With excitement already high for the fourth and newest “Spider-Man” movie coming out this year, the newest trailer released on March 18 is sparking more conversations between fans of what to expect. The new trailer has broken records with over one billion views in just four days and has shown off new perspectives of the plot that are causing people to question the expectations they previously held.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is set to release on July 30, meaning the long-awaited countdown since 2021 for Tom Holland’s return as the beloved Peter Parker will end in a few more months. With this return, many people have started to talk about the ways they think the story will pick up.
For reference, the last “Spider-Man” movie ended with a spell by Doctor Strange that caused everyone in the world to forget who Peter Parker is, including his closest friends. With Parker being shown in the trailer at a low point in his life because he does not want to ruin his friends’ futures by reintroducing himself as Spider-Man, it is clear that the new movie will be a challenge for Parker.
After the difficulties that Marvel has been having with previous projects not receiving much support from fans, they also have a lot riding on the turnout of this movie. The way that I see it, Marvel will either do it very right or very wrong and, from the trailer, it’s looking like the former. However, many fans are worried that the way the plot is leaning from the trailer and that it will end in a crisis for not only the movie but the character as a whole.
People online have taken parts of the trailer and compared them with the Marvel comics, resulting in theories of a plot revolving around a “Man-Spider.” This theory comes from the parts in the trailer where Bruce Banner describes the ways that a spider’s life has three cycles and when Peter is shown to have developed natural webs. These hints all point to the idea that Spider-Man’s DNA is not stabilizing but is rather evolving. In the comics, Man-Spider happens because the spider DNA inside of Peter becomes too strong and causes him to become violent and more of a creature than human. There is a fear that this is going to be Marvel’s way of killing off Spider-Man’s character or, simply, Parker has to fight hard in order to keep himself and ends up a better character because of it.
An additional part of the trailer that helped to gain traction and enthusiasm from other fan bases was the addition of other characters like Banner and Frank Castle. As mentioned before, Banner is shown as someone Peter goes to help for the problems he is facing. Castle, also known as the Punisher from other parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), made a small appearance in the new trailer. This crossover makes a lot of sense considering that the Punisher and Daredevil are characters that have been present in the MCU for many years and being part of New York City, similar to Spider-Man, are major parts of their characters. While Daredevil is not shown in the trailer and there are not many people holding out hope for him to be seen in the movie, it is still promising to see parts of their plots start to connect.
The trailer also shows Spider-Man fighting a group of ninjas dressed in red, called The Hand. This villain organization made its early appearance in Daredevil and by being shown in the trailer are showing signs of connection between Daredevil and this new movie. With Daredevil also coming back this year with the newest season of “Daredevil Born Again” premiering on March 24, the character is starting to become present in the MCU, especially in plots set in New York City.
The combination of the plot, character development and crossovers has led to the anticipation of possibly the most successful movie all summer. The franchise has made some questionable decisions leading to backlash over the years. The popularity of this project means that it comes with risks and the expectation of Marvel to keep the fabulous legacy of Spider-Man alive. Marvel has kept us waiting for four years for Spider-Man and with the wait ending soon the power has been left in Marvel’s hands. Will we be disappointed?
