The final countdown to the release of Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ latest collaboration, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in cinemas. Today we’re tackling a question which comes up a lot in our conversation with fans: just when does the film take place? And where does it sit in the overall timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Before we dive in why not indulge yourself one more time with the film’s most recently released trailer:
The Year Is… 2028?
One of the biggest questions that fans ask is whether Brand New Day picks up directly following the events of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Well… not exactly. Whilst the film will heavily focus on the consequences of the spell cast by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make the world forget Peter Parker (Tom Holland), Brand New Day won’t necessarily pick up the day after the spell was enacted.
The end of No Way Home flashed forward slightly to show Peter fully settled into his new apartment and wearing a brand new Spider-Man suit. Those brief final moments of the film also showed off Spidey web-slinging through a snowy looking New York City. It’s perhaps this moment that is causing some confusion as it appears that at least some parts of Brand New Day will also take place in winter.
But thanks to official information and synopses and information released by Sony we now know that Brand New Day is confirmed to take place roughly four years after the events of No Way Home. For those keeping track the MCU has been running slightly ahead of where we are in real life. So whilst that film was released back in 2021, it was actually set in 2024. That means Brand New Day will officially be set in 2028. This is also confirmed by Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) preparing to complete their time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Where Does 2028 Place the Film Against Other Recent MCU Releases?
2028 is going to be a landmark year for life in the MCU, but more on that in a moment. Firstly we need to understand what else has been happening in the MCU prior to the events of Brand New Day to understand the political landscape in which Peter finds himself. Tom Holland’s fourth solo(ish) outing as Peter Parker arrives after a turbulent time for both the MCU in general and particularly for New York City itself.
Events depicted in Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and the second season of Daredevil: Born Again have all recently taken place, setting up chaos for the heroes of the MCU…
Captain America: Brave New World begins in late 2026 with the announcement that Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) has been elected as the new President of the United States of America. Meanwhile, nations from across the world have been racing to get their hands on a new precious metal, Adamantium, which has been discovered in the remains of the Celestial named Tiamut, itself a leftover from the events of Eternals.
The Celestial Island summit of nations takes place in April 2027 and is followed by the chaos of The Leader taking control over key assets including the President himself. The reveal of Red Hulk and the battle at the White House with Captain America lead the MCU into summer 2027. What remains unclear following those events is who has taken over as President following Ross’ arrest and incarceration in The Raft.
Taking place later in the summer are the events of Thunderbolts*. These are far more focussed on Peter’s home city of New York. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has taken control of Avengers Tower and has been using a Black Ops group of former-villains and questionable heroes to help clear up messes across the country in the wake of the Avengers breaking up. Whilst in secret she has been experimenting on people with powers to create a new super-soldier, Sentry.
When Project Sentry is used on Robert “Bob” Reynolds (Lewis Pullman) it creates a being of huge power but also unleashes The Void. Described as the suppressed, malevolent alter-ego Bob, whenever he experiences severe trauma or uses his immense cosmic abilities, the Void manifests as a shadowy figure that feeds on sorrow and fear, trapping citizens of New York in their darkest memories.
During both Brave New World and Thunderbolts* New York City is under the jurisdiction of Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). That all comes to a head in October 2027 and during the second season of Daredevil: Born Again. Having setup his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) the heroes of New York City are no longer welcome on its streets. Those who are caught are tried in unofficial courts and imprisoned in Fisk’s heavily fortified subterranean prison at the Fisk Freeport Complex.
Daredevil (Charlie Cox) tips the scales when he interferes with a shipment of weapons that Fisk is attempting to bring into the city through one of his free ports. The attack on the tanker vessel sparks a huge wave of anti-Fisk sentiment amongst New Yorkers and results in a brutal attack in City Hall. The consequences of Daredevil going head to head with Fisk leaves the city without a Mayor. Something strongly hinted at in one of the Brand New Day trailers.
How will these events impact on Spider-Man: Brand New Day? We’ll find out in cinemas very, very soon…
Where Does Brand New Day Fit With Avengers: Doomsday?
One of the biggest questions going into (and maybe coming out from) Spider-Man: Brand New Day is where does the film sit with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday? The honest answer is that we don’t know for sure. But there are some clues, hints and rumours which might help point us towards the truth…
This week it was almost officially revealed by Kevin Feige that Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is likely to show up alongside Spider-Man, albeit briefly. During a presentation at a CinemaCon style event in China Feige teased that Florence Pugh would be on our screens a lot sooner than expected. That ties with a rumour that has been circulating for some time that Yelena would share a scene with Peter Parker in Brand New Day.
For now we’ll need to speculate what this scene could be, but there are two clear options which will clearly tell fans where the two films fit with each other:
1) Yelena comes looking for Spider-Man in order to recruit him to her team of Avengers to help fight an oncoming threat.
If Yelena is looking for help to tackle an oncoming threat then it’s highly likely that Brand New Day has taken place before the events of Avengers. If her appearance is in a mid or post-credit scene then it would confirm the overlap only comes in Brand New Day’s closing moments.
2) A desperate Yelena appeals to Spider-Man to join the fight against Doom.
If the context of the scene is a lot more desperate, with Yelena desperately pleading with Peter to join a fight which is already underway then that shifts the timeline slightly. This would indicate that whilst Peter is dealing with the events of Brand New Day alongside Punisher (Jon Bernthal), the rest of the MCU heroes are fighting for their lives against Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jnr).
Either way we only have a few more days to wait until we likely get confirmation of exactly how Marvel Studios’ two 2026 releases relate to each other and that’s incredibly exciting news.
Bonus Question…Will Spider-Man Show Up in Avengers: Doomsday?
We don’t have any verified insider information on this one. But from what we’re hearing Spider-Man: Brand New Day will leave Peter Parker in a rather precarious position. Something which will then be referred to in either the closing moments or in a credit scene in December’s Avengers: Doomsday. Something that will leave Spidey fans with their jaws on the floor and which will setup a very interesting direction for Tom Holland going into a larger role in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man: Brand New Day was written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Trammel Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo.
Sony Pictures presents Spider-Man: Brand New Day in UK and Irish cinemas from July 29, 2026.
