‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Weighs In On ‘Thanos Was Right’ Debate
In many ways, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) lays the foundation for Avengers: Doomsday (2026), opening the door to a Marvel Cinematic Universe where the Avengers and mutants collide. However, even as it looks ahead to the future of the MCU, it can’t quite forget the past.
The film takes place roughly five years after Thanos’s (Josh Brolin) defeat and the return of those who disappeared in the Blip. Understandably, the major global event is still a topic of discussion in college classrooms in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, much like it is in the MCU fandom today. Even years after Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), fans are still debating the question: was Thanos right? Use our guide to revisit the controversial debate and find out what the MCU’s latest movie has to say about it.
What Is the ‘Thanos Was Right’ Debate?
The MCU’s Infinity Saga primarily focuses on the rise of Thanos, a powerful warlord who begins collecting the Infinity Stones. He plans to use the Stones’ power to wipe out half of Earth’s population. Now, at the most basic level, Thanos’ plan sounds horrific. It’s obviously wrong to kill 50% of humanity. However, it’s not mere bloodlust driving the warlord's plan. He comes from Titan, a planet that once thrived but eventually fell into destruction and desolation when it ran out of resources, leading to societal collapse and the near-extinction of the Titans. Thanos predicts a similar outcome for Earth, thus taking it upon himself to prevent it from meeting Titan’s fate by wiping out half of humanity, resolving overpopulation, and restoring balance.
Thanos is the clear villain of the MCU, and the Avengers go to great lengths to restore the billions of lives he cruelly wipes out. Even so, a few fans walked away from the saga with the bold stance that Thanos was actually right. On discussion forums like Reddit, fans have instigated lively debate by declaring Thanos was right, arguing that he saved Earth from a doomed future, chose a completely painless, indiscriminate way of reducing the population, and paved the way for those remaining to live in a cleaner world with more resources.
These “Thanos was Right” posts are met with resistance, with most fans claiming that while Thanos’ concerns were valid, his plan was far from right. Fans argue that his method was far too cruel and extreme, as well as ineffective because it wouldn’t have taken civilization long to repopulate and find itself in the same place it started after needlessly killing half of humanity.
What ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Says About the Debate
Spider-Man: Brand New Day touches briefly on the “Thanos Was Right” debate. The film reveals that Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is a professor at Empire State University. While he tries to teach his students about physics, most of them are only there to hear stories about the Avengers and Thanos. During one class, a student hits him with a particularly tough question, asking, “If Thanos was so worried about overpopulation, why didn’t he use the magic glove to make more food?” The room falls silent at the question, and Banner quickly changes the subject.
It’s a small moment, but quite significant for those interested in the “Thanos Was Right” debate. The MCU acknowledges its awareness of the debate, even giving it weight by reiterating it wages on in-universe as well. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is actually the second project to touch on the debate after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) revealed a group called the Flag-Smashers believed things were better after the Snap. Meanwhile, the student’s question is very similar to a problem many fans have already posited over the years about Thanos’ plan: that there were less lethal alternatives to fix Earth’s overpopulation.
Where the ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Leaves the Debate
Spider-Man: Brand New Day cheekily broaches the debate, but also manages to avoid taking an official stance on the issue. Banner appears dumbfounded by the question and, instead of answering, points at another student who declares, “Hulk smash!” So, though the film comes close to actually offering the MCU’s take on the debate, it leaves things ambiguous by ensuring the main characters don’t weigh in on it.
Still, Spider-Man: Brand New Day may also be saying something through its characters’ silence. After all, Banner is one of the smartest characters in the Marvel universe, and the fact that he had nothing to say about the question speaks for itself. Perhaps the MCU is admitting that Thanos’ plan was so ridiculous that even Banner can’t find the words to respond to it. Thanos could’ve done anything with the Infinity Gauntlet, and why he went with mass genocide as his first choice is something that maybe even the MCU itself can’t explain.
