Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn't just a fresh start. Throughout the fourth Spider-Man MCU movie, narrative breadcrumbs are deployed which set up everything from Avengers: Doomsday to X-Men – as well as Peter's next (webbed) steps in his own trilogy.
Below, we'll explain exactly how Brand New Day operates as a roadmap for Marvel Studios' exciting future, as well as speculate about how some of the biggest cliffhangers and MacGuffins could actually clue us into what Kevin Feige has planned next for his heroes.
Once you've discovered what might lay in wait for the MCU, be sure to check out our complete breakdown of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending, plus our collection of Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter eggs.
Spider-Man in space?
An interstellar Spidey adventure wasn't on our bingo cards. But that's what the Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene appears to be setting up.
In the after-credits stinger, Ned's Spidey Tracker maps out the webhead's current location in New York, before zooming out. After some flickering and distortion on the app, Spider-Man is 'located' in the far reaches of outer space.
What gives? In our estimation, this is a prelude to both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The synopsis for Doomsday, after all, has made pointed reference to multiple universes literally colliding. We wouldn't be surprised if the webhead is suddenly in the Fox X-Men universe or off elsewhere in the multiverse fighting Doctor Doom. Essentially off the map, so to speak.
Another possibility is that Spider-Man has suddenly been transported to Battleworld. In both the 1980s and modern-day Secret Wars comic book events, Battleworld is a location that brings together most of Marvel's heroes and villains. In the latter, it's for a more transparently cynical crossover battle, while the latter sees Doctor Doom construct his own universe out of various building blocks brought in from various worlds and timelines.
Could Spider-Man be one of those figures? The post-credits scene certainly lays the groundwork for Peter Parker to factor into Doomsday and Secret Wars in a major way – which might surprise those who recognize he has been left off the Doomsday cast for the time being.
X-Men and Jean Grey
An X-Men movie is coming, and Sadie Sink's Jean Grey appears to be the first step towards rebooting Charles Xavier's mutant group for a new generation.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day leaves off with Jean Grey in the wind, giving enough narrative space – and an excuse – to keep the psychic out of the attention of the public before she inevitably re-emerges as part of Jake Schreier's upcoming X-Men movie (which we hope arrives in 2028).
So, no, don't expect Jean Grey to start leaping into bodies in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars. Instead, X-Men will be her next destination.
Intriguingly, it also sets up a bond between Jean and Peter Parker. The mutant clearly cares about Spider-Man, even going as far as saving his life after Frank Castle inadvertently shoots him during the third act. We wouldn't be shocked if Spider-Man briefly shows up in an X-Men adventure – a la Captain America: Civil War – or Jean operates in a role similar to Yelena, offering some encouraging words from the sidelines in a future Spider-Man movie if the going gets tough.
Universal inhibitors
Inhibitors were a major part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, both for the wallcrawler, but also the superhero community at large.
Bruce Banner was shown wearing his device during his classes at Empire State University, before showing just how bad things can get when it's removed during Jean Grey's attack on Damage Control HQ.
It's Spider-Man's creation of a universal inhibitor – thanks to some scientific mambo-jumbo that talks of splicing DNA to its host and nullifying its 'bad' parts – that should raise eyebrows.
After all, any new tech introduced to the MCU is almost immediately going to be on the radar of various rogues' galleries. With the universal inhibitor now a thing, there's plenty of reason for villains to get their hands on it – especially those who can dampen any mutant's latent abilities. X-Men, take note: this might be a weapon that can stop you before you even set foot in the MCU.
A brand new trilogy
Brand New Day, as the name suggests, was never going to be the end of Peter's story. In fact, his handshake with Ned hints that – somehow, some way – there are some who are regaining memories of Spider-Man's secret identity.
That, of course, would prove fertile ground for a fifth movie – as, too, would the likes of Tombstone (only seen briefly in Brand New Day).
Spider-Man's newfound control of his arachnid powers also paves the way for a stronger Spidey in future and, presumably, stronger foes. There's always the small chance Man-Spider rears its ugly, hairy head if Pete crashes out once more again.
Then there's the small matter of MJ's partner, only known as The Boyfriend. All we know right now is he dislikes MJ for being 'withholding' – not exactly hero traits if you ask us. Could this be setting up a villain for the next movie? Harry Osborn, perhaps? Speaking of Harry, it's curious that MJ turned down a job at an unnamed corporation. Did Oscorp come calling for the MIT whizzkid? Watch this space.
For more, take a look at when Spider-Man: Brand New Day could be on streaming, plus all the upcoming Marvel movies currently in the works.
