Once it became known that Hulk was in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the question on everyone’s mind was whether the heroes would fight alongside or against each other. Through the promotional campaign done by Sony and Marvel Studios, it’s confirmed that Brand New Day will see Spider-Man and Hulk fight.
As exciting as it is for the MCU to deliver new team-up fights, versus fights are often even more fun. The franchise has done Iron Man vs Captain America, Doctor Strange vs Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man vs Falcon, Black Widow vs Hawkeye, and more over the years. Now, it’s time for Hulk vs Spider-Man (with an assist from Punisher).
Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s trailers have shown several glimpses of the battle at this point. We’ve seen Hulk’s thunder clap return, Spider-Man restraining Hulk with webbing, and Peter using one of Shocker’s gauntlets to give his punches some extra shock to Bruce Banner’s angry, green form. But so far, the winner has remained hidden.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era
Tom Holland’s
Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
THWIP! LET’S GO →
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
AAvengers: Age of Ultron
BCaptain America: Civil War
CSpider-Man: Homecoming
DAvengers: Infinity War
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
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02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
AThe Vulture (Adrian Toomes)
BThe Shocker (Herman Schultz)
CThe Scorpion (Mac Gargan)
DThe Tinkerer (Phineas Mason)
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
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03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
AFriday
BEdith
CKaren
DJocasta
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
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04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
AWilliam Ginter Riva
BAldrich Killian
CJustin Hammer
DQuentin Beck
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
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05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
AThat Spider-Man killed Mysterio in cold blood
BThat Spider-Man is Peter Parker
CThat Spider-Man is a Skrull impersonator
DThat Spider-Man commanded the drone attack on London
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
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06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
AWong
BWanda Maximoff
CDoctor Strange
DKarl Mordo
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
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07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
ANed Leeds
BFlash Thompson
CHarry Osborn
DMiles Morales
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
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08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
AIt sends Peter to an alternate universe where no one knows him
BIt erases Spider-Man from existence entirely
CIt removes Peter’s spider powers permanently
DIt makes everyone in every universe forget who Peter Parker is
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
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↻ SWING AGAIN
The fact that this is Spider-Man’s movie means he’s most likely to win the battle, even though Hulk is more in need of a victory at this point. He has a rather embarrassing track record in fights heading into Spider-Man: Brand New Day, one that the MCU should really rectify as he takes on Spider-Man and a non-superpowered Punisher.
Hulk Has Been Losing Fights In The MCU For Years Now
Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron
When Hulk entered the MCU, he was rightfully established as one of the most powerful, unbeatable forces of nature in the franchise. He wrecked military forces, stomped Abomination, and turned the tide for the Avengers during the Battle of New York. But pretty much since that point, Hulk’s biggest fights have seen him come out as the loser.
Hulk could easily dispatch of Hydra soldiers and Ultron bots in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but his big fight there was against Iron Man in the Hulkbuster armor. Under the influence of Scarlet Witch, he was on a destructive rampage and delivered massive damage to Iron Man’s suit. But in the end, Iron Man won and knocked Hulk out cold.
When Hulk was seen again in Thor: Ragnarok, he was established as the gladiator champion of Grandmaster’s games on Sakaar. While he technically won the bout with Thor, this only came due to trickery on Grandmaster’s part. Thor was winning the fight until Sakaar’s ruler triggered the god of thunder’s obedience disk, rendering him immobile. If not for this interference, a supercharged Thor would have finished the job and properly defeated Hulk.
The Green Goliath had a less impressive victory against Fenris Wolf in Thor: Ragnarok’s ending, but when it was time to shine again in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos wiped the floor with him. The beating was so bad that Hulk refused to surface until after The Blip, when the Smart Hulk persona was created.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Hulk Fight Is A Chance To Remind Everyone Of Hulk’s Power
Hulk performs a thunderclap in Spider-Man Brand New Day trailer #2
Hulk should be a character who rarely loses fights, as his strength grows the angrier he gets. Instead, the MCU has turned him into a punching bag for other characters to defeat and showcase their powers. Spider-Man could be the next one to beat Hulk in a fight, depending on how Brand New Day’s battle plays out.
Hopefully, that will not be the case. Hulk desperately needs a win and to lay the smackdown on Peter Parker. Spider-Man might be stronger than Hulk in the comics at times, and even if he is under the control of Sadie Sink’s mystery character and fighting an enhanced/mutated Spidey, it would be better for the MCU to have Hulk win.
Audiences and characters in the universe need to remember just how powerful Hulk really is. Having him constantly be on the losing end of fights and being more of a pacifist in his Smart Hulk form has made him seem like a lesser force in the franchise. And with him sure to have a role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, a win in Spider-Man: Brand New Day would go a long way for Hulk.
Release Date
July 31, 2026
Runtime
150 Minutes
Director
Destin Daniel Cretton