Marvel Studios has very quickly reminded people why it is still the undefeated box office king this summer. From the record-breaking Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailers to the new Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which has very quickly brought the world to a standstill to watch it, it's hard to bet against the Marvel Cinematic Universe this year.
Speaking of those two particular projects, fans had a lot of questions after the most recent MCU trailer, but perhaps the biggest of them all was: Is Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday? Officially, the answer is no. And, as frustrating as it is, there are some very good reasons for that... even if we aren't entirely ruling out a potential cameo appearance.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes place just ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Although Spider-Man isn't a part of the Avengers: Doomsday line-up, he is set to return to movie theaters before that particular movie. Yes, Tom Holland returns to headline Spider-Man: Brand New Day - the fourth installment in Sony / Marvel Studios' Spidey franchise, which is expected to take on a more mature, street-level tone.
There was a lot of confusion as to where the upcoming film takes place on the MCU timeline. Does it take place after Doomsday or during it? It turns out that it will actually take place just before Avengers: Doomsday, meaning that it will likely explain why the webslinger won't be a part of Earth's Mightiest Heroes this time around.
In fact, Avengers' Florence Pugh is expected to reprise her role as Yelena Belova in the movie, so there is a pretty strong chance that her scene could set up a crossover between the two projects.
Both movies filmed at the same time
The biggest reason as to why Spider-Man won't have an extended role in Avengers: Doomsday is likely down to the fact that both it and Spider-Man: Brand New Day were filming at the same time. Doomsday kicked off production in April 2025 and it carried on until September of that year, while Brand New Day filmed through the summer. That would have made it logistically difficult for Tom Holland to have a significant role in both movies, especially because is the lead of the latter film.
That being said, both movies filmed in the UK (with Doomsday centering production in London and Brand New Day filming in Glasgow) so it would have been possible to facilitate a Doomsday cameo - or even a slightly longer brief appearance - especially given that Doomsday started production a few months before Brand New Day.
Regardless of whether they were able to make a cameo apperarance work or not, the logisitics of shooting both movies side-by-side would explain why Spider-Man won't be a main character in Avengers: Doomsday at the very least. There is also likely a good storyline reason for that too.
The Avengers don't remember who Spider-Man is
You would think that an end-of-world-level event might be enough to bring every hero in the Marvel multiverse together, but that might be difficult if you don't remember some of them. That is more than likely the issue with the Avengers and the Spider-Man situation in Avengers: Doomsday. Spidey officially joined the team in Avengers: Infinity War to help them defeat Thanos, but the events of 201's Spider-Man: No Way Home effectively undid that relationship when Doctor Strange cast a spell to make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
While the heroes could have theoretically reached out to Spidey in the midst of his heroics, it's unclear as to how their memories of him were impacted. They don't remember Peter Parker ever existed, but how does that impact their relationship with him? Do they remember Spider-Man aiding them in the fight against Thanos or do they simply forget his entire involvement in that battle?
Considering that the Avengers has been repopulated with new heroes and the veteran ones don't remember Spider-Man's secret identity, that might explain why they haven't automatically reached out to him for help. But if Doctor Doom does end up winning this battle, it might be time for them to do it anyway.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in movie theaters on July 31, 2026. Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18, 2026.
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