Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an exciting and emotional journey for Peter Parker, and there are some familiar faces from the MCU to join him along the way. The record-breaking Spider-Man movie sees Peter dealing with the aftermath of being forgotten by the world, a mutation in his spider-powers, and a mysterious new threat.
Tom Holland's performance as Spider-Man is the heart of the movie, but it is also fun to see the supporting roles that pop up from other MCU heroes. These characters have had their own emotional stories in the past, and while they certainly let Spidey shine in his own story, their personal struggles perfectly mirror his own. It allows these roles to go beyond fan service cameos and actually strengthen the story.
Yelena reflects the importance of family and friends
Florence Pugh returns as Yelena Belova, who has officially taken up the mantle of Black Widow in the New Avengers. Yelena's a great comedic relief character to pop up for a couple of short scenes, meeting Peter in her spa-like "office." However, as funny as she is, she is also an important voice of reason to Peter.
While advising Peter on this new threat, Yelena constantly teases him about having no friends and being so involved in work. This fits her rather blunt way of speaking to people, but it is also very important advice given her journey in the MCU thus far, which has always been about finding a family.
Black Widow revealed Yelena and Natasha grew up as fake sisters, setting up an undercover presence in the United States. However, for Yelena, that family was never a falsehood and was something she genuinely cared about. In Thunderbolts, her loneliness and isolation were further explored until she found other damaged anti-heroes to connect with.
Now having her own team, Yelena is the perfect person to tell Peter that it is important to have people you can lean on and confide in. While she does so in a teasing manner, it comes from a place of true understanding.
The Punisher reflects the misguided isolation
The most prominent ally to Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. Jon Bernthal makes his MCU movie debut in the role, capitalizing on his excellent chemistry with Tom Holland. He also gets to show new sides of Frank that make him an even more complex hero.
One key moment comes when Spider-Man suggests that he is like Frank in that he is a lone hero with no attachments. Seeing as Frank lost his wife and child, Peter likely assumed he would agree with the idea of not having anyone close to you as a crime fighter to ensure they are not put in danger.
Instead, Frank's reaction is angry as he criticizes Peter for choosing isolation when he doesn't need to. Frank explains that if his loved ones were still alive, there is no way he would be choosing to live the life of a lonely crimefighter. It is Frank's warning to Spider-Man not to go down the same path that he did.
The Hulk reflects the mistake of being in control
As Peter deals with his loneliness throughout the movie, he also struggles with the changes to his spider abilities. While these changes are getting more and more serious, including some violent aggression, he continues to reason with himself that he can just suppress it and keep it under control.
This mirrors another Avengers hero who also makes an appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner, who continues to live with seemingly more control over his Hulk abilities. His Smart Hulk personality is still intact and safe. At least until Jean Grey gets in his head.
Due to Jean's meddling, Bruce feels as though something has broken in his head, and for the first time since Thor: Ragnarok, a version of Hulk that Banner has no control over appears and wreaks havoc. After years of feeling he had cured this side of him, we see Banner afterward unsure if he had killed anyone during his rampage. Even in Hulk form, Banner looks heartbroken to realize the "monster" is still very much alive in him.
Here, Peter sees a hero with a lot more experience than himself, realizing there are elements to his power that he still doesn't fully understand. Eventually, Peter also has to admit that these new abilities, however scary, are part of him.
Certainly, having the likes of Yelena, Punisher, and Hulk appear in a Spider-Man movie makes for an exciting superhero blockbuster for fans. However, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is one of the most successful MCU movies in terms of including existing Marvel characters. Instead of cramming in characters to boost the box office, these characters enhance Spider-Man's own journey by commenting on their stories. It makes for a richer superhero story, which is clearly resonating with fans.
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