Spider-Man: Brand New Day Just Made RDJ’s Return Even Worse

Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s Spidey suit ends an Iron Man trend that’s defined Peter Parker throughout the MCU, and it may have ramifications for Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. Thanks to Brand New Day‘s official set video, costume reveal, and countless unofficial set photos, there have been enough pictures of Spider-Man to satisfy even J. Jonah Jameson. No major plot elements have been revealed by them (yet), but they do give a sense of what this movie will be, including it delivering on the promise of being a true street-level Spider-Man movie.

The “new” Spider-Man suit is a big part of that – although it’s not really new at all. Based on what’s been shown, this is the same costume from Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending, with a few tweaks. That’s likely because the suit was never made for that movie, and was instead entirely CGI. Now that it’s real and being worn by Tom Holland, there are inevitably some small differences in color and design. Regardless, it’s one of the MCU’s best Spider-Man costumes so far, but what’s most notable about it is what it leaves behind from past versions the web-slinger has worn.

Spider-Man Is Moving On From Iron Man In Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s suit won’t be made by Tony Stark, nor use any Stark technology. If that holds true through the entire movie, it’ll Spidey’s first MCU appearance where he’s not had at least one suit that in some way came from Stark. The suit is a homemade one that Peter created in No Way Home‘s closing scene, which wasn’t just because of his newfound status where the world has forgotten who he is, but more symbolic of his future.

The suit represents not only what Peter has lost due to Doctor Strange’s spell, but that he must now forge his own sense of identity. And to do that, he has to move beyond Tony. Since he entered the MCU, Holland’s Web Head has been defined by his relationship to his mentor, at times feeling as much like Iron Man 2.0 as he did Spider-Man. That not only gave him some upgrades (not that his powers really need them), but meant we’ve not seen him much as, well, a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

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Peter will never forget Tony, nor all he did for him. But this highlights that he’s found a sense of peace with what happened, and that he can begin to move on. He can live up to Iron Man’s legacy by being a great superhero, but crucially, by being his own hero too.

RDJ As Doom Must Have A Major Impact On Spider-Man

It’s good that Peter will be able to move on from being so singularly defined by Iron Man, but the timing of his newfound acceptance is very unfortunate. Tony Stark may not be coming back to the MCU (although… you wouldn’t bet against it), but someone with his face will be appearing soon – and as the biggest new threat to the multiverse. Holland hasn’t yet been confirmed for Doomsday, presumably due to it filming at the same time as Brand New Day (with some rumors they’ll take place concurrently in-universe). Still, it seems likely he’ll have some role, and if not in that movie, then certainly in Secret Wars.

When that happens, it means Spider-Man will be going up against Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom. And with that, there’s surely no way we don’t get a scene where Doom’s face is revealed to Peter – his great hero and mentor’s face now staring at him as the biggest villain he’s faced this side of Thanos. Not only is he going to be dealing with that threat, but also the shock of seeing his former friend and father figure once again, now in a twisted fashion. It’ll dredge up a lot of trauma and pain for Peter, making Downey Jr’s return as Doom so much worse for him, but also a very powerful moment if done right.

Doom himself may even use this to his advantage. Whether theories of Tony Stark being a Victor von Doom variant all along or true or not, he can use the fact that he has Iron Man’s face as a strength. Like it should be with Spider-Man, it can be a means of throwing the heroes off their game, where even the slightest pause could give him an edge. Doom’s genius-level intellect will leave no stone unturned, so it’d be surprising if he didn’t learn about Tony and the fact that they share a face, and find out how best to utilize that. Unfortunately for Spider-Man, it could be in a way that doesn’t leave him feeling so good.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on July 31st, 2026. Avengers: Doomsday is slated for December 18th, 2026, and will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17th, 2027.