Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter Eggs, Comic Covers and Scrapped Ideas

Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes the web head in a new direction. It's packed with recreated comic covers, game references and ideas that were scrapped along the way. Destin Daniel Cretton has taken over from Jon Watts, and I think he delivered what's possibly the best Spider-Man movie to date.

Leaving the multiverse shenanigans behind was, I think, a great choice. What we get instead is a fun street level story that blends the comics with material from Insomniac's Spider-Man PS4 game. Rather than trying to outdo No Way Home, it gives us a psychological story about Peter that feels like a great graphic novel arc.

Cretton Landed Spider-Man After Avengers Didn't Work Out

Cretton was originally going to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which was reworked into Avengers: Doomsday. He was offered that film too, but he couldn't find a way to make it work for him. Kevin Feige then offered him the next Spider-Man movie. He was very happy with that, because he's been a fan of the character since he was a kid.

According to JoBlo, the film went through significant changes in development. The Chameleon was first lined up as the villain, but his shape shifting felt too similar to the Skrulls. So the team considered giving him mind control powers, letting him make people perceive him as someone else in a crowd. The character was scrapped, but the mind control and crowd ideas stayed. The Shadow King, searching for his hidden physical body in New York, was also considered, along with Jean Grey as a sort of antagonist and a Die Hard with a Vengeance style mystery bomber.

Tom Holland Pitched Spider Puberty, and Some of It Was Too Creepy

Holland pitched the mutation storyline, describing it as "spider puberty" that would tie in with the X-Men. He reportedly pushed for something far more extreme, with fangs, venomous spikes and a nightmare where Peter became Man-Spider. The creatives cut back because it was too creepy for kids.

We spent ages insisting the Grey Hulk would be in the movie, and it looks like we weren't too far off. There was concept art of the character, but they kept him green so he'd be instantly recognizable. Cretton also wanted a fight against a smaller scale Sinister Six made up of lesser known villains. That was never filmed, and it was cut along with Eight Ball, who would have appeared in the opening montage.

The Marvel Intro Erases Peter From MJ's Memories

The Marvel intro focuses solely on Spider-Man, set to a somber piece called Web Letter Days. It's the Homecoming theme, but composer Michael Giacchino removed notes from it to represent Peter's missing friends. Lines from No Way Home play over images of Peter that thin out until only Spider-Man is left. Then Peter slowly fades from his moments with MJ. It's a great visualization of the spell making his friends forget.

The film plays off One More Day, where Mephisto wiped Peter's marriage to Mary Jane from reality to save Aunt May. That storyline is still despised by many fans, who wanted a more mature Peter. I quite enjoy it, though, and it did inspire both the PS4 game and this movie.

Peter's Lonely Routine Has a Few Upgrades

Peter now has a fabricator, monitors, a 3D printer and a laptop. People wondered how he afforded it, but Civil War established that he dumpster dives for tech. We could also assume May left some life insurance, though I'll admit that's a bit of a leap since nobody knows he exists. Some material was shot at Delmar's deli, and Peter wears its shirt later, so it's been theorized he works there. Honestly, I don't know if it even matters.

According to Cretton's notes on the script, the suit was inspired by the other Spider-Men in No Way Home, raised webbing included. It was fully practical, with no CGI wrinkles. His new AI, Eevee, is voiced by Naomi Watts, who played Holland's mother in The Impossible. Peter keeps tabs on Ned through post notifications on the account the Grateful Ned 42, a play on the Grateful Dead.

The Montage Recreates Amazing Fantasy 15

The crime fighting montage is set to Wolf Like Me by TV on the Radio, a track whose music video was directed by Jon Watts. When one goon falls from a roof, Spider-Man dives to save him, recreating the cover of Amazing Fantasy 15. These criminals belong to the Manfredi crime family, who debuted in Amazing Spider-Man 73. His police liaison, Jean DeWolff, is played by Lisa Colón-Zayas, and she's probably the closest thing he has to a friend.

Peter's wrist pain foreshadows his slow turn into Man-Spider. Apparently the film had $300 million worth of brand deals, which basically paid for the production.

Scorpion, Tombstone and a Wall of Recreated Covers

Scorpion returns from Homecoming with his mechanical suit, recreating a cover of Spider-Man/Avengers 2. I'd forgotten the Tinkerer went free, and I imagine the ferry meetup was meant to lead to Gargan getting this costume. Tombstone looks absolutely perfect, and his fight recreates a Spectacular Spider-Man cover. Boomerang, Tarantula and Ramrod all get their own recreated Amazing Spider-Man covers. Tarantula's military certificate from Delvadia confirms he's the original Anton Miguel Rodriguez.

Ramrod's actor, Billy Clements, said in an Instagram post that 3 hours of footage was cut, including recognizable actors. One confirmed cut is Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple, who was going to treat Peter after the Scorpion fight. I think that's a bit of a shame.

The Key to the City Means Nothing Without Anyone to Share It

Sheila Rivera, interim mayor after Fisk's resignation in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, hands Spider-Man the key to the city. He seems happy accepting it, but at home Peter just stares at it without emotion. He's won the city's respect, but it doesn't really matter because he has no one to share it with. The career cost him the love of his life.

Ned's Spider-Man Investigation Board Is Close to the Mark

Ned's board includes material from the Civil War fight in Berlin, with the names Captain America and Tony Stark visible. He thinks Spider-Man is male, aged 18 to 25 and white, with a Queens accent and a 2016 debut, which is pretty much spot on, since Spider-Man first appeared in Captain America: Civil War in 2016. One note puts Spidey's height at five foot seven and a half, not far off Tom Holland's five foot eight.

One of the people who worked on the boards and other assets for the movie shared a set photo. He credited a Daily Bugle article about a Spider-Man sighting in Queens to himself, and his pre-production poster included a wanted poster of Detective Terry Lee from the animated series. Ned has also built an app called the Spider Tracker, complete with the original Spider-Man theme. It reminds me of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man app in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and it plays a big part in the post-credits scene. His two suspects are Flash Thompson and Roger Harrington, both of whom were at several places where Peter rescued Ned.

MJ Still Wears the Necklace, and I Think the Film Runs on Red String Theory

MJ appears in the doorway still wearing the necklace Peter gave her when they first started dating. She likely has no idea why she has it, but something tells her to hold on to it, and it shows where her heart still lies. She doesn't want to work at a big soulless corporation, which is similar to the comics, where she didn't want to be like her mother and give up on her dreams.

She says she feels like she's waiting for something great, then looks up to see Peter. I think this movie operates around the red string theory: the belief that an invisible red string ties us to the people who are very important to us. It can get tangled or pulled toward other people, but you'll eventually be pulled together. People can chalk that up to coincidence, but I think this movie leans more into the idea that there is fate.

The catch is her boyfriend, played by the actor who played Ezra Bridger in the Ahsoka series and credited only as the boyfriend. I find it interesting they never named him, and it does feel like his role was cut down, since he gets just this one scene.

Heartbreak Triggers Peter's Mutation

Peter watches MJ kiss her new man, and we get a rooftop run shot like the No Way Home scene where he watches Jonah Jameson on a giant screen. I think deep down Peter probably thought MJ might be waiting for him. He turns to face the ground, and I do think the read is there that he could be contemplating ending it. Either way, he's so far in his feelings he hasn't even put his costume on.

That heartbreak triggers a hormone surge in his arachnid side. I do wonder if Peter will eventually be classed as a mutant and lined up with the X-Men. He wakes in a cocoon, a lot like The Other storyline, and saves himself with organic webbing, as Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man had. It also echoes the 2003 Spectacular Spider-Man story with the Queen, and the Six Arm Saga was probably something they looked at too.

Later, as Jean controls Scorpion, Peter takes things too far, which feels like the stories where he's corrupted by the Venom symbiote. A cop gets hurt after he throws the villain into a car, and if it happens again he'll become an enemy of the police.

Bruce Banner's Inhibitor Points Toward Mutant Collars

Peter turns to Bruce Banner at Empire State University, where Peter went in the comics. After the GED textbook at the end of No Way Home, I did think he might enroll there. Bruce's inhibitor, first seen in Shang-Chi and explored in She-Hulk, reads ASM14, the first time Spidey and Hulk crossed paths. A student named Cindy asks why Thanos didn't just make more food; Josh Brolin said Thanos simply hadn't thought about it. There's also a photo of Bruce's son Skaar, who first appeared in World War Hulk issue 5.

The inhibitor uses short-term interfering RNA to turn off his Hulk genes. When Peter suggests one could inhibit any sort of mutation, those mutant inhibitor collars are incoming. Bruce's question becomes a wake-up call for Peter to stop shutting himself off from the world.

Jean Grey, a Cruel Kiss and the Punisher's Dry Dock

Jean works out Peter's identity, his apartment and MJ, and finds his letter. Peter learns she can only jump 33 feet at a time, which means he could potentially get to MJ before her. He doesn't, but it sets up a really great scene. On the roof, Jean, controlling MJ, kisses him to see if part of her remembers, and it's insanely cruel. Zendaya is great in this film. Jean then has MJ thrown off a building, reminiscent of Gwen Stacy's death.

Frank Castle now lives at an abandoned dry dock aboard a boat called the Golden Girl, a deep cut to Spectacular Spider-Man 141, where Frank had a floating arsenal of that name. The chili can was named Jerry's Original Chili as a nod to Gerry Conway, co-creator of the Punisher. We learn Jean's sister Sarah was taken by Damage Control, and MJ works out that Peter's goggles are causing the inhibitor to overheat.

Savage Hulk Is Back

Jean takes over the Hulk at Damage Control HQ, and Frank turns up all guns blazing. When Bruce comes around, the first thing he asks is whether anyone was hurt. I imagine he realizes Spider-Man is the guy from his class, which could possibly set up Peter working with the Avengers while keeping his identity secret.

Hulk is my favorite character in Marvel Comics, and I was so glad to see Savage Hulk back. I do hope this lays the groundwork for World War Hulk.

Ned, Sarah and Jean's Turning Point

MJ tells Peter she isn't the person in his letter, but invites him to meet Ned. Ned's line "All right then, keep your secrets" kicks off a Lord of the Rings quote-off, which links to No Way Home, since Benedict Cumberbatch voiced Smaug in the Hobbit trilogy.

Jean's memories show Sarah being taken by Damage Control. When she sees a sticker on the air vent, she realizes exactly what V-Max is, and that turbocharges her power. She freezes everyone within a radius, which reminds me of Charles Xavier at the museum in X2. Peter tells her he's both Peter and Spider-Man, then takes Frank's bullet for her.

The Ending and a Signal From Space

Outside the hospital there's a vigil, Jean has been breathing for Peter, and Frank apologizes. MJ rubs her necklace on the school roof, and I think her memories may be starting to come back. Ned instinctively does their Homecoming handshake, and I do think it started coming back for him too.

In the post-credits scene, Ned's tracker finds Spider-Man in space. The glitches look like multiverse jump effects, and the red tint resembles the incursion material Charles Xavier was looking at in the Doomsday trailers. I wonder if Spider-Man will get the symbiote in the next couple of Avengers movies. It could also be another Spider-Man, or Peter sending an SOS. Doomsday's leaked plot is supposed to open with an incursion between the Fox X-Men universe and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, with Tobey and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine apparently fighting, so maybe the tracker is picking up Tobey.

Which Spider-Man do you think the tracker has found?