Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Without a doubt, Tom Holland's Peter Parker is arguably one of the MCU most popular and recognizable heroes in the current era. However, his official Avengers status was just clarified in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in a way that may feel pretty confusing. However, there's actually some pretty good reasons why Spider-Man isn't an active New Avenger.
When you look at Spider-Man's past career in the MCU, it's easy to spot some pretty significant Avengers-level feats from the Wallcrawler. After all, Peter Parker has been in space, fought Thanos, and was dubbed an Avenger by Iron Man himself in Avengers: Infinity War before participating in Endgame's Battle of Earth following The Blip. However, Spider-Man: Brand New Day does a good job affirming why Peter Parker has the more isolated and street-level status quo in the present-day MCU.
Although the future may look pretty different for Spider-Man, it's interesting to look at the reasons why Peter Parker's Webslinger is currently considered a "small potato" hero rather than a "big potato" New Avenger in the MCU.
Spider-Man Solo Was A Personal Choice After Spider-Man: Far From Home/No Way Home
Spider-Man's previous solo movies post-Endgame actually inform a lot about his current non-Avenger status in the MCU.
In 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker was grappling with the loss of Tony Stark and the pressures he felt to become the next Iron Man. However, he was able to prove to himself by the movie's end that he could focus on being Spider-Man. Then, 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Peter making a major sacrifice to save the multiverse, allowing Doctor Strange to stabilize the universe by casting a spell to make everyone forget Peter Parker, including his loved ones.
As such, Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens with the aftermath of Peter throwing his entire life into being Spider-Man, leaving very little time to just be Peter Parker and remaining quite isolated from the rest of the world.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland's Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
Assessment Complete Your Spider-Sense Rating
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Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
Keeping all that in mind, it was essentially Spider-Man's deliberate choice to be more grounded, street-level, and own his own. With that perspective, Yelena's "small potatoes" assessment makes perfect sense for the current-day Websligner, having chosen to focus more on bank robberies, organized crime, and supervillains who, while dangerous, aren't world-ending threats.
While he's more than earned the right to be a "big potato" hero in the MCU, that's not who Spider-Man has chosen to be by the opening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Conversely, it also explains why Spider-Man can easily move between comparatively smaller dangers and much bigger threats like Sadie Sink's Jean Grey (as well as her control over The Incredible Hulk).
After Brand New Day, Spider-Man Feels More Ready Than Ever To Join An MCU Team
All this to say, things may very well be changing for Peter Parker in the aftermath of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Shown visiting Aunt Mau's grave, Peter promises her that he's going to stop living his life so isolated and alone. Case in point, the final scenes of the new MCU movie see Peter letting Detective Jean DeWolff handle a bank robbery without him, while also choosing to reconnect with Ned.
However, there are some bigger potential implications as well. Spider-Man could also start being more comfortable accepting help from and joining other heroes in the MCU. While it doesn't necessarily mean he'll become a card-carrying member of the New Avengers, he definitely now seems to be in a better place to start joining bigger teams of heroes. And wouldn't you know it, both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are right around the corner.
While he might be more comfortable doing "small potato" heroics, Spider-Man has always been "big potato" capable. The difference now is that he seems to have finally reached a better place where he'll likely be more willing to enter those "big potato" spaces from time to time. He may not be officially confirmed for Doomsday and Secret Wars just yet, but my fingers are most definitely crossed.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.
Release Date
July 29, 2026
Runtime
145 minutes
Writers
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Producers
Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
