The first time Spider-Man really felt like he belonged to the streets again was in the final minute of No Way Home. A homemade suit. A snowy Manhattan night. That final swing—simple, kinetic, unburdened. For a fleeting second, Marvel's wall-crawler wasn't a multiversal messiah. He was just a kid with web-shooters and a city to protect.
Turns out, that wasn't a one-off.
Production on Spider-Man: Brand New Day has resumed in Glasgow—standing in, convincingly enough, for a chunk of New York City—and new set videos show Tom Holland's stunt double rehearsing a web-swinging sequence that looks, refreshingly, like it came from the pre-VFX era. No green screens. No weightless CGI physics. Just a harness, a cable rig, and some guts.
And while he's not in full Spidey suit yet, the performer is clearly locked into a chase sequence involving a military-style tank barreling through the streets. Word is: the tank may belong to The Punisher. If true, that'd track with Jon Bernthal's confirmed return and the widely-circulated rumors of a Spidey–Frank Castle uneasy alliance. Old-school Marvel readers may even remember Amazing Spider-Man #129. Not saying we're going there—but somebody at Marvel Studios sure has that issue framed on their wall.
But the real headline here isn't the vehicle or the villain. It's the approach. Director Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) appears to be dialing back the digital overload in favor of grounded, tactile superhero action. It's a tonal correction some fans have been quietly begging for since Far From Home turned Spider-Man into a global drone-smasher. If Cretton keeps this up, Brand New Day could land closer to The Amazing Spider-Man's rooftop runs than the antiseptic spectacle of recent MCU entries.
Marvel hasn't confirmed which characters from the controversial “Brand New Day” comic run will appear, but with Mister Negative, Menace, and Jackpot all floated in recent leaks, the casting of actors like Michael Mando and Liza Colón-Zayas suddenly makes a lot more sense. And if Sadie Sink ends up playing Carlie Cooper? That's the kind of grounded character arc this franchise has lacked since Ned turned into a plot device.
Another key detail: Spider-Man: Brand New Day is officially slated to swing into theaters on July 31, 2026. That gives the production plenty of time to fine-tune its blend of VFX and stunt work—and gives us two more years of speculation, leaks, and viral set videos.
In the meantime, fans eager for a closer look can check out the over 130 photos of Holland in his new suit, recently published by a dedicated fan account. It's classic with a modern edge—less Iron Spider, more Ditko-era scrappiness. A good omen.
Destin Daniel Cretton directs from a script by Marvel veterans Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, with Tom Holland returning alongside Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, and others. The MCU may be bloated, yes—but there's something reassuring about watching a guy swing through city streets again. No portals. No variants. Just gravity, guts, and a goal.
Do you think a more grounded Spider-Man is what the MCU needs—or have we already swung too far from home? Leave your take below.
