Major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day are ahead! If you have not seen this movie, it’s currently playing in theaters.
For a long time now, a common criticism of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies is that there’s always another hero he kind of has to share the spotlight with. From Iron Man to Doctor Strange, he hasn't been able to get a movie to himself. That’s never really bothered me, though. Well, that was the case until I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While I agree with Brand New Day’s reviews, and I think it’s great, unfortunately, the way they handled Sadie Sink’s character, Jean Grey, is the reason I have a problem with it.
Don't Get It Twisted, I Love This Movie And Sadie Sink's Performance
If I don’t think about the MCU as a whole or the upcoming Marvel movies, I loved the role Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey played in Brand New Day. The conflict revolving around Spider-Man’s plan to suppress his own powers as well as hers was effective. And I love that Peter realizing he should embrace his evolving powers stemmed from him finding common ground with Jean.
Overall, I thought Jean’s introduction was a very powerful way to get Peter Parker to realize and deal with his demons and then come out of this isolation he’d put himself in for years. He accepted his powers, started reuniting with MJ and Ned, and that happened as he tried to defeat and then protect Jean.
I also loved that this film subverted expectations and didn’t have one all-powerful villain. Instead, it flipped the script; while Jean started as the antagonist, the government ended up being the real bad guy, and Peter realized he should actually be helping the young mutant.
Plus, Sadie Sink’s performance was amazing. It’s tortured yet delicate, and I am genuinely looking forward to seeing more of her as the iconic X-Men character. However, this is where my problem with this entry on the 2026 movie schedule lies.
I Don't Like That Spider-Man: Brand New Day Feels Like A Set-Up For X-Men
Yes, Brand New Day is a solid movie. Yes, it does tell a compelling story about Spider-Man. However, for a good chunk, it turns into a Jean Grey origin story. And after it's revealed that the body-jumping antagonist is Jean, it was almost distracting how often I was thinking about what’s next for her.
I’m certain they’re setting Jean Grey up to be a big player in the MCU, and we know Jake Schreier has an X-Men movie in the works. So, as we saw her origin play out in Brand New Day, and we learned about her powers, it didn’t necessarily feel like it was being done for this Spider-Man story. It felt like it was being done to serve the greater universe.
What I wanted from Brand New Day was a Spider-Man movie about Spider-Man. I didn’t want to be distracted by the bigger universe Marvel is trying to construct. Introducing Jean Grey and doing it in the way they did took the spotlight off the webslinger for too long, and that’s why I have a problem.
It’s not necessarily anything to do with the character herself or Sink’s performance. I actually enjoyed those a whole lot. It was more so the fact that her part in this story felt like a springboard into another chapter of the MCU. I didn’t want Spider-Man: Brand New Day to be a bridge to the greater world. I just wanted it to be a Spider-Man movie.
