From the opening Marvel Studios logo,
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is dealing with the repercussions of Peter Parker’s decision to wipe himself from the memories of those that meant the most to him. As the opening montage extends, we learn Peter has in fact spent four years letting Spider-Man wipe Peter from existence even more, dedicating himself to the role of crime fighter to such an unhealthy extent that it isn’t much of a surprise when a biological and psychological monster begins to take over the friendly neighborhood host. Soon after these suspicious symptoms begin to appear, E.V., Peter’s self-created AI assistant suggests he maintain a better balance in his life which, of course, is one of the key thematic tenets of the Peter Parker story.
Brand New Day, while still not incorporating every hallmark of the Spider-Man story the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has yet to acknowledge, understands that at the core of “with great power comes great responsibility” is Peter’s inner turmoil; his internal struggle between the life he must lead and the one he’s left behind.
A now thirty-year-old Tom Holland, the first actor to portray the webslinger in four consecutive films, lends this arc its necessary weight as the MCU more or less hands him the keys to the universe after a trilogy of playing understudy to Tony Stark, Nick Fury, and Doctor Strange. Is it a pity the push and pull of high school is no longer the driving force behind Peter’s ever-present self-conflict? Sure, but having Holland finally sit in the driver's seat in a more mature, dramatic rendering of the character not only shows necessary growth for the character but delivers a version of Spider-Man who audiences will have no trouble believing can carry the MCU comfortably on his shoulders as that is no doubt the intent. Deadpool could have been talking about Holland as much as he was Hugh Jackman when he said, “they’re going to make him do this until he’s 90!”
