Every Spider-Man Movie You Need to Watch Before Brand New Day

Captain America: Civil War isn’t just an example of the MCU at its absolute best — it also marks the first appearance of Tom Holland as Peter Parker. With Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) acting as his mentor, Peter arrives in the thick of the action, fighting against Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and his faction of Avengers as part of a disagreement with Stark over the Sokovia Accords. 

While Peter isn’t necessarily the focus of this film, he’s a scene-stealer from the outset thanks to his impressive fighting skills, endearing awkwardness, and, frankly, his inability to stop talking. The high-schooler we meet is a far cry from the Peter we’ll be seeing in Brand New Day, so this movie just goes to show how far he’s come.

Mercifully, we don’t have to watch Uncle Ben die for a third time in Spider-Man: Homecoming. While this is the first Spider-Man-led story in the MCU, we don’t rehash the origin story. Instead, we catch up with Peter after the events of Civil War. He’s keen to become part of the Avengers, but Stark isn’t sure that his ward is ready just yet. However, he ends up having his hands full with the shady Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton) and his crush on classmate Liz (Laura Harrier) — with the two things ending up having a surprising connection to one another. Speaking of shadiness, we also come across Mac Gargan/Scorpion (Michael Mando) in this film, who is set to play a pretty crucial role in Brand New Day.

While it’s comedic and rooted in high school life, there’s no shortage of action in Spider-Man: Homecoming, making it a cracking choice for both the casual viewer and more hardcore comic book fans. It also goes a long way in establishing who exactly Peter Parker is, and why we should care. The good news is, Holland makes it very easy to do just that about the character. 

So, Spidey got his wish — he’s officially part of the Avengers in this film. Sadly, the circumstances couldn’t be more dire. As Thanos (Josh Brolin) races to complete the Infinity Gauntlet and enact his grand plan to erase half of Earth’s population, the Avengers team up to stop him. 

Avengers: Infinity War successfully interweaves 10 years’ worth of movie lore into one, richly-layered narrative. It’s essential context not just for the MCU as a whole, but also for understanding Peter’s story ahead of Brand New Day. After all, the consequences of this film are so massive that characters are still feeling the aftershocks in Phase 6. 

Physically, Peter isn’t in Avengers: Endgame very much. But like Infinity War, this movie has such wide-reaching implications that it’s an essential part of this list. That scene where all the ‘snapped’ superheroes return and join Cap on the battlefield against Thanos is nothing short of absolute cinema, but while there’s a lot of highs in this film, there’s some lows, too.

While I don’t want to spoil anything, let’s just say that there’s a pretty crucial scene involving Iron Man. It ends up causing a ripple effect that impacts Peter especially deeply, given his own relationship with Stark. As a result, he loses some of his innocence and is never quite the same again. So, this film marks an absolutely crucial moment in Peter’s character development. 

Remember when I said certain events in Endgame have far-reaching consequences? Well, Peter is still feeling the aftershock in Spider-Man: Far From Home. So, the arrival of the dashing Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Once again, Peter is split between the normal trials of high school and the pressure of being a hero, as he tries to balance the threat of the Elementals with a school trip and his growing relationship with MJ. 

With plenty of action scenes and some jaw-dropping plot twists, Far From Home will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Similar to Infinity War and Endgame, the events of this movie fundamentally shift the Spider-Man saga. It paves the way for the epic finale of the mainline Spider-Man trilogy, so it goes without saying that watching this should be a priority. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up immediately after the events of Far From Home. As Peter desperately scrambles to get some control back, he convinces Stephen/Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to make the world forget that he’s Spider-Man. However, proving that he’s still that same teenager inside, he simply can’t keep his mouth shut and ends up botching the spell, causing a catastrophic tear in the multiverse. 

While this is bad news for Peter and Earth-616 in general, it’s great news if you’re a Spider-Man fan. It paves the way for the inclusion of ‘Peter 2’ (Tobey Maguire) and ‘Peter 3’ (Andrew Garfield), along with many of their films’ classic foes like Dr Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Norman Osborn/Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). 

I’ll always remember the gasps and cheers in the cinema when the two other Spider-Men arrived through those portals, but fan service aside, this movie packs an epic punch both in terms of action and emotional damage. No Way Home’s final act, especially, is devastating and electrifying in equal parts, and is absolutely instrumental in setting the scene for Brand New Day. Plus, like many of the other films on this list, it’s an absolute banger.