All 8 Marvel Characters In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Ranked By Power Level

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Credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images

Published Aug 2, 2026, 8:43 PM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.Spider-Man: Brand New Day is filled with Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, both old and new, and the film explains how their power levels differ. Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies and Peter Parker's adventures with the avengers have shown that he is one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he evolves to his highest level yet.

Spider-Man is not the only Marvel character who gets a sizable power boost in the movie. The cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day features heroes like Jon Bernthal's Punisher, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, and a huge debut. That is, of course, Stranger Things star Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, debuting before the MCU X-Men movie.

As can be seen from that list, this is one of the MCU movies with the most Marvel heroes, and there are multiple with powers. Adding to that, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also a movie where several villains appear. That said, many of those only have a cameo role in the film. As such, it is hard to know exactly what their power level is in the MCU.

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Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?

AAvengers: Age of Ultron BCaptain America: Civil War CSpider-Man: Homecoming DAvengers: Infinity War

✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.

✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?

AThe Vulture (Adrian Toomes) BThe Shocker (Herman Schultz) CThe Scorpion (Mac Gargan) DThe Tinkerer (Phineas Mason)

✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.

✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.

Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?

AFriday BEdith CKaren DJocasta

✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.

✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?

AWilliam Ginter Riva BAldrich Killian CJustin Hammer DQuentin Beck

✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.

✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.

In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?

AThat Spider-Man killed Mysterio in cold blood BThat Spider-Man is Peter Parker CThat Spider-Man is a Skrull impersonator DThat Spider-Man commanded the drone attack on London

✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.

✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.

With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?

AWong BWanda Maximoff CDoctor Strange DKarl Mordo

✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.

✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.

Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?

ANed Leeds BFlash Thompson CHarry Osborn DMiles Morales

✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.

✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”

At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?

AIt sends Peter to an alternate universe where no one knows him BIt erases Spider-Man from existence entirely CIt removes Peter’s spider powers permanently DIt makes everyone in every universe forget who Peter Parker is

✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.

✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.

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However, they are worth including, and other antagonists make up for those characters' smaller roles. All in all, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has quite a few powerful characters who stand on the MCU's top shelf. These are the most powerful players in the latest Spider-Man movie to star Holland as Peter Parker, ranked by their power level:

8 Minor Spider-Man Villains

First up are the smaller Spider-Man villains. Spider-Man: Brand New Day features a fast-paced montage to show what Peter has been up to in the years that followed Spider-Man: No Way Home. That is where we see Spider-Man taking on characters like Tarantula, Boomerang, Ramrod, the Hand, and Tombstone. Of those villains, the final two are the most powerful of the bunch.

That said, Tombstone would most likely defeat Tarantula, Boomerang, and Ramrod, though Lonnie Lincoln was barely in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so he does not get his own entry on the list. As for the Hand, while the ninja clan gets an extended fight sequence with Spider-Man towards the end of the movie, showing how powerful and coordinated they are, the villains were controlled by Jean Grey, so they remain as the most powerful of the minor villains.

7 The Punisher

Bernthal's Punisher has no powers, which puts him at a disadvantage in a huge movie like Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Frank Castle himself and Holland's Peter Parker note this when the Punisher decides to search for Jean instead of fighting the Hulk. That said, he shoots at the Hulk, briefly engages Spider-Man, and so on.

While some might make a case for Yelena also being powerless, like the Punisher, the latter has to finish higher than Bernthal's MCU hero. The reason for that is simple, as Yelena is the leader of the MCU's New Avengers, dealing with "high potatoes," as she puts it in the film, or large-scale conflicts. The Punisher is a more grounded Marvel hero, and he does not have Black Widow training.

6 Yelena Belova

Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova looks confused in Thunderbolts*

Talking about her, Pugh's Yelena has to be the next one on the list. Every Marvel hero or villain above her in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day list either has powers or is enhanced. Yelena was officially made the MCU's new Black Widow, replacing her sister, Scarlet Johansson's Natasha Romanoff, in the role in the new Spider-Man movie. She is a major Avengers character.

While Yelena does not fight anyone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, only helping Spider-Man with investigative work, we know exactly where her power level lies after watching MCU projects like Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thunderbolts*. With her agility, weapons proficiency, expert hand-to-hand skills, and improvisational techniques, Yelena would likely beat the Punisher in a straight fight.

5 Scorpion

Michael Mando's Mac Gargan finally returned to the MCU for the first time since 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The shared universe allowed him to embody his Scorpion persona from the comics, using the same kind of high-tech Scorpion suit that his animated counterpart wore in the Disney+ Marvel series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Scorpion is the Spider-Man villain with the most amount of screen time in Holland's latest MCU solo movie. While he appears in the same quick montage with characters like Tombstone and Tarantula, Mando's Marvel villain also shows up later in the film. While he was mind-controlled by Jean Grey, Scorpion gave Spider-Man a hard time. The advanced armor makes him strong, unpredictable, and hard to fight for characters without powers.

4 Sara Grey

Olivia Booth-Ford's Sara Grey might not have lived long in the MCU, but she made her presence felt in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Besides being the reason why Jean was throwing everything and everyone she could find at Damage Control, we learn in a flashback sequence that Sara, being the older sister of the X-Men hero, was the one to teach Jean how to use her powers.

Sara did not seem to have a problem with using her mind-control powers to jump bodies. When she appeared in the Marvel movie, Sara Grey had already tested her powers to the point where she was well aware of the limits to mind-control. Given that her powers are similar to Jean's, she has to rank higher than everyone who came before her on the list.

3 Spider-Man

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is all about Holland's Peter Parker accepting that his life was changing and that he had two sides, Peter and Spider-Man, that had to live in harmony. Spider-Man was already quite powerful, but as his DNA fully mutates towards the end of the Marvel movie, we get to see Peter receive a major power boost.

Holland's Spider-Man is now stronger, faster, and has organic webbing, just like Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. Additionally, he is one of the MCU's most intelligent characters, crafting a universal inhibitor that lets Peter defeat Jean Grey, who has more raw power than him. Spider-Man also held his own against the Hulk for a decent time.

2 Jean Grey

Credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images

Spider-Man: Brand New Day's most talked-about character, Sink's Jean Grey, is the 2nd most powerful Marvel hero or villain in the MCU movie. Jean is shown to be a menace if she wants to throughout the movie. She can mind-control everyone but Spider-Man, seeing whatever she wants in their minds and forcing them to do whatever she pleases. This leads to exciting fights and dark moments.

While Spider-Man manages to place the universal inhibitor on Jean, the character gets a major power boost in Spider-Man: Brand New Day's ending. Learning that her sister, Sara, had been tortured to death as she was experimented on by Damage Control, Jean pushes herself to the height of her skills, unlocking telekinesis. Other feats of power include keeping Peter breathing until his life was out of danger and paralyzing a sizable portion of New York City.

1 The Hulk

While many might think that Sink's Jean Grey is the most powerful Marvel character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is the one to sit at the top of the list. The Hulk has always been one of the MCU's most powerful characters, and in this movie, the Savage Hulk makes a return, with the hero fighting Spider-Man and the Punisher after destroying Damage Control's headquarters.

Besides going back to his strongest version, leaving Smart Hulk behind, the Hulk stands at the top of the list because he was the only character who Holland's Spider-Man fought and did not win. While Peter held his own against the Hulk for a time, the original Avenger was too much for him to handle. Their fight ended with Peter reaching out to Bruce Banner within the Hulk, with the character choosing to let himself fall from the building. Due to those factors, the Hulk is the most powerful character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.