As we look forward to a second half of the year that will give comic book movies plenty of exposure, we're keeping our heads up for the imminent release of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." The thrilling return of the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, expected in theaters on July 29th, finally debuted on March 18th with the first official trailer, previewing not only the return of some familiar faces but, more importantly , the debut of supporting characters and villains never before seen in the franchise. The aim is to renew the formula and create connections with the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday."
As we saw in the previous "No Way Home," to remedy the accident caused by the merging of the multiverses and the threat of altering the events of his own space-timeline, Peter Parker has become a complete stranger to his old friends and the comrades who supported him in previous battles. As he tries to reconnect with Ned and MJ, new dangers arise, including the obstacles of The Punisher and the threats of the fearsome Scorpion, but above all the inexplicable loss of his spider-powers, which could indicate a worrying mutation in his DNA.
Adding further layers to the narrative background of the recent Spider-Man film are the latest statements from director Joe Russo, who is set to debut alongside his brother Anthony with the impressive "Doomsday." From what has emerged, Tom Holland's Peter Parker is not responsible, unlike in previous adaptations, for Uncle Ben's death. This could already be inferred from the studio's desire not to revisit the superhero's origins yet again, immediately throwing him into the fray with his first appearance in "Captain America: Civil War."
During an interview with CBR for the tenth anniversary of “Civil War,” Joe addressed the issue, saying: “Spider-Man was one of my favorite characters as a kid, maybe my favorite ever. What appealed to me was the idea of a boy with an incredible responsibility, right? I think that responsibility could manifest itself through an accidental death. The pressure and the sense of loss would have maintained the spirit we wanted. But if he had felt guilty for his uncle’s death, Tom Holland’s character would have been very different . So, in our minds, he’s not responsible for Uncle Ben’s death. That would have been a different interpretation. A more intense interpretation of the character.”
However, the complete lack of explanation for Uncle Ben's death has left some fans understandably confused. Online comments quickly flooded in, accusing the writers of an inaccurate interpretation of the character. Among them: "This is a completely incorrect interpretation. The fact that he is responsible for his uncle's death is the FUNDAMENTAL POINT of his origin story. James Gunn claims that Bruce Wayne's family died in a car accident, not by gunfire in Crime Alley."
Meanwhile, as he prepares to return to theaters, Holland is already wondering about the future of Spider-Man, knowing he won't be able to play him much longer. In his latest interview with Empire, expressing his hope to continue collaborating on the franchise even after he's retired from superherodom, he stated: "Whoever comes next, whether it's Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, or anyone else, I'd love to help shape the next chapter. I don't know what it'll be like yet. But if I could do for them what Robert Downey Jr. did for me, I'd be thrilled to retire."
Demonstrating, moreover, a substantial contribution to the creation of the films, beyond his prowess in front of the camera, he continued: "I had some ideas for the character, so I was invited into the writers' room. We met every two weeks to pitch ideas and discuss our ambitions and what we wanted to try. My pitch, when I showed up, was called 'Spider-Man: Puberty. What happens if Peter Parker loses control and things change?" While he didn't receive a full green light from his collaborators, Holland is confident that "they liked the core idea, and from there, the plot we'll see in the upcoming film developed."