Spider-Man: Brand New Day Fan Theories That Actually Make Sense

Marvel fans all said the same thing when the trailer for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" came out, letting out a sigh of relief because it looked like a more personal story for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) that hones in on his doubts and angst toward being Spider-Man. It doesn't look like it'll be another multiversal adventure that focuses more on cameos than character development. Of course, there's probably plenty the trailer is hiding from us, and seeing as this is the next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's understandable that numerous theories have emerged about what we might see when the film lands in theaters on July 31.

Some theories are pretty outlandish. One involves speculation that MJ (Zendaya) will turn out to be a surprise villain, which would be a pretty hard left turn from where we left her in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Such wild theories are fun to talk about, but they're more for fun rather than genuinely trying to figure out what "Brand New Day" will entail.

With that in mind, there are some "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" fan theories that have us looking twice at the trailer. These are the ones where there's actually some evidence to back them up, or maybe they just work thematically with what it looks like "Brand New Day" is trying to achieve. If you're trying to predict the plot of "Brand New Day," these theories should at least enter the conversation.

Even before the "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" trailer came out, there was rampant fan speculation that "Stranger Things" star Sadie Sink would play Jean Grey. The reasoning was stupidly obvious: Jean Grey is a famous redhead from Marvel Comics, and Sink has red hair. For some, that's all you need to build a theory around. Granted, the MCU will likely bring the X-Men into focus following "Avengers: Secret Wars," so it's understandable the franchise would want to introduce some key players now to get audiences used to the idea of mutants.

However, after watching the "Brand New Day" trailer, there's even more evidence Sink is playing Grey (or at least some kind of telepath). Plenty of villains are featured in the teaser, from Scorpion (Michael Mando) to the Hand, but there's also a mysterious threat. In one sequence, an entity appears to move telepathically from an older woman into a prison guard and then into another guard. The being appears to be someone who can control others' minds; and considering Grey's power set involves telepathy and psychic prowess, that would be within her wheelhouse.

Jean Grey isn't the only possibility for Sink's casting. Other theories posit that she could portray Gwen Stacy or Firestar, another mutant. Some are also guessing that she's playing Rachel Cole, an ally to the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who is confirmed to appear in the superhero sequel. It's also possible Sink's character is someone different than who we see manipulating others' minds in the trailer; but given how they hid her and are playing coy with this looming threat, it's possible that "Brand New Day" will serve as some connective tissue between the MCU so far and the future Mutant Saga.

It's possible there's another character Marvel doesn't want to introduce just yet. Right now, there are a ton of clues that Daredevil (Charlie Cox) is secretly in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." For starters, we see Spidey facing off against the Hand, an organization of ninjas who usually fight Daredevil. It wouldn't be out of the question for them to take on Spider-Man, but "Brand New Day" is already filled to the brim with other bad guys, with the trailer giving us glimpses of Tarantula and Boomerang, too. Why include the Hand if Daredevil isn't going to show up at some point?

There's also the matter of timing. "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 picks up with the Man Without Fear as he takes on Mayor Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) crusade against vigilantes. There will also be a "The Punisher: One Last Kill" TV special that airs between the ending of "Born Again" Season 2 and "Brand New Day" releasing in theaters. All three of these projects take place within New York City, and there's bound to be some crossover with Punisher and Spider-Man interacting in the trailer.

"Brand New Day" already seems packed with characters. We can't forget Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), is also in the mix. Throwing Daredevil in there, too, might risk "Brand New Day" feeling overstuffed. But if we can just get one fight where Spider-Man and Daredevil work together to take down some bad guys, that'll be enough to satiate fans.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" could draw from various comic book storylines. There are nods to "The Other" story, hinting that Peter Parker might die in "Brand New Day." But there's a very real possibility the film will take some cues from the "Gang War" comics. "Gang War," from Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr., involves criminals vying for control of New York's underworld after Tombstone gets shot, creating chaos and disorder.

This could explain why there are so many villains in "Brand New Day." You could have Scorpion, Tarantula, and Boomerang all trying to gain more control. It has also been confirmed that Tombstone himself will appear and will be played by Marvin Jones III. It's possible that the end of "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 will involve Fisk getting dethroned as the city's mayor; he could die or simply just go away for a little bit. Fisk's absence could create a power vacuum with all of these secondary villains trying to become the new top dog, with Spider-Man left to clean up the mess.

A "Gang War" storyline adapted for "Brand New Day" could also explain Punisher's involvement. He could be trying to clean up the streets in his own violent way, which is at odds with Spider-Man's more caring sense of reform.

In addition to external forces, Peter Parker also has an internal battle to fight. The "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" trailer shows that Peter is losing control of his powers. He's continuing to mutate, which was also a storyline on "Spider-Man: The Animated Series." The conclusion of that arc involved Peter transforming into a spider-like monster known as Man-Spider; and assuming "Brand New Day" follows a similar trajectory, the same thing could happen here.

We'll get our first look at other Man-Spiders in "Spider-Noir," a new series getting released on May 25, which showed off some half-human, half-spider creations in the trailer. It might seem strange for "Brand New Day" to dabble in body horror, but there could be an excellent reason for Peter experiencing this phenomenon.

Bruce Banner shows up, and we see in the trailer that Peter goes to him for assistance in understanding his newfound condition. Peter turning into Man-Spider, at least for a little bit, could parallel Bruce's own battle with an alternate identity. Bruce could be the one to heal Peter and revert him back to his normal form while convincing him that he can't allow his darker self to come through. It gives Bruce a thematic reason to appear, and given how well horror has worked in other MCU projects like "Werewolf by Night" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," it could be just the thing to shock audiences here.

One of the strangest things to come out of the "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" trailer is the ending voiceover narration. "For those spiders who make it through, it amounts to a kind of... rebirth," it states (via YouTube). Many fans clocked that the voice likely belongs to Keith David, who has an incredibly distinct voice. The only problem is that David doesn't physically appear in the trailer, and he's not even confirmed to have a role in "Brand New Day."

It's entirely possible David is just providing some narration for the trailer and nothing more. He could also have a minor role to play in "Brand New Day," just not someone particularly noteworthy. He's explaining the life cycle of a spider (which Peter is going through), so maybe he's a professor or something along those lines. But one fan theory we really like, and can honestly see happening, is that David is playing Kwaku Anansi, a trickster god from Marvel Comics who represents the first "Spider-Man" in history. Anansi is a supernatural entity who watches over spider-figures from across the multiverse.

Peter has already had a multiversal excursion in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," so perhaps Anansi has taken an interest in him. It would explain the short speech he has in the trailer, as he's familiar with other spider-people going through similar mutations who have been reborn in various ways.

It's also worth mentioning that Anansi has a strong connection to Miles Morales in the comics. If the MCU wanted to set up a live-action Miles, it would make sense to establish who Anansi is ahead of time. David's a great actor, so hopefully, if the MCU is planning on using him, it's for a character with real gravitas instead of a throwaway role that could've been played by anybody.