Marvel’s fourth Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland is called Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a name that will be familiar to any long-time Spidey fan. In Marvel Comics, “Brand New Day” refers to a period in The Amazing Spider-Man series when the book shifted from a monthly to an almost weekly release schedule, rotating through numerous creative teams, all chronicling the adventures of a newly single and relatively back-to-basics Peter Parker, following the devil-aided dissolution of his marriage to Mary Jane Watson.
The Brand New Day movie isn’t particularly faithful to the comics, but it does draw some ideas and themes from the book. And it’s not the first time the Marvel Cinematic Universe has drawn on specific issues and stories for movie fodder, either. Captain America: Civil War drew upon the miniseries of the same name where Iron Man and Captain America wound up on opposing sides of a battle over superheroes’ rights to maintain their secret identities. Captain America: The Winter Soldier drew upon a great storyline by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting about the shocking return of Cap’s long “dead” sidekick Bucky Barnes as a brainwashed Russian assassin. And Avengers: Secret Wars draws upon Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić’s 2015 crossover of the same name, with the assembled Marvel Universe battling Doctor Doom after a series of destructive “incursions” decimate their worlds.
Marvel’s Never-Ending Well of Comic Book Inspiration
But Marvel still has something like 80 years of stories it could theoretically draw upon for the post-Secret Wars MCU, including a ton of X-Men stories that Fox never got around to adapting in their rush to screw up “The Dark Phoenix Saga” two different times. So, from Marvel zombie to my fellow dorks reading these words, are ten more that seem tailor-made for MCU-ification. It’s not like the studio is going to run out of ideas or anything, what with the Content Mines remaining fully operational and all.
It’s worth noting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a long history of drawing from the comics, and it’s not like they’re going to stop anytime soon. I mean, why bother coming up with new ideas when you have a vast library of existing stories to draw from? It’s not like the studio is lazy or anything, it’s just that familiarity is often mistaken for originality in Hollywood. Somewhere, a Focus Group earned another bonus for telling the studio exactly what they wanted to hear.
The Future of the MCU: More of the Same, But Different
So, what’s next for the MCU? More of the same, but different. More superhero origin stories, more team-ups, more universe-expanding crossovers. It’s not like the studio is going to take any real risks or try to subvert our expectations. I mean, why fix what ain’t broke, right? The formula is working, so why bother changing it? The Merchandising Department reportedly approved the decision before the writers did, and that’s all that really matters.
And so, the MCU will continue to churn out movie after movie, each one carefully crafted to appeal to the widest possible audience. It’s not like they’re trying to make art or anything, it’s just about making money. And hey, who can blame them? It’s a business, after all. But still, it’s hard not to feel a little cynical about the whole thing. Another beloved franchise has successfully avoided the sweet release of death, and we’ll just have to wait and see how long it takes for the studio to run it into the ground.
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
