. After a devilish logo was spotted on the set of the movie, a theory emerged that suggested Spidey would face off against Mister Negative and his Inner Demons in the film.
As Mister Negative surged in popularity in recent years given his role in Insomniac’s Spider-Man game, some fans thought the villain would be a logical choice for an antagonist in Brand New Day. This, however, did not come to fruition. Mister Negative is nowhere to be found in the new film and there is little in the way of hints or hidden Easter eggs to suggest that he exists somewhere in New York City at this time.
8
The Jackal is the Main Bad Guy
Another villain many thought could play a role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was The Jackal. To date, The Jackal is one of the more prominent and well-known Spidey villains that has yet to make the transition from comic book villain to big-screen antagonist.
The Jackal’s role as the bad guy of Brand New Day was further theorized given the film’s inclusion of Empire State University, the same academic institution that The Jackal’s alter ego Miles Warren worked at, and a suggestion that his experimentation on Peter Parker’s DNA was what triggered the mutagenic transformation. Like Mister Negative, however, The Jackal is absent from Brand New Day, despite much fan speculation.
7
Daredevil Will Team Up with Spider-Man and The Punisher
Fans have long yearned for a team-up between the friendly neighborhood web-slinger and the man without fear after Matt Murdock made a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Given that both Daredevil and Spider-Man fight crime in New York City, fans speculated that the two may join forces in the new Spidey film, although this ultimately did not come to fruition.
That being said, there are suggestions of Daredevil’s existence sprinkled throughout Brand New Day. Sheila Rivera, Wilson Fisk’s former campaign director from Daredevil: Born Again, appears in the film as the mayor of New York City who grants Spider-Man the key to the city. Another point in the film features a campaign poster for Wilson Fisk in the background. So, although Daredevil does not appear on-screen in Brand New Day, fans were not wrong in guessing that the world in which he inhabits would encroach upon Spidey’s story in the new movie.
6
Doctor Strange’s Spell Protects Spider-Man’s Identity
One of the more intricate fan theories ahead of Brand New Day suggested that Doctor Strange’s memory-wipe spell created a multiversal blind spot in which Peter is undetectable to foreign realities and shielded from timeline incursions. This was thought to explain why a powerful mutant, such as the one played by Sadie Sink, would be able to know who Spider-Man really is.
Brand New Day neither confirms nor denies this particular fan theory. While it is certainly possible that people from other universes are unable to detect Peter Parker, the story remains so grounded and street-level that there is never an opportunity to see if this is really the case.
5
Spider-Man is Powering Up to Face Doctor Doom
Another fan theory that is neither confirmed nor denied in Spider-Man: Brand New Day pertains to Spider-Man’s broader role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some fans posited that Peter’s development of new powers, including organic webbing and heightened animal instincts, were happening in order to give him the boost in power he needs to face off against Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.
Brand New Day concludes with Peter having greater control over his new powers, which means he may very well be in a better position now to defeat Doom. But everyone will have to wait until Avengers: Doomsday and perhaps Avengers: Secret Wars to see if this fan theory was accurate.
4
Parker is Becoming Man-Spider
One of the most prominent theories explaining why Spider-Man develops new abilities in Brand New Day suggested that Spidey was transforming into Man-Spider. Some fans even posited that Peter’s isolation and trauma from losing May would be the precursor to him transforming into Man-Spider. The trailers heavily pointed to the film exploring how Peter grappled with the loss of May and everyone he loved, and the Man-Spider transformation would have been the ultimate byproduct of such anguish.
This theory wasn’t entirely off base, although Spider-Man did not ultimately become Man-Spider. Indeed, challenges with his mental health surrounding Strange’s memory-wipe spell and the loss of May led him to develop his new abilities, but the creative team exercised restraint in not having Tom Holland turn into a full-blown spider.
3
Brand New Day Will Crossover with Thunderbolts*
Some fans predicted that Spider-Man: Brand New Day would take place at the same time as and crossover with the events of Thunderbolts*. Footage from the trailers depicted Spidey swinging through a dark New York City skyline that bared a resemblance to the New York City skyline in the third act of Thunderbolts*. And, of course, both Brand New Day and Thunderbolts* take place in NYC.
While this theory missed the mark in suggesting that both films occurred at the same time, Brand New Day technically does crossover with Thunderbolts* as the film’s protagonist, Yelena Belova, appears in two scenes in the new Spidey movie.
2
Avengers: Doomsday Will Be Teased in a Post-Credits Scene
The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is purposefully ambiguous and bound to generate immense speculation in the months leading up to Avengers: Doomsday. The scene in question shows the symbol of Spider-Man in Ned’s Spidey-Tracker app drift away from Earth and into space, perhaps into the multiverse.
Given that Avengers: Doomsday takes place in multiple universes and that it is the next Marvel movie to be released, it is highly likely that this post-credits scene is teeing up Spider-Man’s role in the upcoming film. Which multiversal version of Spider-Man who could appear in Doomsday, however, feels less clear.
1
Sadie Sink is Playing Jean Grey
Easily the most prominent fan theory about Spider-Man: Brand New Day was that Sadie Sink was playing Jean Grey and those who have seen the movie or glanced at social media in recent days will know that this theory was spot on.
The inclusion of the Stranger Things alum with naturally red hair in the Spidey film immediately led fans to speculate that she would be taking on the role of Jean Grey in the MCU. William Metzger, a known anti-mutant activist in Marvel comics, featuring in the movie only seemed to increase the likelihood that Jean Grey would appear. This theory was confirmed to be accurate as Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey plays an integral role in Brand New Day, particularly in the film’s dramatic third act.
Although many of the theories about Spider-Man: Brand New Day thrown out in the wilderness that is social media were wildly off-base, a key few, namely Sink’s role as Jean Grey, were spot on.
