<\/p>\n
It’s been a decade since Tom Holland’s Spider-Man<\/a> first swung into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Since then, the web-slinger has battled multiversal villains, fought alongside the Avengers and lost almost everything that mattered to him.<\/p>\n The superhero returns to theaters on July 31 in Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/em>, his first solo blockbuster since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em>. Holland reunites onscreen with his wife, Zendaya, while Stranger Things<\/em> breakout star Sadie Sink<\/a> and The Bear<\/em>‘s Liza Col\u00f3n-Zayas<\/a> join the franchise.<\/p>\n If it’s been a while since you last caught up with Peter Parker, don’t worry \u2014 you’re not alone. His story stretches across six MCU movies, including a trilogy of solo films, and rewatching them all before Brand New Day<\/em> would take nearly 15 hours. That’s a lot of homework.<\/p>\n Luckily for you, I’ve been watching Spider-Man movies since Tobey Maguire, the OG Spidey, first hit the big screen in 2002. This is the essential catch-up I’d give anyone who wants to skip the rewatch marathon and head straight to Brand New Day<\/em>.<\/p>\n When Peter Parker (Holland) first appeared in Captain America: Civil War<\/em> (2016), Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), tracked down the teenage superhero after learning about a masked vigilante fighting crime.<\/p>\n Stark became Parker’s mentor, reminding him that being Spider-Man was about helping ordinary people, not chasing the biggest battle. Parker spent years trying to earn Iron Man’s approval, but the lesson never really clicked.<\/p>\n That changed in Avengers: Endgame<\/em> (2019), when Stark sacrificed himself<\/a> to save the universe. Parker realizes Stark never wanted him to become the next Iron Man. Instead, he wanted him to become the best version of Spider-Man.<\/p>\n Spider-Man faced career criminal Mac Gargan (Michael Mando) in Spider-Man: Homecoming<\/em> (2017), foiling one of his illegal weapons deals. Gargan ended up behind bars and vowed to take revenge.<\/p>\n The storyline was quietly left behind as Parker faced much bigger problems. Nearly a decade later, Brand New Day<\/em> finally picks it back up, with Gargan returning as the supervillain Scorpion.<\/p>\n By Spider-Man: Far From Home<\/em> (2019), Parker had finally settled into life as Spider-Man, balancing school, friends and his secret life as a superhero.<\/p>\n That all fell apart when Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio<\/a> (Jake Gyllenhaal), betrayed him. After convincing the world he was a hero, Mysterio framed Spider-Man for a deadly drone attack before exposing Parker as the person behind the mask.<\/p>\n Overnight, Parker’s life unraveled. His girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) were swept into the chaos, leaving him desperate to find a way to give them their normal lives back.<\/p>\n With the entire world knowing his identity, Parker turned to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em>.<\/p>\n Parker asked Strange to cast a spell to make everyone forget he was Spider-Man. But he kept changing the rules mid-spell, causing the magic to spiral out of control.<\/p>\n The mistake tore open the multiverse<\/a>, pulling villains from previous Spider-Man movies into the MCU.<\/p>\n Parker tried to cure the villains in No Way Home<\/em>, rather than send them back to universes where many were destined to die \u2014 but it backfired.<\/p>\n Norman Osborn’s (Willem Dafoe) Green Goblin persona resurfaced, killing Aunt May<\/a>. In her final moments, she passed on the words that have defined every version of Spider-Man: “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.”<\/p>\n For Holland’s Parker, this was the tragedy that truly made him Spider-Man. Grief nearly drove him to kill the Green Goblin, but he honored May’s final lesson instead.<\/p>\n As the multiverse continued falling apart, Parker got help from alternate Spider-Men<\/a> played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield (you probably remember the memes<\/a>).<\/p>\n Working together, the three Spider-Men cured the villains rather than defeating them, proving that compassion could succeed where revenge could not.<\/p>\n They reminded Parker that every Spider-Man experiences heartbreaking loss \u2014 and that choosing hope over vengeance is what makes them heroes.<\/p>\n Even after the villains were stopped, the multiverse kept collapsing as more people who knew Parker’s identity began breaking into his universe.<\/p>\n Doctor Strange found one final solution: make everyone forget Parker ever existed.<\/p>\nIron Man taught Spider-Man how to be a hero<\/h2>\n
Spider-Man made an enemy who never forgot him<\/h2>\n
Spider-Man’s identity was exposed<\/h2>\n
Doctor Strange’s spell broke the multiverse<\/h2>\n
Aunt May gave Peter Spider-Man’s defining lesson<\/h2>\n
Three Spider-Men reminded Peter who he is<\/h2>\n
Peter sacrificed everything to save the world<\/h2>\n