Is ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ The MCU Superhero That Saves Hollywood’s Summer?

Spider-Man just beat the assembled Avengers where it counts — at the box office.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” earned $360 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening of all time. The 2019 superhero extravaganza “Avengers: Endgame” held the previous record of $357 million.

Everyone’s favorite wall-crawler had a little help. The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) co-star in the fourth “Spider-Man” feature starring Tom Holland. Still, the film’s gargantuan take signals something profound.

Superhero fatigue is situational, at best, with the summer’s “Supergirl” revealing that its relevance still matters in extreme cases. Plus, reading the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s last rites may be premature, even if recent titles (“Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts”) failed to blow away the competition.

Yet caveats abound, and they’re all worth exploring.

Let’s start with “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The 2021 romp did more than unite three Peter Parkers in one film. It proved a nostalgic smart bomb, revisiting old villains for a near-perfect blend of action, adventure and humanity.

Plus, the film came out as the COVID-19 lockdowns were easing, letting the country enjoy the theatrical experience again. The goodwill generated by those elements proved massive, setting the stage for “Brand New Day.”

After all, the latest Spidey adventure doesn’t have a sizable hook. It doesn’t continue a major plot point from previous MCU films. The villain has been hidden in the marketing rollout, robbing the film of a key selling point.

The MCU didn’t hire a “name” director (think Spielberg, Tarantino or Villeneuve) to tackle the assignment. Destin Daniel Cretton previously helmed “Shang-Chi,” a well-received MCU effort but far from a blockbuster.

There’s something deeper here — a type of attraction that demands the attention of not just superfans or Marvel acolytes. America’s favorite wall-crawler holds special appeal that can’t be relegated to the halls of Comic-Con like some obscure spin-off side character. Spider-Man has been part of Western culture for decades, from the animated TV show with the catchy theme song (“… Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can”) to Saturday-morning cartoons and a late-1970s TV show with Nicholas Hammond.

He’s a science nerd and social outcast, the kid who got bullied in school until a radioactive spider changed, well, everything. He remains relatable and real, even if we can’t swing from skyscraper to skyscraper.

Plus, he’s had the benefit of sublime actors bringing him to life. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield proved to be critical casting choices, while Holland has masterfully allowed his Peter Parker to mature before our eyes.

The new film finds him fighting crime while missing his best bud, Ned (Jacob Batalon), and his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya). That matters.

The “Spider-Man” films fall under the Sony banner, even while Disney’s MCU recently paired up with the film studio. That means the live-action Spider-verse didn’t follow the woke road that derailed the MCU in recent years.

No forced identity politics or woke plot points. The Sony films proved smart, resourceful and effective. The same can’t be said for MCU clunkers like “The Marvels” and “Eternals.”

The MCU has course-corrected of late, even including some pro-life messaging in last year’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

The MCU still has a galaxy of minor heroes who could save the day (and crush the box office), but they must be launched wisely. Most people didn’t know what a Deadpool was, but star Ryan Reynolds used his personal touch and plenty of humor to sell the character to the masses.

A decade after its solo film debut, Deadpool is a familiar pop culture staple and a phenomenon that has far exceeded the 2016 film’s modest $58 million budget.

Reynolds & co. also showed fidelity to the source material, telling fans they could trust the stories coming to their local cineplex. Geek Nation is a tiny fragment of the movie-going audience, but its members are the best marketers an MCU film can have when they’re working on your behalf.

Holland himself has played a key role in this MCU success story. The British actor doesn’t say a peep about ICE, voter ID, or other red-hot-button issues. He’s charming in publicity interviews, even keeping a low boil on his marriage to fellow superstar Zendaya, a kind of humility akin to “Brand New Day” — even down to the old-school Spidey suit that goes without the bells and whistles seen in recent MCU adventures.

That goodwill matters. Plus, Team MCU apparently benched Ruffalo during the “Brand New Day” press tour, knowing the far-Left actor would likely distract from the film with his progressive lectures.

It’ll be much harder to silence the crush of stars assembling for this winter’s “Avengers: Doomsday” feature. The December 18 release is a who’s who of superhero actors, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

If an “Avengers” film can’t pull off Spidey-sized numbers, then the MCU will be better off hyping their best individual characters moving forward. Why spend all that money on a film that can’t outperform a geeky wall crawler?

The X factor that can’t be overlooked? The old saw “a rising tide lifts all boats” still matters. The theatrical model made a stunning comeback this year, with breakout hits like “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “Project Hail Mary,” “Toy Story 5” and “Obsession.”

Suddenly, going to the movies is cool again, with Gen Z often leading the way. That might be the one superpower the MCU needed most of all.

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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. He’s also the host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto.