Believe it or not, it's been almost five years since we last saw Tom Holland's web slinger onscreen. Spider-Man: No Way Home was easily the highest-grossing movie of the pandemic era, earning more than a billion dollars worldwide, even with theaters closed in many locations.
If you'd forgotten what happened there, a brief recap: The other Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) teamed up to take down villains from other universes. But the victory came with a cost: Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) was killed by the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Peter Parker had to hide his identity forever, allowing Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to wipe the memories of everyone in his world.
Brand New Day picks up years after the events of No Way Home. Spidey is still saving the day, but MJ (Zendaya) is completely unaware of his existence. It's a tough beat for a kid who's been through so much. But on top of that, his spider-infected body is going through even more changes, not all of which are welcome.
Besides Holland and Zendaya, returning actors include Jacob Batalan as Ned and Michael Mando as Scorpion. Joining the cast are Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner (whose Infinity War memories of Parker have been erased) and Jon Bernthal as the Punisher. Sadie Sink and Tramell Tillman are also on-hand, but it's not clear who they'll play. Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) takes over directing duties from Jon Watts.
By the time the film is released, it will have been a full 12 months since a major superhero film played in theaters. That's the longest stretch in more than a decade. Will audiences still be hungry for superheroes? Judging by how many people have watched this trailer in only a couple of days, the answer is still yes.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31.