Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in cinemas, bringing Peter Parker back to the big screen for the first time in five years. The film – directed by Destin Daniel Cretton – stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Florence Pugh, and sees Spidey take on a mysterious new threat which puts everyone in New York in danger.
Now, for those keeping track, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the 38th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And if you’ve watched any of the preview trailers for the film you’ll be aware that Spider-Man: Brand New Day contains more than one hero, as Spidey is joined by some familiar Marvel characters.
The inclusion of multiple heroes will certainly be a big draw for fans of the MCU, but it may cause a little bit of concern for general audiences. If you only watch an occasional entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or you sort of lost your way after Avengers: Endgame, are you expected to watch 37 previous movies and all the countless Marvel TV shows to understand what’s going on?
The simple answer is no. So, what should you watch?
As with most MCU movies, the films are essentially designed so that anyone can sit down and watch the latest entry without having to have seen anything that comes before. Similar to how comic books work, the films contain dialogue recaps and little pointers here and there, which fill in anything important that needs to be carried over from one film to another, to ensure each entry is as accessible as possible.
Now, that said, if you are planning on watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it is highly advisable to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) first. Brand New Day is a direct sequel to No Way Home, picking up on key plot points from its predecessor.
There is a specific story beat from No Way Home which runs through Brand New Day, and if you missed that film, you may not completely get the emotional impact of Peter Parker’s journey moving forward. Brand New Day focuses very heavily on Peter’s mental head space, and to really understand what he has been through it helps greatly to have watched No Way Home.
Outside of No Way Home, you don’t really need to watch any of the other films. You could follow Peter Parker’s journey in the MCU, which has so far included (in order) Captain America: Civil War (2015), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), but really it is just No Way Home that you should familiarise yourself with, if you already have a vague understanding of who Peter is and what his story is so far.
However, it is worth noting that because multiple Marvel characters appear in Brand New Day, you may want to consider additional MCU movies which feature key characters. There are four other Marvel heroes in the movie (one is a mystery character, not to be spoiled here), who all share a common theme with Peter Parker in Brand New Day, so if you want additional background information to understand their headspace, three extra entries in the MCU might help.
The three characters that can be openly mentioned are the Hulk, The Punisher, and Black Widow (aka Yelena Belova) as they’ve all been featured in the trailer or mentioned as appearing in the film. The fourth mystery character won’t be mentioned here because it is a spoiler, but you don’t need to do any homework, as their story is explained in Brand New Day.
So, what additional movies could you watch? Well, for the Hulk the advisable choice would be The Incredible Hulk (2008).
This film stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk, rather than Mark Ruffalo (who took on the role for all of the Hulk’s other appearances in the MCU), but this film is key to understanding the character. The Incredible Hulk deal’s with Banner’s loneliness, as well as his rage and the grief he experiences at the loss of his former life.
In terms of the Punisher, the character has appeared in multiple MCU television shows, including his own series, however his most recent appearance in the Disney+ TV special, The Punisher: One Last Kill, is all you need to watch. This 50-minute special gives you an idea of who Frank Castle/Punisher is, and why grief, trauma, and loneliness has shaped his life.
And then onto Black Widow who appears briefly in the film. You generally don’t need to know much about Yelena, but the film, Thunderbolts* (2025) will give you some background details on her character, her mental state, and her current status as a New Avenger.
To recap you have the following choices:
- Watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day on its own and take it as it is
- Watch Spider-Man: No Way Home and then Spider-Man: Brand New Day (the advisable choice)
- Watch The Incredible Hulk, The Punisher: One Last Kill, Thunderbolts*, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (not necessary, but an option)
__
__
Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a comment