Whenever a new superhero movie is gearing up for its release, audiences take a great deal of interest in the costumes that will be featured. Costumes can be a hot talking point even when the hero (or heroes) in question are returning for yet another installment in a long-running franchise. There’s always the possibility filmmakers make tweaks to the design, which has been a staple of the genre for years. Obviously, this creates new merchandising opportunities for the studio to capitalize on, but from a narrative perspective, a fresh costume could be used as a visual cue to illustrate a character’s growth. That’s the case for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which ushers in a new era for Peter Parker on the big screen.
When Brand New Day started filming last year, Marvel unveiled Tom Holland’s new MCU Spider-Man costume, which pays homage to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. And while this’ll be Holland’s main suit for the movie, it won’t be the only one he wears. The X account Hulk News shared images of Brand New Day Funko Pops, one of which depicts Peter Parker in the Spider-Man suit from the end of No Way Home. Check out the post in the space below:
Why Spider-Man Has Two Different Costumes in Brand New Day
The suits on the two Spider-Man figures are clearly distinct from each other; the one on the bottom is designed to mimic its raised webbing, reminiscent of Maguire’s costume from Sam Raimi’s trilogy. There is a webbing pattern on the No Way Home suit, though it isn’t as distinct. Since Marvel and Sony made a big deal out of spotlighting Holland’s new suit ahead of production, some fans are probably wondering why there’s new merchandise featuring the character’s old threads. The answer likely lies in the way Brand New Day is said to be constructed.
It has been confirmed that Brand New Day is set four years after the events of No Way Home, but the entire film isn’t going to take place after that sizable time jump. There’s long been speculation that Brand New Day includes a montage of Spider-Man battling against “smaller” villains, a sequence that will harken back to the opening of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The idea is that it will be an efficient way to catch viewers up on what Spider-Man has been up to since they last saw him, establishing the foundation for Peter’s character arc. Based on the Funkos, that montage could start with Spider-Man wearing his No Way Home suit before he changes to the new one to illustrate the passage of time.
It’ll be interesting to see if Brand New Day spends any time delving into specific reasons why Peter felt it necessary to make a new suit. In the past, some comic book movie sequels have provided in-universe explanations for making changes to the costume (i.e. Bruce Wayne wants to be able to turn his head in The Dark Knight). Based on Holland’s comments, it sounds like Peter was inspired by his experiences in No Way Home, fighting alongside variants of himself. The new costume deliberately incorporates details Peter “thinks are really cool,” so this could be “Peter 1’s” way to emulate his “big brothers” and carry their example.
That would provide a bit of emotion and depth behind the costume. It’s clear from the Brand New Day trailer that Peter Parker isn’t in the best place emotionally, struggling to adjust to his self-imposed isolated reality. As difficult as that existence is, he has a responsibility to keep New York safe — just like Peter 2 and Peter 3 continued to keep their worlds safe despite all the challenges they faced. Within the context of the MCU and the larger Brand New Day story, making Holland’s new costume resemble the Maguire and Garfield versions could be a way to keep Spider-Man’s core ethos at the forefront of his mind.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!