Brand New Day Can Deliver Marvel’s Best Romance Reset in Decades

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is committing to Spider-Man: No Way Home’s bold storytelling choices by essentially having Peter Parker’s existence erased. It’s yet to be seen how convoluted the effects of Doctor Strange’s spell will be, especially when many other MCU characters have interacted with both Peter and Spider-Man and will only remember having interacted with the latter, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day is only likely to punctuate the relationship this spell cost him with Michelle Jones-Watson, who also goes by MJ.

Even if you’re not someone who enjoyed the story in Spider-Man: No Way Home, including the suspension of logical thought required for many of the movie’s nostalgia-infused villains appearing in the MCU, it is indisputable that its incredibly loose adaptation of the “One More Day” storyline is far better than the one we got in the comics nearly two decades ago. That’s why, with the MCU’s “One More Day” being more concise, its upcoming adaptation of “Brand New Day” is sure to right its wrongs, too.

The MCU, Comics’ Brand New Days Will Be Night & Day

Spider-Man’s “One More Day” storyline is one of the most controversial and damning events to have ever been conceived in comic book history. The erasure of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker’s marriage has done irreparable damage to Spider-Man comics and their interpretations of characters since, and the runs that followed “One More Day” in the “Brand New Day” era were decidedly disappointing and consequently stifled.

The MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home basically created a similar retcon as “One More Day” with nobody remembering Spider-Man’s secret identity after it had been made public knowledge.

However, the side effect of this spell made it so everyone also forgot who Peter was, and that includes MJ. Thankfully, while Earth-616 comics have blatantly refused to let Peter and MJ live happily ever after, there is a high likelihood that the MCU will.

The MCU Wouldn’t Dare Split Tom Holland & Zendaya

MJ (Zendaya) and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) kissing in Spider-Man Far From Home

There are too many pillars in place reinforcing Peter and MJ’s fated relationship that it would be fairly absurd if the MCU truly, meaningfully, and permanently separated them. For instance, Peter is still madly in love with MJ, as is evident in him breaking his promise to her and neglecting to teach her about their shared history, and that should deny the possibility of him ever having a love interest other than her for as long as the franchise continues.

It would make no sense for Peter to fall for someone else and believe he could make a relationship work with them, anyway, as that would completely disregard the reason why he chose to be a stranger at worst and customer at best to MJ. Peter will have spent the last four years wishing he could be with MJ, but he hopefully won’t walk that decision back like Andrew Garfield’s Peter agonizingly did with Gwen Stacy, and repeatedly so.

Plus, it only seems right for the MCU to lean into Tom Holland and Zendaya’s terrific chemistry as a real-life power couple. Either way, it seems like it’s only a matter of time until MJ remembers who Peter is, whether that occurs in Spider-Man: Brand New Day or a subsequent movie, or perhaps she falls for him organically all over again, and Peter will feel compelled to spill the beans.