Regardless of its ups and downs, one issue has plagued the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years. A question that crops up every time a superhero team or a standalone hero faces a threat mere blocks away from where another heroic ensemble or crime fighter is known to operate: why aren’t heroes crossing paths more often, and why aren’t they helping them out when they do?
It’s this little setback that presents itself in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, when the wall-crawler (Tom Holland) is not only having to deal with growing problems of his own, but also rein in a trigger-happy gunman in the form of Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal). Couldn’t the Avengers, new or old, step in and help with this telepathic terrorist that is turning mild-mannered New Yorkers into involuntary arsonists?
Well, thanks to perhaps one of the best cameos sprinkled in the film (check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter eggs and cameos list for the full rundown), we finally get an answer as to why the Avengers or other MCU heroes don’t drop in every chance they get to help super-powered people save the day. Needless to say: full spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day follow.
Florence Pugh's Yelena and her potatoes analogy
Early in the film, after Spidey attempts to thwart an attack on the prison where Scorpion (Michael Mando) is being held, he seeks advice and information about who could be behind it. His hunt for answers leads him to a Russian spa, which also happens to be the workspace of Black Widow, Yelena Belova, last seen being signed onto the New Avengers during the Thunderbolts* ending.
Following an embarrassing check for bugs, Spidey takes a dip with Yelena, who explains that the Avengers won’t be looking into Spidey’s recent ordeal because it’s what she describes as “small potatoes.” Alien invasion to take over the world? Big potato. Old lady getting mentally hijacked to steal an armored truck? Small potatoes.
It’s a funny chat between two heroes we’d never expect to cross paths just yet, but also finally puts to bed the ongoing concern about why heroes are never bumping into each other enough. Thankfully, though, the more tangled the web Peter finds himself in by the end of his adventure, the more his small potato begins to sprout and get Yelena’s attention.
So, now with his potato problem sliced and diced and Avengers: Doomsday up next on the MCU movie watchlist, it’s clear we’ll be onto much bigger portions than the one we’ve had here. Also, as hinted at during the Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene, Peter will most likely be present at some point to help with whatever batch of potatoes our heroes end up with.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases on July 29 in the UK, and on July 31 in the US. For more, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review or get ready with our guide on how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order.
