Is Spider-Man 3 moving the MCU franchise away from the Homecoming films and toward a “Brand New Day?” The clues are all around.

WHAT ABOUT THE SPIDER-VERSE?

I had read the Brand New Day theory a couple of times, but I was not quite sold on it at first. With all the Spider-Man 3 news and casting announcements of Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina reprising their roles as Electro and Doctor Octopus, respectively, my first instinct was that this was clearly a live-action Into the Spider-Verse

Then came word that Mr. Negative was possibly spotted on the Spider-Man 3 set. Instead of the Spider-Verse, could Marvel Studios be adapting "One More Day" and “Brand New Day” for the MCU? 

FAR FROM HOME LOOSE ENDS

The “Brand New Day” talk began after Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters. After Mysterio outs Peter Parker as Spider-Man (with the help of J.K. Simmons’ reprisal of his role as J. Jonah Jameson, which should have signaled that the Sony-verse was being combined with the MCU), fans were left buzzing. 

This is a similar situation to what happened to Peter in Amazing Spider-Man #533 when he revealed himself as Spider-Man during a press conference, which would eventually help set up "One More Day."

That begs the question, how will the MCU fix this problem of a Spider-Man with no secret identity? 

Enter: Brand New Day.

THANKS, MEPHISTO

Mephisto has been long rumored to be Doctor Strange’s foe in Multiverse of Madness, and there are theories that Marvel’s Satan will be the linchpin of the MCU in much the same way as Thanos tied the first three phases together. 

In the third episode of WandaVision, there were clear references to Mephisto. (In reply to Dottie saying the devil was in the details, Agnes tells Wanda, “That’s not the only place he is.” That's not to mention the powerful symbolism of the color red among all that black and white.)

Along with that, the Loki trailer featured a stained glass portrait of what appears to be Satan, or in this case, Mephisto. Could he be pulling the strings for Phase Four? That would be a great move for Marvel to have a new threat that would be a far departure from the Mad Titan.

ONE MORE DAY

How does this relate to Spider-Man?

Setting the stage for "Brand New Day" was its predecessor, "One More Day," which began in ASM #544.

Peter Parker’s life was crumbling. He had revealed his identity to the world in Civil War, and now Aunt May was dying. He enlisted the aid of Tony Stark, Mister Fantastic, and Doctor Strange. Parker even turned to a few super-villains, and one of them happened to be Otto Octavius. 

When no one can save sweet Aunt May, Peter strikes a deal with the devil disguised as a woman in red. She talks of different timelines with different realities for Spider-Man and some with no Spider-Man at all.

In exchange for the help, Mephisto takes Peter’s happiness by resetting his life: Aunt May is alive and well, his alter ego is once again a secret, but he loses the love of his life, Mary Jane. 

Put the pieces together, and the puzzle is taking shape. First, Doctor Strange and Doc Ock have been cast for Spider-Man 3. Next, the multiverse will likely reveal alternate Spider-Men from different timelines, likely those from the Sony-verse. Then the Mephisto clues are all over the MCU Phase Four, and now we possibly have...

MR. NEGATIVE AND A BRAND NEW DAY

Guess who made his debut in the first issue of “Brand New Day,” Amazing Spider-Man #546? You guessed it...Freak, everyone’s favorite addict-turned-monster.

Oh, and Mr. Negative made his first appearance in the same issue.

Mr. Negative would take a feature role in the Brand New Day story, and it may be no coincidence that he could be part of Spider-Man 3, a movie that is already packed with established villains. 

The end result is that Spider-Man 3 will establish an MCU Spider-verse, certainly, but the bigger picture will be that, after two movies of star-crossed romance, Peter will lose MJ and kick off Brand New Day on the big screen. In fact, I feel that will be the full title - Spider-Man 3: Brand New Day.

Now the fun is waiting to see how it unfolds and what surprises Feige and company have in store.

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