Within the MCU, there are so many morally gray characters. Characters who had to go so far down the wrong path, that the consequences of their own actions led them to being a hero. And as much as I love Tony Stark, he is a perfect example. He was an entitled billionaire who had no regard for who bought the weapons he manufactured.

Until they were used against him.

And it was only when another human being made the ultimate sacrifice and Tony Stark truly got to understand the error of his ways, that he became a hero. And even then, his ego frequently got between him and doing the right thing. And though he made the ultimate sacrifice in the end, he had to go on a journey to understand what it means to be a hero. Tony Stark became a hero through Iron Man.

But Peter Parker has always been good. While he was certainly motivated by great personal loss, it was always within his nature to help those who needed him. Even if you took the mask off, even if he’d never been bitten by that spider, Peter Parker would still be good. Spider-Man only accentuated who Peter Parker already was.

And nowhere is this more evident than in Spider-Man Brand New Day.

***Spoilers for Spider-Man Brand New Day***

Peter Parker Would Never Turn His Back On Anyone Who Needed Him

A key theme of Spider-Man Brand New Day is the idea of Spider-Man killing Peter Parker. That in choosing to make the ultimate sacrifice (completely destroying any and all traces of Peter Parker, and thereby losing everyone he ever loved), Spider-Man also destroyed the part of himself that made him a hero.

Because here’s the thing, Peter Parker never needed powers to want to do good. He didn’t need some grand push. Sure, he may have needed some guidance on how not to recklessly dive head first into every conflict but he never needed to be told that innocent people deserve to be protected.

And by removing Peter Parker, all that was left was the spider. And without Peter Parker holding the spider back, he would destroy everything in his path. He would have no regard for human life or protecting the innocent. He would only care about taking down the next threat.

And that’s exactly what happened with Scorpion. Spider-Man almost killed a cop because he was choosing to disregard his own humanity. He lost his family, his friends and he fully devoted himself to being Spider-Man. But without the love and connection that had been his driving force for most of his life, without Peter Parker, there was no hero.

Unchecked Power Will Always Lead To Destruction, Regardless Of The Wielder

I’ve seen a lot of rhetoric about the MCU perpetuating military and cop propaganda. And while I might’ve been inclined to believe it when I first started watching the movies. After all, what else are you going to expect when the US military funds a movie?

But the truth is, the MCU is one very long TV show. Watching one movie and making a broad claim on the entire MCU is the equivalent of watching a single episode of a show and accusing it of pushing bad morals. Because if you really look at the franchise as a whole, the government and the military are not the good guys.

Time after time, the MCU shows the immense risk of giving absolute power to any one individual or organisation. Whether that’s through surveillance, advanced tech or superpowers, when power is left unchecked, it is corrupting. And it would be one thing if this happened in one or two movies. But this theme comes up over and over again.

Tony Stark’s own inventions are used against him. Peggy Carter’s beloved SHIELD is infiltrated by Hydra and they use SHIELD’s surveillance technology to preemptively take down threats. And now with Damage Control using surveillance technology to find mutant children and run illegal experiments on them. Experiments that have no regard for human life. Damage Control killed a child so they could harness her power, and then they turned around and took another child.

And Spider-Man is no exception to this. In denying Peter Parker, in denying his own growth in favour of being a more effective Spider-Man, Spider-Man created a universal inhibitor. He created a tool that would later be used to subjugate marginalised communities. He used surveillance technology to hand a child over to people who would run experiments on her.

And yes, he did course correct. He learned he was wrong about Jean Grey and saved her life. He learned to embrace who he was and was able to better protect his loved ones as a result. But he didn’t reach these conclusions on his own. He was only able to grow when there were other people to guide him and check him when he was out of line.

Peter Parker is as good as they come. And even he should not be allowed unchecked power. There is no such thing as “a good person” in an unjust / oppressive system of power. Because no matter how good, when there are no guardrails in place, innocent people become collateral damage.

It happened with Iron Man. It happened with the Scarlett Witch. And now it’s happening with Spider-Man. Spider-Man may live a life ruled by tragedy but he cannot be alone. His immense power and intellect makes him an incredibly dangerous individual when he is left unchecked. Whether he knows it or not, Spider-Man cannot be a hero without Peter Parker.

The Power Of Friendship

A lot of people were disappointed by MJ telling Spider-Man that she didn’t love him, she didn’t even know him. And as heartbreaking as this is, it makes perfect sense. She had no memories of him, she had a boyfriend. If she had gotten together with Spider-Man, it would’ve been in violation of who she was as a person. And it would be beyond cruel to her boyfriend.

And yet, she still retained the sense of the friendship she once had with Peter Parker. That’s why she trusted him enough to take her back home. That’s why she invited him up to meet Ned. That’s why she found herself drawing Ned and Peter as friends. And that’s why she slipped up and called him Peter instead of Spider-Man.

This is not a romance but a story of friendship. And nowhere is this more obvious than in Ned’s dynamic with Peter. Because when Ned is interacting with Spider-Man, he stops being Spider-Man. Even though he’d still wearing the mask, for the first time in years, he returns to being Peter Parker. And despite forgetting him, Ned returns to being Peter’s best friend.

And maybe people will call me stupid for this but I genuinely believe Ned remembered Peter. Remember, he’s a sorceror. I don’t subscribe to the belief that Ned only said “Peter” in that way because he’d heard MJ saying it and put two and two together. Because if you look at his eyes, you see he doesn’t have that moment of realisation until they’re midway through the handshake.

Ned could’ve easily said “Spider-Man”. But he doesn’t. He said “Peter”. And there was so much emotion in that voice. Because spell or no spell, Ned had spent years trying to track Spider-Man down. He was even creepier than Peter was. He couldn’t let go of his obsession with Spider-Man. And when he had one moment with him, he treated him as he would treat Peter Parker.

I am glad that we focused more on the friendship than the romance. There are going to be more Spider-Man movies. He has all the time in the world to make MJ remember. But in this moment, he didn’t need a girlfriend, he needed his friend back. He needed to remember what it was like to be Peter Parker.

Aunt May Saved Them All

I’ve seen a lot of discourse around how Jean Grey should’ve had a stronger reaction to being in Frank’s head than she had being in Peter’s head. But Jean Grey has presumably been going into people’s minds for a while. And while Frank may have a traumatic past, she is no stranger to violence and gore.

And I doubt she stayed in those memories for too long. She had that immediate reaction because it was more intense than she was used to but it was still in line with what she thought of the world.

But Aunt May’s compassion, her infinite kindness and her softness completely brought down Jean Grey’s defences. Jean Grey had never known the love of a mother and in the moment that Aunt May was speaking to her, and holding her, she knew what it felt like to be acknowledged for being different but also loved all the same.

Jean Grey was affected because she was finally spoken to as a human. She wasn’t beaten down or told she was unworthy, she was raised up and told she was special. Of course that softness would disarm her more than violence ever could. Because for once, she didn’t just invade a mind for as long as she needed it, she actually allowed herself to immerse in what it felt to be someone else.

Peter Parker is a hero because of Aunt May. She was a woman whose kindness was so absolute, she would never turn her back on anyone who needed her. Even if the world told her she was dealing with a monster, she chose to see the man beneath the mask. And she raised Peter Parker to be the same way.

Peter Parker chose to forgive Jean Grey and be there for her, because he would not be Peter Parker if he could turn his back on her. And Jean Grey didn’t need his sacrifice to believe him. She was in his mind. She knew he meant every word. And his sacrifice only reinforced what she already felt in his heart.

Final Thoughts

I know there are a lot of frustrations directed at this movie. People don’t like the main plot twist. They take issues with Jean Grey’s character. They hate that Spider-Man created the universal inhibitor. They hate that Spider-Man didn’t get the girl by the end of the movie.

But honestly, I’m okay with it all. This is not the end of the story. And if Tom Holland is to be believed, the brand new day only begins in the final shot of the film.

This movie is about the incredible power of love and friendship. For most of the movie, we see Spider-Man the hero. In every moment that Peter Parker, the man, can be allowed to shine, he is sidelined by Spider-Man. And it is only in the end, once he regains his connection with Ned and MJ, that we get to see the true hero of the story.

Jean Grey changed only when Spider-Man stopped blocking the essence of Peter Parker. And that’s what that memory represented. That memory represented love. It reaffirmed that Peter was special and he was worthy of being protected. And it showed that Peter Parker will never die, not even when everyone forgets him. Because he will always carry the love that was given to him, within himself.

Aunt May is gone but her love lives on. And that love is the essence of who Peter Parker is. And it has the power to enact change, even when she is dead and he is a shell of who he once was.

There is genuine power within the connections we have. We are who we are because of the love that binds us. It is powerful to choose compassion, forgiveness and kindness. There is power in giving someone the benefit of the doubt. And there is power in choosing to see the best in yourself and in other people.

And considering Spider-Man is one of the strongest heroes, I am glad that his main “villain” was defeated by an act of kindness. Peter Parker doesn’t need brute force. His compassion has always been his greatest strength.