3 Ways Brand New Day Sets Up Doomsday

3 Ways Brand New Day Sets Up Doomsday

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at ways that “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” sets up “Avengers: Doomsday.” We’re issuing a huge spoiler warning upfront! The MCU’s sixth phase is nearing its conclusion along with the Multiverse Saga. “Brand New Day” could be seen as a penultimate chapter before the two-part finale, “Avengers: Doomsday,” which releases in December 2026, and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which is slated to hit theaters the following year. While “Brand New Day” mostly keeps the focus on Peter Parker’s personal journey, it also drops multiple signs of what we’re expected to see in “Doomsday” and beyond. Let’s break down the major characters, locations, and concepts that will surely carry over from “Brand New Day” to “Doomsday.”

Yelena Belova as a Team Leader

Throughout his latest film, Peter Parker seeks help from several familiar faces, including Frank Castle’s Punisher and Bruce Banner. With the latter’s Hulk Inhibitor Device now broken, chances are we’re going to be seeing more of the big green guy, although he’s supposedly not in “Doomsday.” One character who’s guaranteed to have a significant role is Yelena Belova, who Peter tracks down for information. It’s fitting that Peter would ask Yelena for help, as both have struggled with mental health. Yelena appears to be in a much better place since “Thunderbolts*,” thanks in part to her soothing “office.” While her fellow New Avengers don’t pop up, “Brand New Day” cements Yelena as a leader that other heroes can turn to.

Once a lone wolf in search of a reason to keep going, Yelena has embraced her newfound figurehead role, just as her sister led the Avengers for a period. Although she gives him intel, Yelena explains to Peter that the case he’s working on is “small potatoes” compared to what the New Avengers deal with. Yelena doesn’t get into specifics, but an example of a “big potatoes” problem would likely be the “space crisis” mentioned in “Thunderbolts*.” Presumably, “Brand New Day” occurs before that post-credits scene, in which the Fantastic Four’s ship arrives. Kevin Feige has stated that “Yelena plays a big part in [“Doomsday”].” “Brand New Day” suggests that Yelena won’t just be an ensemble player, but rather, somebody who takes charge.

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Jean Grey & The X-Men

It’s kind of debatable when mutants made their official debut in the MCU. You could go back to Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, although they weren’t established as mutants upfront. Charles Xavier, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Beast have all appeared, but they were from different realities. Within Earth-616, Kamala Khan and Namor have been singled out as mutants. Yet, Sadie Sink’s debut as Jean Grey in “Brand New Day” feels like a real game-changer. It implies that some of the characters from Fox’s X-Men Universe have variants in Earth-616. It’s also telling that for all of the original X-Men actors returning in “Doomsday,” Famke Janssen reportedly isn’t reprising her role as Jean Grey. “Brand New Day” and “Doomsday” could bridge the old and the new.

For at least a few original “X-Men” cast members, namely those getting up there in age, “Doomsday” and possibly “Secret Wars” seem like a last hurrah. If actors like Ryan Reynolds are in it for the long haul, though, maybe some others will be too. Earth-616’s Jean is alone, not having any X-Men to provide backup. With Jean driving into the unknown at the film’s conclusion, she may search for others like her. What remains to be seen is if there are versions of characters like Professor X already in Earth-616. We don’t even know if there’s a School for Gifted Youngsters. With worlds colliding in “Doomsday,” maybe Xavier’s school will come to Earth-616, or it’ll give somebody like Jean the idea to start a similar school in her own universe.

In any case, Sink’s presence indicates that more characters will be recast as the X-Men are further integrated into the MCU. We don’t see Marvel doing a love triangle between Sink’s Jean, James Marsden’s Cyclops, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, what with the obvious age difference. As such, “Brand New Day” might be setting up the X-Men universe - Earth-10005 - to be destroyed in “Doomsday.” Perhaps Earth-616 and Earth-10005 will merge into one, but the most likely scenario could see several X-Men killed off in “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars.” This would allow a new class of actors to assume these iconic roles, with Sink’s Jean taking the first step in “Brand New Day.”

Spidey on Battleworld

Here we were thinking that Ned’s Spidey tracker was just a throwaway gag. In the post-credits scene for “Brand New Day,” though, Ned’s device finds that Spider-Man isn’t in New York. In fact, he’s nowhere to be found on Earth. The tracker traces Spider-Man to somewhere in space, signifying that he’s been taken to Battleworld. While Battleworld has gone through a few variations in the comics, it most notably tied into the 2015 “Secret Wars” arc, in which Doctor Doom assembled pieces from different realities to form a new planet as the multiverse collapsed. We’re willing to wager that “Doomsday” will mainly focus on the incursions of different universes, climaxing with the creation of Battleworld, which will serve as the main backdrop of “Secret Wars.”

“Brand New Day” notes that Spider-Man will return, although it doesn’t specify when exactly. As of writing, it hasn’t been confirmed if Tom Holland will appear in “Doomsday.” Given how stacked the “Doomsday” cast already is, there just might not be enough room for him. Holland’s schedule is also busy, somehow managing to squeeze this and “The Odessey” into one year! Considering where “Brand New Day” leaves us, though, we have a hard time believing that Holland won’t at least make a cameo in “Doomsday.” Either way, we think he’ll have a larger role in “Secret Wars,” now that we know Spider-Man is bound for Battleworld. Then again, if Ned’s device can track one version of Spider-Man, perhaps it can be used to trace others.

While the app shows Spider-Man on another planet, maybe there’s another web-slinger on Battleworld with him. Using his portal powers in “No Way Home,” Ned found Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parkers when they got sent to Earth-616. Ned’s Spider-Man tracker could operate the same way. If Doom is taking pieces from other realities to make Battleworld, Maguire and/or Garfield could get pulled into another multiversal conflict. Again, this seems more like something they would save for “Secret Wars,” but if they want to end “Doomsday” on a high note, reuniting the Spider-Man trio for a post-credits scene would ensure we’d show up for the next film. Whatever awaits, we’re looking at a brand new Doomsday.

In what other ways do you think “Brand New Day” will set up “Doomsday?” Let us know in the comments.