The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly putting out new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The next highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will arrive late July. And director Destin Daniel Cretton recently made some comments about the blockbuster that seem to be about Zendaya's storyline. Let's break it all down.
Cretton's movie will finally continue the narrative of Tom Holland's Peter Parker after Spider-Man: No Way Home's twist ending. Doctor Strange's spell wiped the entire world's memories of Peter, including MJ and Ned. While appearing at the Deadline Contenders TV Panel (via Twitter) the filmmaker teased what's coming with that blockbuster, offering:
I’m really excited with the small test screenings and how it’s connecting with an audience. Of course, it’s a big blockbuster, it’s super fun, it’s got all the heart and humor that you want from a Spider-Man movie. But, at its core, it’s a movie about relearning how to connect with people, and I’m really excited to put it out in the world right now.
Well, color me intrigued. In these trying times, the message of reconnecting with people might be a powerful one for Marvel fans when they sit down to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But I assume that the Shang-Chi director is referencing both Zendaya's MJ and Jacob Batalon's Ned in these comments. After all, Tom Holland's hero is currently living without any loved ones, which must be a lonely existence.
The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer shows the title character living his new life, void of any loved ones. He's shown monitoring MJ and Ned on social media, and even showing up as their neighbor. Unfortunately, they've got no memories of Peter, which looks super painful for Holland's hero. As a reminder, you can check out the first trailer below:
Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know how important both Ned and MJ were to Peter Parker throughout the first three Spider-Man flicks. The latter is both his friend and romantic interest, with Zendaya and Tom Holland's real-life relationship helping to make their chemistry especially palpable. And their goodbye in No Way Home was a tragedy, with Peter sacrificing his support system in order to keep them safe from villains.
I can't wait to see how this story plays out in the new movie and if MJ is able to get her memories back. The trailer shows them coming face to face, but maybe Peter is merely telling her about the spell. Only time will tell.
All will be revealed when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully, we get more footage soon, as fans have countless questions about what Destin Daniel Cretton has up his sleeve for the project.
