Tom Holland is swinging back onto the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day — his fourth solo outing as Peter Parker and his first since 2021’s No Way Home.
The superhero blockbuster, which arrives in theaters on July 31, picks up after the world forgot Parker ever existed. Holland is joined once again by costars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, while Stranger Things actor Sadie Sink makes her Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut.
It’s been nearly five years since No Way Home, and Marvel hasn’t stood still. The studio has released another 10 films, 10 live-action Disney+ series and 4 animated shows, making Parker’s return just one part of a much bigger story.
Need a refresher? Here’s where Brand New Day fits into the sprawling MCU timeline, and how to watch each movie in order.
How does ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ fit in the MCU timeline?
Brand New Day is part of Phase Six, the latest set of films and TV shows in the MCU. So far, that has included the movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and five Disney+ shows or specials: Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Kill.
It’s the studio’s final movie before Avengers: Doomsday, which is due out in December and will bring together many of the franchise’s biggest heroes. It’s currently unclear whether Holland’s Spider-Man will be involved, despite his appearances in the previous two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame.
How is ‘Brand New Day’ linked to ‘No Way Home’?
The opening scene of Brand New Day is set nine months after the events of No Way Home, but the rest of the film takes place four years after the previous movie.
The last time audiences saw Parker, he had sacrificed his old life to save the multiverse, leaving the world with no memory of who he was — not even his girlfriend, MJ (played by Holland’s real-life wife, Zendaya), or his best friend, Ned (Batalon). The film ended with Parker moving into a small apartment and hand-sewing a new Spider-Man suit, marking a fresh start for the hero.
As Marvel’s synopsis explains, Brand New Day sees the web-slinger “fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him” while watching “his old friends move on without him.”
Speaking about the time jump between the movies, Holland told Den of Geek: “One of the reasons we took a big break between No Way Home and Brand New Day was to allow the characters to grow up offscreen. Audiences who love the original franchise will see a different version of these characters from the outset.”
However, Brand New Day isn’t just a continuation of No Way Home. It also introduces several familiar MCU characters to Holland’s Spider-Man films.
They include Bruce Banner / Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), one of the original Avengers, who makes his first MCU appearance since the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
The blockbuster is the follow-up to 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
(Matthew Towers/Marvel Entertainment/Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection)
Meanwhile, Florence Pugh is expected to reprise her role as assassin Yelena Belova. The character was last seen in Thunderbolts, Marvel’s antihero team-up film, and will next appear in Doomsday.
Jon Bernthal plays vigilante Frank Castle / the Punisher just months after leading this year’s Disney+ special The Punisher: One Last Kill.
Zabryna Guevara is back as political aide Sheila Rivera from Daredevil: Born Again, which costarred Bernthal.
How can I watch the MCU ‘Spider-Man’ movies in order?
With 38 films and 18 Disney+ series, the MCU can feel daunting to newcomers. The good news is you don’t need to watch every Marvel release before Brand New Day.
While Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy tells most of Parker’s story, he also appears in Captain America: Civil War and two Avengers films. Here’s the recommended watch order for his MCU story: