Image Credit: Marvel/Sony
The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer was the most-viewed in the first 24 hours after its release: it generated 718 million views, shattering the previous record of 365 million views set by Deadpool & Wolverine. Apparently, interest in the MCU is still alive and well, as long as we’re talking about the superheroes most loved by fans. And Spidey definitely ranks first on that list.
The 2-minute, 35-second trailer is enough to showcase several teasers that will pique the curiosity and interest of those who know the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man well. The most talked-about—and most obvious—is Peter Parker’s “spider-like” transformation, complete with a web cocoon and new powers, including organic web-shooters already seen in Sam Raimi’s films (though they might actually be inspired by two different comic book sagas). There are also new enemies and returning old allies, plus the mystery surrounding the casting of Sadie Sink, who played Max in Stranger Things, in a role yet to be defined.
For those curious to learn more, below are all the possible comic book inspirations to help you discover what to expect from the film: the comic book backstories of the villains and allies, and some theories on the sagas that might inspire Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The Return of the Punisher
The Punisher, played by Jon Berenthal, makes his first official appearance in an MCU film; thus, one of the most charismatic characters from the Daredevil TV series returns. His murderous philosophy is the antithesis of Spider-Man’s, and even in the trailer, it’s clear that the two, while fighting crime on the same front, certainly don’t get along. On the other hand, the Punisher made his debut precisely as Spider-Man’s adversary: in the legendary Amazing Spider-Man #129, Frank Castle is convinced by the Jackal’s schemes that our hero is a murderer… and therefore a worthy target for his solitary crusade.
The Scorpion’s Attack
The trailer shows the return of Mac Gargan, who previously appeared as a henchman in the first Spider-Man: Homecoming in the service of the Vulture. Here, he finally dons the costume that made him famous: that of the Scorpion. In the comics, he is one of Spider-Man’s earliest and most fearsome enemies, enhanced to the point of being stronger and more lethal than the hero, complete with a mechanical tail equipped with a stinger… but no smarter than the nerdy Peter Parker, who always manages to find a way to get the better of the brute Mac Gargan. In the comics, it is none other than J.J. Jameson, the infamous editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, who funds the operation that transforms Mac Gargan into the Scorpion, hoping to create a mercenary anti-hero capable of defeating the hated vigilante (a choice that, of course, will backfire on Jameson); and for a time, Mac Gargan also takes on the role of Venom. Who knows if any of these developments will be included in the movie…
The boomerangs of… Boomerang?
For a split second, the trailer flashes a scene featuring a minor but recurring adversary in Spider-Man’s comic book adventures: Boomerang, a criminal who fights armed with, well, boomerangs. Often used as comic relief for Spider-Man’s (mis)adventures, Boomerang has never managed to establish himself as a major villain or even a credible threat, and over the years he has increasingly become a comic sidekick, at times serving as the superhero’s ally… or even Peter Parker’s roommate.
The Hand’s ninjas
The ninjas Spidey faces in the trailer have also appeared in Netflix’s Defenders TV series, which featured a crossover between Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, the Punisher, and Elektra. In the comics, the Hand is a recurring presence, a criminal organization with shadowy motives, which nearly all “urban” superheroes have had to contend with. The ninjas have even given Wolverine a run for his money, and when they’re around, there’s always the risk that some long-dead character will be resurrected as a slave of the Hand.
The Cocoon and The Other’s Powers
We’ve reached the most significant scene in the trailer—and the one that has sparked the most debate among fans: Peter Parker emerging from a cocoon of spiderwebs, with new powers, hyper-keen senses, and, perhaps, organic web-shooters. In the comics, there are at least two instances where Peter found himself “cocooned” in spiderwebs. The first dates back to a dark saga by J.M. De Matteis and Mark Bagley, published in the 1990s in Amazing Spider-Man #390–393, in which our hero was caught between supervillains and personal problems; on that occasion, however, the metamorphosis was psychological, not physical, and from the cocoon emerged a superhero determined to no longer be Peter Parker, but only Spider-Man. It is unlikely that this is the film’s inspiration.
The second instance is less grim but more controversial: in J. M. Straczynski’s The Other saga, Peter discovers that his powers have “totemic”—that is, mystical—origins, and for this reason becomes prey to a sort of invincible vampire named Morlun who feeds on the very energy of totemic heroes. In a fight to the death with Morlun, Spider-Man unleashes his spider powers and manages to win the battle, but he too dies after the fierce clash. Surprisingly, Peter’s soul merges with the spirit of the spider, and our hero is “reborn” from a web cocoon, endowed with the powers of the Spider-Other: heightened senses, spines on his wrists, and night vision. The entire mystical twist involving a “scientific” hero like Spider-Man/Peter Parker never went over well with fans, and in the comics, the new powers disappeared after just a few issues. The film seems to retrace the story of The Other, perhaps without Morlun in the mix; but there’s another theory circulating online, and another saga that might have inspired the film, pushing it into body horror territory… before we get to that, however, there’s another cameo in the trailer that deserves a closer look.
Spidey and His Scientist Friends
In the trailer, Peter Parker turns to Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk), a brilliant scientist, for help in figuring out what’s happening to him. This scenario also occurs frequently in the comics, though Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four is usually Spidey’s first choice when he needs some out-of-the-ordinary medical analysis. In the MCU, however, the Fantastic Four come from another dimension, so Peter has no choice but to turn to Banner for help.
Man-Spider!
The real question longtime fans are asking is this: will we see the horrifying Man-Spider on the big screen? The origin of this creature dates back to the early issues of the spin-off series Marvel Fanfare, from 1982. Here, Peter Parker and Angel of the X-Men find themselves in the Savage Land, a sort of lost paradise populated by dinosaurs, cavemen, and… evil mutants. The mad scientist Brainchild uses a machine capable of “devolving” living beings to transform Angel into a giant raptor, and Spider-Man… into the far more monstrous Man-Spider, a gigantic, vaguely anthropomorphic spider.
The appearance captured fans’ imaginations, and Man-Spider has reappeared several times in Spidey comics and cartoons. Could this be the time we see him on the big screen as well? There’s another clue that raises suspicions. In the trailer, we catch a glimpse of a masked fighter equipped with blades protruding from the tips of his boots. It could be Tarantula, a longtime adversary of Spidey. In a memorable comic book story, realizing he was no match for his nemesis, the original Tarantula undergoes an experiment that replicates the one that gave Peter Parker his Spider-Man powers. But something goes wrong, and Tarantula transforms into a giant spider. Is it a coincidence, or could Tarantula and Man-Spider actually cross paths in the new movie—perhaps in a blend of the two storylines?
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