The day is finally here. Almost five years after the killer cliffhanger of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker is back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s a film we’ve all been not just looking forward to, but looking forward to finding out how it ties to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What secrets does it contain? Does it deliver on those promises? Let’s dive in with full spoilers. Be warned.
The biggest question going into Spider-Man: Brand New Day is who the hell is Sadie Sink playing? Her red hair suggested Mary Jane Watson. Her powers suggested Jean Grey. Both seemed a little too obvious. And, interestingly enough, the character’s identity is a mystery in the film too, up until Spider-Man gets a photo of her. Then he searches his databases to reveal that, drumroll please, she is, in fact, Jean Grey. Jean Grey, of course, is one of the most famous and powerful X-Men in the Marvel Universe and, by putting her in this film, Brand New Day becomes not just a Spider-Man sequel; it’s also an X-Men prequel. Jean exhibits incredible powers, and while we at first think she’s evil, we soon learn she’s just desperately searching for her sister Sara Grey (RIP—we told you this was full spoilers). Jean is troubled but has a huge heart and, by the end, she and Peter have each saved each other’s lives, and she’s on a bus driving towards (what we assume is meant to be) upstate New York. Could she be headed to Westchester and Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters? We’ll have to wait and see. (Side note: The reveal could possibly explain why Marvel Studios didn’t reveal any X-Men casting at San Diego Comic-Con. Clearly, Jean Grey is a big part of that, and they wanted to keep this secret safe.) Jean Grey in the trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Sony So Sadie Sink is Jean Grey and Brand New Day is the next step in the MCU’s version of the X-Men. Got it. In terms of other MCU connections, Brand New Day also does a good job of attempting to explain why Spider-Man isn’t a part of some other New York-set MCU stories, like Daredevil: Born Again or Thunderbolts. He gets some help from Yelena (Florence Pugh) who calls his activities “small potatoes” compared to the New Avengers’ “big potatoes.” That’s the first time we’ve gotten almost a ranking of where Spider-Man stands after everyone in the original Avengers had their Peter Parker memories wiped. Since he’s no longer a known quantity to everyone else, he’s just a kid helping people around the city. For now, at least.
