The Future of Spider-Man

Have you all had a chance to process the ending of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" yet? What an incredible movie experience! The fourth Spidey movie starring Tom Holland is currently breaking all kinds of records. After just two weeks, the film has already grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide. And Tom Holland? He's now been part of four of the most successful opening weekends of all time. A historic milestone!

But let's put the raw numbers aside for a moment. We really need to talk about that ending! What's the deal with the mysterious post-credit scene? What does "Brand New Day" mean for the MCU? And what's in store for Peter Parker in the upcoming movies? We'll break down the details! Of course, this video comes with a major spoiler warning: If you haven't seen it in theaters yet, now's the perfect time!

Brand New Day Lays the Groundwork for the X-Men

One of the most important MCU developments in "Brand New Day" is the introduction of Jean Grey and Damage Control. After months of mystery surrounding Sadie Sink's role, she has now delivered a stunning performance! At first, she comes across as a cold-blooded villain, but the truth is far more tragic. Her desperate search for her sister has revealed the film's true villain: the Damage Control agency, led by William Metzger, played magnificently by Tramell Tillman.

This agency conducts cruel experiments on mutants – the perfect foundation for the new X-Men in the MCU. It's been known for a long time that they'll play a central role in the era following the next "Avengers" films. It's no coincidence that the sequel to the "Multiverse Saga" is titled the "Mutant Saga". The new "X-Men" movie is set to be released in 2028, directed by "Thunderbolts" director Jake Schreier.

But back to Spidey: He's managed to get Jean Grey back on the right track. He's opened his heart to her and shared his own painful memories of Aunt May. Jean realizes: She's not alone. And Peter, too, accepts his true nature. He's no longer denying who he is. He is Spider-Man, but he is also Peter Parker. He has regained hope and introduces himself to his old friend Ned. And their handshake shows that the memories of the old days aren't completely lost yet! This paves the way for a reunion of the trio in "Spider-Man 5"!

By the way: Do you love the look of "Brand New Day"? Then here's some good news: Marvel is determined to have Destin Daniel Cretton return as director for Part 5! But first, it looks like another adventure with the friendly neighborhood spider awaits us.

The Post-Credit Scene: Spider-Man and the Avengers

At the end of "Brand New Day", there's one more real highlight: We're talking, of course, about the post-credit scene! Ned's Spider-Man Tracker app suddenly goes completely haywire. Throughout the entire movie, this app was more of a funny gag. Fans in New York use it to report their Spidey sightings. But in the final seconds of the movie, everything is turned upside down. The tracker signal in Queens disappears. It's no longer even moving on Earth – it suddenly appears in the middle of space. And then the classic white text appears: "Spider-Man will return". Boom! But what on earth does that mean?

Theories from the community are currently running rampant. One guess: This isn't about the next "Spider-Man" movie, but about the Avengers. "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars" are right around the corner. And the teaser trailers for "Doomsday" have already used very similar on-screen text – definitely no coincidence. They always read, "…will return in Avengers: Doomsday". The fact that the movie title is left blank for Spider-Man aligns with a widely held assumption: namely, that Peter won't play a role in "Doomsday" at first. He isn't part of the film's official cast yet, either. But that means his appearance in "Secret Wars" is likely to be all the more spectacular. However, the text "Spider-Man will return" was also visible back in "Civil War" and "Homecoming". So this theory isn't entirely watertight.

The fact that the tracker locates him in space also fits with "Secret Wars". True to the comic book source material, Doctor Doom has created what's known as Battleworld – a sort of intergalactic re-creation made up of countless shattered realities. In addition, another rumor is making the rounds: According to the well-known insider MyTimeToShineHello, Peter Parker is finally set to wear the black Symbiote suit in the next-but-one "Avengers" movie. So will Tom Holland soon get his long-awaited Venom upgrade? In any case, the post-credit scene is the perfect setup for this: Peter is in space, far from home. He desperately needs new powers to fight Doctor Doom. And he gets them: in the comics, too, he receives the black suit while in space.

And another wild theory is circulating online: What if Ned's app works across dimensions? Marvel boss Kevin Feige has already hinted at this several times: A live-action Miles Morales is firmly in the works. Could the signal in the app lead directly to Miles? According to Feige, Miles won't join the MCU until Sony has completed its animated Spider-Verse trilogy. Based on current plans, that will happen in the summer of 2027 – before the theatrical release of "Secret Wars" on December 15. A showdown between the two Spider-Men? We'd totally lose it in our theater seats! And Tom Holland has already mentioned that there are concrete ideas for how he'll pass the torch to Miles. The question is: In which movie will that happen?

Release: When is the next Spider-Man movie coming out?

But even setting Miles Morales aside: When can we expect "Spider-Man 5" in theaters? When will we see Tom Holland in his next solo film? Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that we'll have to be very patient. First of all, Holland and Zendaya have earned a break: Both delivered great performances this summer in "The Odyssey" and "Brand New Day" and are now treating themselves to a vacation. But even after that, Spider-Man won't be back right away.

Let's take a look at Marvel's jam-packed schedule. As a reminder: Marvel has promised to focus more on quality than quantity again. They plan to release no more than three films per year. So this year, only "Doomsday" is on the way. In 2027, aside from "Secret Wars", there's actually nothing on the schedule – but the next "Spider-Man" movie is unlikely to come out that soon. In 2028, "Black Panther 3", "X-Men", and the recently announced "Ghost Rider" starring Ryan Gosling are already set to be released.

So we're expecting "Spider-Man 5" in 2029 at the earliest. Tom Holland would be 33 years old by then when his story with Ned and MJ finally continues. The relationship between Peter and his ex-girlfriend, in particular, is still up in the air: Can things ever go back to the way they used to be? And who knows – maybe "Spider-Man 5" will even feature a reunion with Frank Castle! Provided, of course, that the "Avengers" storyline doesn't completely upend all these developments.