Marvel Finally Remembered Spider-Man’s Greatest Strength

As Tom Holland swings back into the spotlight for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Marvel Studios can proudly and confidently call the wall-crawler’s street-level-ish adventure a triumph. Following the high stakes and even higher expectations of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth chapter in Holland’s run as the titular webslinger has been given the means of thriving thanks to very simple constructs.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become notably comfortable with turning its movies and television series into crossover events, stringing one title into the next through cameos or teasers. Between colliding multiverses and cosmic battles, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has left little time to breathe or revisit the foundations of comic book media. Spider-Man: Brand New Day steps back from the hyper-theatricalism of superhero storytelling to put Peter Parker under the microscope, celebrating the everyman’s greatest strength.

Spider-Man Is At His Best When He’s Street Level

Strip away the mask, and show Peter Parker for who he is. Marvel Studios has continued to gauge an understanding as to why Spider-Man is so beloved through an age-old formula that’s leapt from the pages of the comics to the glory of the silver screen. Spider-Man thrives when he’s not battling Avengers-level threats, but forced to face humanity from an incredibly human standpoint. Yes, it’s inevitable that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will take a bite out of the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it generously gives a more intimate look at Peter’s struggles behind (and beyond) the reality of being Spider-Man. Holland comfortably steps into an Andrew Garfield-adjacent, quippy version of Spider-Man when it comes to tackling crime on his own, yet it’s his raw vulnerability that truly perpetuates the maturity that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been rightfully praised for. Marvel finally remembered that it’s Peter’s personality and his moral conflicts that double as his greatest strength — even if battling internal woes feels like a contradiction.

Going back to the basics has allowed the Marvel Cinematic Universe to actually understand Peter a bit more psychologically, following the masked menace as he moves into young adulthood. Spider-Man: Brand New Day may not be completely faithful to its source material, the scorned 2008 comic of the same title, but instead chooses to navigate the “street-level” of Peter’s reality. Even when taking on tremendous foes of incredible scale, Spider-Man’s most sincere moments are when he isn’t Spider-Man at all. It’s the relationships that serve as the foundation of his world, paired with the hero’s bleeding heart, that keep Peter grounded. That simplicity is priceless, and Marvel Studios refuses to sacrifice the simplicity behind Peter while he bears the weight of the world on his back.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s careful navigation and exploration of Peter’s next chapter has welcomed the idea that he’s still that friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man. The unwavering due diligence of wanting to preserve Peter’s sense of self — even if it’s uncomfortable to face head-on, or feels unsavory. Spider-Man was created to reflect anyone who saw themselves in such an ambiguous figure. Capturing that morality without the want to dilute it has ensured that there’s genuine authenticity and integrity when keeping Peter true to himself. Spider-Man: Brand New Day pivots around the insatiable love for understanding, love, and acceptance. By letting Peter feel these entirely human emotions, he’s able to anchor himself in what it’s like to be more than just a superhuman symbol of hope, and fully realize that with great power, comes great responsibility.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.