From the Philippines, the US, and many parts of the world, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been breaking box office records as millions around the world are lining up to catch Spider-Man’s latest adventure. And for the most part, the newest Spider-Man film checks the boxes of what makes for a great superhero movie, from excellent action scenes, strong acting, and a thrilling plot.
But one thing that the film does right, and might get lost in the blockbuster shuffle, is the themes it explores. Aside from more Spider-Man on the big screen, Brand New Day is a surprisingly impactful exploration of loneliness and the downsides of neglecting your well-being.
Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day Ahead
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Peter Parker Becomes a Workaholic
After the events of No Way Home, Brand New Day finds Peter Parker in a self-imposed exile, focusing his entire life on being Spider-Man. With no one in the world knowing who Peter is, he decides to become a superhero full-time. It’s established early in the film that Peter spends years being New York City’s crime-fighting hero, and in turn becomes beloved by the city. He’s settled into a routine of visiting Aunt May’s grave, buying her flowers, visiting the local shop, and doing his superhero duties. But once his work is done and he takes off his mask, Peter has nothing.
He slowly inches towards isolation as he neglects his personal life, even moving into an attic apartment to avoid having to run into people. This is where we find Peter for most of the film, alone and focusing all his time on being Spider-Man. But in doing so, his problems get progressively worse as he distances himself from the people he loves. Slowly, Peter becomes consumed by a darkness and his identity as Spider-Man, which manifests in negative changes to his body as his arachnid DNA takes over his human DNA.
A lack of balance in always being Spider-Man is turning him into an actual spider as Peter loses himself to his superhero persona. His actions are starting to detach his humanity from himself, as Peter the man gets taken over by Peter the spider.
This is Peter’s story, one that is rooted in loneliness and grief as he copes with the loss of his closests relationships. When he rebuilds his life from scratch, Peter grapples with an identity crisis. And he does more harm than good with his refusal to have a life outside of being Spider-Man. In his transition to adulthood, Peter decides that the best path forward is to become a workaholic. But in not properly dealing with his trauma, Peter’s job becomes a burden on his well-being.
It’s interesting then that the movie features an appearance from Yelena, who like Peter has also experienced loneliness and isolation. As explored in the highly underrated Thunderbolts*, Yelena ran away from her personal problems by drowning herself in work. These are two people who thought that throwing themselves into their jobs would address or at least distract them from their degrading well-being. But as Yelena learned and Spider-Man will learn, that’s not the way to go. Even though it’s not said out loud, Yelena serves as a contrast to Spider-Man as she’s literally chilling in a Russian bathhouse while he is constantly stressed.
Life Is More Than Just a Job
For all the big-screen spectacle in the movie, Brand New Day is as much about Peter dealing with his mental health as it is Spider-Man facing a new villain. And speaking of the new villain, she further highlights the film’s theme. By now, most know that Sadie Sink plays Jean Grey, the famous telepath and X-Man. But in Brand New Day, she’s just a teenager looking for her sister after the Department of Damage Control took her from her.
While Jean does a lot of bad things in this movie, she and Peter are alike in how they are both lonely people trying to find sense in a world where they have no one to turn to. Jean is sad, confused, and alone, and understandably takes out her rage on anyone who comes between her and her sister.
When she learns that she’s dead, it practically breaks her heart, unleashing a psychic bubble that traps half of New York in place, as she was the only person she had in her life. Peter, meanwhile, nearly falls to his death after he learns that MJ has another boyfriend at her and Ned’s party.
The pain of loneliness can sting, and it’s not unlike what many people experience who lose themselves by focusing their lives on a singular task. But the movie doesn’t leave viewers on a dower note, as there is a light at the end of the tunnel, despite how unbelievable that may seem in the moment.
When Jean tells Peter that she has no one, he responds by saying that she has him. It’s one lonely person telling another lonely person that they’ll be there for them, which holds a lot of power that some might assume. Peter and Jean literally save each other’s lives when Peter protected Jean from The Punisher’s bullet while Jean kept Peter alive with her powers while he recovered in the hospital.
Brand New Day finds Peter Parker at his most mature as he deals with the all-too-relatable struggle of trying to live a life outside of his responsibilities. It makes for an earnest, contemplative, and introspective tale that shows the perils of attaching your entire life to your job. You don’t need to have powers to know how draining basing your worth and rooting your identity to one single task is. That kind of mindset is never healthy in the long run.
When Spider-Man is facing off against The Hand, he is asked, “Are you Peter Parker? Or are you Spider-Man?”, to which he confidently says he’s both, and it leads to a breakthrough. Who you are isn’t determined by one side of your life, but multiple aspects that form your identity and humanity. There’s so much more to living, and as Peter and Jean prove, the answer to finding yourself isn’t by neglecting parts of you but by embracing them. And if you can’t do that on your own, there is no shame in asking for help because sometimes, that can be the bravest thing you can do.
Brand New Day might be the most expensive PSA on work-life balance ever made, but it’s a relatable message to be heard, as it’s admittedly not easy to do so. Even superheroes need a life outside of their job. The film’s title of Brand New Day isn’t just because this is a new chapter for Spider-Man, but also speaks to the reality of life.
The movie ends with Peter giving himself the time and space to enjoy his personal life as he understands that he can be both Spider-Man and a person, while Jean looks to move on (which may or may not lead to the X-Mansion in Upstate New York). No matter how dark things get, there will always be a brand new day. So, like Peter learns to do, live your life because meaning and purpose exist beyond work.
Featured Image and Photos: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Frequently Asked Questions
Spider-Man: Brand New Day explores loneliness and the dangers of neglecting personal well-being, following Peter Parker as he isolates himself by becoming a full-time superhero.
As Peter Parker neglects his personal life and becomes consumed by his identity as Spider-Man, his arachnid DNA begins to take over his human DNA, manifesting in physical changes to his body.
Jean Grey, played by Sadie Sink, mirrors Peter’s loneliness as a teenager searching for her sister after the Department of Damage Control took her away, with both characters ultimately saving each other’s lives.
Yes. Yelena appears in the film as a contrast to Peter, having similarly used work to distract herself from loneliness and isolation in Thunderbolts*, though she’s shown to have moved past that mindset.
The film ends with Peter giving himself space to enjoy his personal life, understanding that he can be both Spider-Man and a person rather than defining himself solely by his superhero responsibilities.
