As Tom Holland returns to the role of Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, the audience was anticipating the next installment to plunge directly into the mess happening in New York City.
After all, the MCU has kept the Big Apple busy lately, politically, supernaturally, and explosively. However, a four-year time jump that was just announced can avoid two of the largest recent plots in the city.
Marvel’s Timeline Shift Could Leave Spider-Man Out Of The Loop
The revised synopsis sets ‘Brand New Day’ in 2028, four years after ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. That puts it a year behind both ‘Thunderbolts’ and ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 1, two projects that radically transformed New York. The Void left a significant imprint on the city in ‘Thunderbolts’. Many fans were asking at the time: Where was Spider-Man? Was Peter caught in the chaos? Did he assist in the evacuation?
Related: Marvel Is Delaying Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Trailer And We Know Why
Now, with the timeline shifted, the possibility of witnessing those events through Peter’s eyes is low. In the meantime, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ focuses on Wilson Fisk’s election as mayor and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force, a direct menace to street-level heroes. Logically, Spider-Man has to be first on Fisk’s list. He is present, on the move, and he is certainly a vigilante.
However, the time jump suggests Peter’s solo film won’t overlap directly with Fisk’s crackdown. That may imply that the consequences of such policies have already taken their toll, or even increased, by the time we arrive with him. It’s a strange choice. One that risks making Spider-Man feel slightly detached from his own city’s biggest upheavals.
Spider-Man’s Return Comes After The Storm
That said, all isn’t lost. An intelligent opening montage would fill the gap, with glimpses of Peter’s life during the four years that have passed. A tense exchange about Fisk’s tightening grip on masked heroes.
Even a quick line of dialogue could preserve the MCU’s connective tissue. And there is hope in one significant returning character: the Punisher.
In case you missed it: Marvel Reopens Spider-Man’s Most Controversial Chapter With ‘Brand New Day’
Frank Castle’s inclusion provides a natural means of talking about the changing climate of vigilantes in New York. Had the rules of the streets been altered by Fisk’s policies? Peter and Frank would certainly have something to say about it, and probably it would be quite different.
The MCU is successful when its world is shared and reactive. Although ‘Brand New Day’ may not explicitly re-tell ‘Thunderbolts’ or ‘Born Again’, acknowledging their impact would keep Peter grounded in the larger narrative.
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