For a while there, Marvel couldn't stop ruining its own movies. In pre-release trailers or marketing, the famously watertight and spoiler-averse Marvel Studios sprang its own leaks.
Whether it's Captain America: Brave New World's third-act Red Hulk tussle or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness revealing its Captain Carter-led alternate-universe lineup ahead of time, it's perhaps my most frustrating issue with how the modern-day MCU handles its output.
We only have to look back to Spider-Man's previous big-screen outing, No Way Home, for a taste of what I'm talking about.
There, villains from Spidey's cinematic past were assembled in the first trailers – not only ruining a handful of surprises, but confirming the multiverse conceit that Andrew Garfield, especially, had done so well lying about across various press tours.
The webhead was also the unfortunate victim of another big spoiler elsewhere, with Spidey's first MCU appearance being unveiled in a late-in-the-day Captain America: Civil War trailer.
Yes, Marvel needs to put butts in seats, but the act of spoiling major story beats or genuine shocks speaks to a lack of confidence in their own movies.
A brand new idea
Thank god, then, for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As the title suggests, a new strategy is in place: this is a street-level affair, brimming with confidence, and deploying fan service such as The Punisher with care instead of a clumsy sense of crossovers for the sake of crossovers.
But with a month until release, its biggest success is how little we actually know about Brand New Day.
There are vague plots, sure, but we still don't know how Peter Parker's spider-centric transformation, Bruce Banner, The Hand, and the small matter of Sadie Sink's mystery character will blend together. Excitingly, each is a volatile element that, on their own, would be enough to carry most comic book movies. Throw them together, and it's a powder keg that could turn into a potential all-timer.
The movie's official synopsis only nudges things ahead slightly, revealing a "powerful villain no one can even see." That invisibility extends to the audience, who have had a field day amassing conspiracies and fan theories wondering if Sadie Sink will be playing X-Men psychic Jean Grey or whether there is a nefarious figure waiting for us once we sit down and experience the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie in theatres.
As of yet, there are no answers. That's a good thing – and I hope it stays that way right up until release. Walking into a Marvel movie knowing very little about it is a rare feat indeed.
In fact, I hope it's one Kevin Feige and the Russos mimic for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
After all, Robert Downey's Doctor Doom is already an intriguing enough proposition to hook both long-term and lapsed fans. Would unveiling his look or spoiling his MCU arrival beforehand have much of an effect on Doomsday's excitement levels or box office prospects? Not really.
Doomsday has done all the right things so far, at least. There are four short teasers, a behind-closed-doors trailer, and news of fresh footage being bundled together with an Avengers: Endgame re-release this fall. That's pretty much where I want it to end.
Let us go in not knowing. Just this once. Spider-Man has given the blueprint for how to handle its villains; Doomsday can do it on an even larger scale. It would be brave, bold, and brilliant in a way that many naysayers would suggest the MCU hasn't been in some time.
So, yes, Doom is coming – but we can wait until December to hear from him, thank you very much.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits cinemas on July 31. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and Marvel Phase 6.
