The Secret Ingredient In Every Great Spider-Man Movie Is Not What You Think
You've heard of sad girl summer; now get ready for sad boy summer. Because between Odysseus in The Odyssey (2026) and now, Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), it's a real brawl for who's more miserable. But all jokes aside, there's something to be said about how Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies are the best we've ever had, and so much of it is tied to his grief, loneliness, and heartaches. Not that anyone wants to see him suffer—because it's actually the opposite—but there's a deep-seated vulnerability in these movies that can resonate with the audience a lot more.
In more ways than one, Peter Parker is one of the most relatable characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. He isn't a billionaire or an all-knowing wizard of some kind, but he's a giant nerd who got bitten by a spider. As Dr. Strange says in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), "With everything we've been through together, somehow I always forget that you're just a kid."
To top things off, he's also not some popular kid, so, excluding his powers, he's ultimately the most ordinary hero. (Affectionately.) And that, coupled with these more relatable losses, allows his misery to be transcendent almost. They're an honest reflection of humanity in more ways than one.
Peter Parker’s Pain Is Deeply Relatable in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
It's not every person who's experienced a colossal, life-changing grief in their lives, but there's something incredibly nuanced about how Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies touch on losing his guardian. In all the other films and animated features inspired by the comics, it's always Uncle Ben's death that kicks everything into motion for Peter. And while that's entirely understandable because it's based on text, the way that we, as the audience, get to know Marisa Tomei's Aunt May in these films changes how her death resonates. It's not just Peter who feels it, but we do, too. We know her—more closely than we've ever known Uncle Ben, so her death feels more personal.
That detail is a huge part of the trilogy because while we expected it, it hits us all the same. So when we reunite with Peter in Brand New Day and four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, his pain still feels palpable. He's all alone, save for the acquaintances he's made like Liza Colon Zayas' Jean DeWolff and Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, his grief is still haunting. He's mourning May by himself still, without anyone knowing that she also had a nephew. His visits to the cemetery are agonizing to watch, even more so when it becomes clear that his powers are changing, and he can't talk about them with anyone.
And, of course, there's also the detail that his best friend, Jacob Batalon's Ned, and girlfriend, Zendaya's MJ, have no memories of him. It's all too much, yet it grounds the character in this incredibly realistic way because we all tune in to the movies hoping that this time, everything will work out for him.
The Best Spider-Man Movies Explore Misery Without Trauma Dumping
There comes a point in fiction where too much sadness starts to feel a lot like trauma dumping. How hard can we push a character to their breaking point before it stops making sense and feels like drama just for the sake of drama? It's something that happens all too frequently in long-running shows that seem to have a vendetta against giving their characters a break, but that's thankfully not the case with Spider-Man as it explores miserable situations without losing the message of hope.
Because, really, isn't the point of superhero movies to evoke a sense of hope at the end? Good versus evil, where good is guaranteed to win, even if there will be sacrifices and prices paid? That's the essence of these shows and movies, and it's especially palpable in Brand New Day as Peter Parker is literally and figuratively pushed over the edge throughout.
His suffering doesn't magically disappear by the end, yet there's something incredibly refreshing about how his goodness is the greatest part of his character journey. Because that's the thing that makes the story so admirable—any other person would've resorted to villainy because of what they've been through, yet Peter is still holding onto hope. He's still going out of his way, bending backward and forward to help people because that's what May would've wanted. He's honoring his aunt's memory while simultaneously showcasing that it takes far more strength to be a good person than it does to use his powers for evil.
His strength doesn't come from his identity as Spider-Man, but it's the human heartaches he faces that make it so easy to root for him. When he pushes through every horrific situation and extends a hand to Jean Grey, he makes a clear point that no one is meant to carry anything alone, and that's a refreshing message in a world where people are almost expected to have it all together—to be emotionless and stoic.
Spider-Man instead sends a deliberate message about why asking for help isn't a weakness, nor is it a frailty to feel the emotions brought on by pain. The movie makes his character journey significantly more refreshing and human in every way by acknowledging that pain doesn't have to be shoved aside to showcase strength, but instead, it needs to be felt and understood. It's the most human exhibition of strength we have in movies like this, and it has nothing to do with superhuman powers but rather everyday choices that confirm how people can continue to do good even when they're suffering.
Peter Parker has agency throughout his films, even when it's all too much, and it's that very agency coupled with the miserable scenarios he's faced with that shows us how his innate goodness and choices make him the friendly neighborhood hero. The way he strives for that goodness despite his mounting pain is no small feat.
