Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been in theaters for two weeks now, and even as the fanfare begins to die down, it’s evident this movie is a game changer not only for the Spider-Man movies but also the MCU overall. In an era of the MCU in which so many projects have struggled to land with audiences or have been met with mixed reception, Brand New Day truly stands out, and its glowing reviews, impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores (which currently sit at 89% with critics and a staggering 98% with audiences), and record-breaking box office performance make that clear.
Notably, though, the MCU’s Spider-Man movies were already among the best movies in the MCU. Sure, some audiences weren’t happy with the ‘fan service’ of Spider-Man: No Way Home, but for the most part, Marvel fans were thrilled to see all three live-action iterations of Spider-Man come together like that. Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home were perhaps not quite as good, but they were still solid movies.
Despite that fairly consistent success, though, there is one issue with the MCU’s Spider-Man movies that has been around since the beginning but has largely been ignored, likely because the movies as a whole are so popular and therefore are easier to forgive for many fans. However, after Brand New Day, this problem is impossible to ignore, and the MCU really should fix it moving forward.
Ned And MJ Aren’t As Fleshed Out As They Should Be
For as much as I love the MCU’s Ned and MJ, I have to admit that they really are not fully fleshed out characters. Beyond some comments about their respective home lives, and a very brief glimpse into Ned’s family with his Lola in No Way Home, for four whole movies now, there’s been a serious show-don’t-tell issue with these characters. But this isn’t just a writing flaw, either.
These movies have generally neglected Ned and MJ for years now, consistently developing them only in relation to their dynamic with Peter—that is, with Ned as Peter’s best friend and MJ as his love interest. Even in Brand New Day, when MJ and Ned no longer remember Peter and are off on their own, audiences don’t really get a look at them as separate characters. It’s all through the lens of Peter missing and watching them.
This is also a stark difference when compared to other Spider-Man movies, but arguably, it’s especially true compared to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man films. In those movies, both MJ and Harry are their own characters, in addition to being Peter’s girlfriend and best friend. Harry has an entire arc as Green Goblin, for example, and his relationship with his father is a massive part of the trilogy. Likewise, MJ is shown to have family tensions, a failing acting career, and myriad other plot details.
Brand New Day Is Still The MCU’s Best Spider-Man Movie So Far
Despite the fact that Brand New Day repeats this issue, it is, nevertheless, still the MCU’s best Spider-Man movie and perhaps the best Spider-Man movie overall. The emotional stakes, including what is revealed about Jean Grey, are incredibly high and feel genuinely profound. Peter’s journey also continues to be a compelling one, and overall, it feels like an intentionally-crafted narrative, which hasn’t always been true of the MCU, especially since Avengers: Endgame.
However, the MCU really should correct this issue going forward. Both the actors, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, and the characters, MJ and Ned, deserve to have these characters be fully fleshed out on screen, and the MCU has had more than enough time to do this. Unfortunately, it’s not clear how many more Spider-Man movies there will actually be in the MCU after Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but signs point to at least one more Spider-Man movie, which means one more chance to get these characters right.
- Release Date
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July 29, 2026
- Runtime
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145 minutes
- Writers
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Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
- Producers
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Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
