Most Popular Spider-Man: Brand New Day Theories Ranked From Least to Most Likely

Ahead of its release on July 31, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The new film from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings director Deston Daniel Cretton finds Tom Holland returning to web-slinging for the first time in five years since the critically acclaimed box office hit Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The story follows Peter Parker after the events of No Way Home, in which Doctor Strange’s spell made everyone forget who he is. As Peter tries to re-develop relationships with his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), he undergoes a surprising evolution of his powers as he faces off against a powerful new enemy threatening New York City.

Despite having two full-length trailers, several TV spots, a presentation at CinemaCon 2026, and a star-studded press tour rolling out worldwide, the new Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios release remains shrouded in mystery. Social media is flooded with theories about the identity of the true villain of the movie, who Sadie Sink is really playing, why Spider-Man’s powers appear to be evolving, how the film may set up the events of Avengers: Doomsday, and more.

As is almost always the case with theories on the internet, some of the speculation surrounding Spider-Man: Brand New Day certainly appears more well-founded and likely to be correct than others. Breaking down the most popular theories about the film from least to most likely may provide a bit more insight into what the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie will entail when it hits theaters next month.

10 Brand New Day Will Crossover With Thunderbolts*

One theory that emerged following the release of the film’s first trailer was that Spider-Man: Brand New Day would take place at the same time as and crossover with the events of Thunderbolts*.

Various images from the footage released so far depict Spidey as he swings through a dark New York City skyline that looks an awful lot like the New York City skyline in the third act of Thunderbolts*. In director Jake Schreier’s film, NYC’s sky was darkened when Bob (Lewis Pullman) turned into his destructive, shadowy alter-ego The Void and engulfed the city in sentient darkness.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as do most Spider-Man movies, takes place in New York City, the same city that the Thunderbolts fought off The Void and helped turn him back into Bob.

Ultimately, this theory seems fairly unlikely to be true as it largely relies on the fact that both stories take place in the same city. If similar logic were applied to other MCU stories, then Spider-Man would have appeared in Daredevil: Born Again, Daredevil would have appeared in The Punisher: One Last Kill, Jessica Jones would have appeared in Thunderbolts*, and so on.

The theory also seems unlikely as Tom Holland, Deston Daniel Cretton, and others have spoken at length about the desire to make Brand New Day a street-level Spider-Man story. While this claim is somewhat at odds with the various supernatural and superpowered entities at play in the trailers, having The Void show up as a secondary antagonist in the film would surely move it way beyond street-level threats.

9 Spider-Man Is Powering Up To Face Doctor Doom

Peter develops new powers in Brand New Day, including organic webbing and heightened animal instincts. The trailers depict Peter seeking out consultation from Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to help him navigate these changes, but one theory posits that Peter’s changes have ties to Doctor Doom.

Various people on social media have speculated that Spidey develops these new powers so that he can undergo a boost in power prior to facing off against Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. In turn, this would level the playing field somewhat between Doom and the Avengers.

A related theory suggests that Doctor Doom will use his powers to cure Peter of his new abilities, thus making Peter trust him and be indebted to him. In addition to Doom wearing the face of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, Peter would be placed in a difficult dilemma, if this theory stands true.

However, these theories have a number of holes in them. For starters, Tom Holland has not been officially announced as a member of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, meaning the film may not even feature an intersection of Spider-Man and Doctor Doom’s stories.

If Spider-Man does appear in Doomsday, it seems unlikely that the writers would work a massive plot in Brand New Day involving Spidey developing new powers just to service a plot line in Avengers: Doomsday.

Moreover, Doctor Doom ingratiating himself with the established heroes of the MCU may be a safe bet, but the idea that he would do so with Peter by curing him of his abilities is far-fetched. It is more likely that Doom employs such deception with heroes like Thor and Captain America, while Spider-Man learns how to live with his new powers come the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, rather than feel a need to cure them.

8 Venom's Symbiote Will Play A Role In The Movie

Fans have long wished to see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man face off against Venom, a clash some believe may be foreshadowed in Brand New Day.

The post-credits scene for Venom: Let There Be Carnage set up a battle between Venom and Spider-Man that has yet to come to fruition and was made unlikely by the apparent retcon in Venom: The Last Dance.

But some suspect that Spider-Man’s new powers may be the result of infection by the symbiote. The trailer depicts Spider-Man battle with Scorpion, the latter of whom became a host of the Venom symbiote in a 2005 comic run. Maybe Scorpion infects Spider-Man with the symbiote at the beginning of the movie, leaving him to reckon with a new host of abilities throughout the film.

Theories about Venom’s involvement in Brand New Day seem to be more aspirational than probable. There is far stronger evidence for other explanations of Spider-Man’s transformation that are covered in a later part of this article.

Additionally, the new powers that Spidey exhibits in the trailers do not map onto how the Venom symbiote is typically depicted. For instance, eyes that turn red and the ability to produce organic webbing have traditionally not been associated with the symbiote.

7 Mister Negative Is One Of The Movie's Villains

Much mystery surrounds the identity of Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s main villain, but some theories point to Mister Negative as the film’s primary antagonist.

This theory started when a devilish logo was spotted on the set of the movie, leading fans to speculate that Spidey would clash with Mister Negative and his gang of Inner Demons in the movie. Mister Negative also surged in popularity several years ago when he was positioned as a central villain in Insomniac’s Spider-Man game, meaning the creative team behind the new Spidey movie may wish to give the character his live-action debut.

While this theory isn’t entirely implausible, it lacks any amount of concrete evidence. A devilish logo on the set of the movie could be attributed to any number of things, including a Mister Negative easter egg or an entirely unrelated organization.

6 Doctor Strange's Spell Protects Spider-Man's Identity

Another theory ties back to the dramatic ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange’s memory-wide spell completely erased Peter Parker’s existence from everyone’s minds, including his loved ones.

Some Spidey fans speculate that Doctor Strange’s spell goes far deeper than human memory, however. Theories suggest that Strange created a multiversal blind spot in which Peter is undetectable to foreign realities and shielded from timeline incursions. This may explain why a powerful mutant, such as the one possibly played by Sadie Sink, is able to bypass Strange’s magic and know who Spider-Man really is.

This theory has a bit more credibility as it seems likely Brand New Day will delve into the intricacies of Doctor Strange’s memory-wipe spell more thoroughly than No Way Home did. While MJ and Ned have no memory of Peter Parker, others seem to know who he is, namely Sadie Sink’s mysterious character. Given that Brand New Day exists as one of the final movies in the Multiverse Saga and is the final MCU movie to release before Avengers: Doomsday, the creative team may take this opportunity to tie Spider-Man’s story to the multiverse more firmly.

5 Daredevil Will Team Up With Spider-Man And The Punisher

After Matt Murdock made a brief cameo as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have longed for a team-up between the friendly neighborhood web-slinger and the man without fear.

This theory runs into the same issue that the aforementioned Thunderbolts* crossover speculation did, which is that it is largely grounded in the fact that these characters exist in the same city.

However, The Punisher’s role in the movie and his pre-existing relationship with Daredevil suggests that there may be more to this theory. Coupled with Brand New Day aspiring to be a more street-level superhero movie and Daredevil representing Marvel’s street-level superheroes at their finest, the film may indeed feature a cameo from Daredevil.

Additionally, the trailers for Brand New Day show that Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), Wilson Fisk’s former campaign director, is now mayor of New York City. This means that Brand New Day is directly tying into events from the end of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, suggesting that the writers are clued in to what’s happening in New York City at this period in time.

4 The Jackal Is The Main Bad Guy

After eight live-action Spider-Man movies, The Jackal has yet to make the transition from comic book villain to big screen antagonist. This leaves The Jackal one of the most significant of Spider-Man’s foes to not appear in a live-action movie to date. As such, Deston Daniel Cretton and company may be eager to give him the time and attention he deserves.

The Jackal’s role as the hidden mastermind of Brand New Day is indicated more strongly by a theory that suggests he is experimenting on Peter Parker’s DNA and triggers the mutagenic transformation.

In the newest trailer, Peter wears a hoodie representing Empire State University (ESU), the same academic institution that The Jackal’s alter ego Miles Warren works at as a biochemist and professor.

Keith David’s narration in the first trailer discusses how spiders have vulnerable life cycles. This aligns with various comic stories in which The Jackal creates genetic anomalies and Spidey’s DNA mutates. David is confirmed to appear in Brand New Day, but who he is playing remains a mystery. Only David’s voice has featured in promotional footage so far, a strange decision given how such a notable talent his appearing in such a massive superhero movie.

3 Parker Is Becoming Man-Spider

Tons of fans have posited that Spider-Man’s new abilities are the beginning of his transformation into Man-Spider, a humanoid spider that would not be out of place in a David Cronenberg body horror movie.

The powers that Spidey exhibits in the trailers are far more consistent with a transformation into Man-Spider than they are with changes that result from the symbiote. Losing his mind, as Peter says in the trailer, and gaining animalistic instincts are akin to what Peter experiences in the comics when he transforms into Man-Spider.

An extension of this theory suggests that Peter’s isolation and trauma of losing May may be the precursor to him transforming into Man-Spider. The trailers heavily point to the film exploring how Peter grapples with the loss of May and everyone he loved, and the Man-Spider transformation may be the ultimate byproduct of such anguish.

The Man-Spider theory seems to be a safe bet, although it is almost certain the creative team will employ a more measured approach to bringing this admittedly strange element from the Spider-Man comics to the big screen. Having Tom Holland turn into a full-blown spider would be bold, to say the least, and may move the story too far into the fantastical and otherworldly.

However, Peter encroaching upon a transformation into Man-Spider but ultimately resisting it by effectively dealing with his trauma would allow the filmmakers to integrate the Man-Spider plot in a more grounded manner.

2 Avengers: Doomsday Will Be Teased In A Post-Credits Scene

Every MCU movie, without exception, since 2023’s The Marvels has teased Avengers: Doomsday in one way or another. So, it is highly likely that the final movie before Doomsday hits theaters this December will follow suit.

All three MCU movies released last year - Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps - featured post-credits scenes setting up the events of Doomsday, a pattern that Brand New Day seems likely to continue.

Much criticism has been lodged against the MCU in recent years for failing to effectively set up the events of a big culminating Avengers movie in the manner the franchise achieved so resoundingly ahead of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Doomsday. Rather than go into Avengers: Doomsday cold, Kevin Feige may wish to tease what is to come later this year, perhaps with confirmation that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be in the movie.

1 Sadie Sink Is Playing Jean Grey

Arguably the most prominent fan theory about Spider-Man: Brand New Day is that Sadie Sink is playing Jean Grey in the movie.

The Stranger Things alum has naturally red hair, which immediately draws comparison to Jean Grey’s unmistakable red hair in X-Men comics. Sink was also spotted on set wearing a green and yellow jacket somewhat reminiscent of Jean Grey’s look in the comics. But the theory runs deeper than mere aesthetic similarities.

Tramell Tillman plays WIlliam Metzger, a known anti-mutant activist in Marvel comics, in the movie. His role suggests that Brand New Day will introduce the politics of mutants into the canonical MCU and may explain why Metzger is determined to stop Sink’s character.

Additionally, Kevin Feige has already announced that a new version of the X-Men is in development, with rumblings that The Mutant Saga will follow the release of Avengers: Secret Wars next year. Feige may wish to sprinkle in more evidence of incoming mutants after confirming that Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel and Namor are both mutants in Earth-616.

Putting how strange it may be to introduce Jean Grey into the MCU as a villain in the fourth Spider-Man movie, the prominence of this theory speaks to how likely it may be to come to fruition.

Answers to the mysteries surrounding Sadie Sink’s character, the main villain, Spider-Man’s newfound powers, and more will seemingly unfold next month when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31.