Spider-Man: Brand New Day introduces the MCU's Jean Grey, and while she's initially portrayed in a villainous light, the future X-Man eventually sees the error of her ways with a helping hand from Peter Parker and his memory of Aunt May.
A sticking point for many fans has been how dark Jean's actions are at times. She cruelly makes Peter believe that MJ has remembered him and is potentially responsible for several deaths (like making a man step into the path of an incoming car).
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Spider-Man: Brand New Day writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers were asked if they had any concerns about Jean's actions.
"I think technically, she’s not responsible for any deaths," Sommers started. "But you come away with the impression, certainly, that she’s caused a lot of destruction and mayhem. Even if you’re going to have a villain who really is redeemed at the end or goes through a transformation, you have to start them off in a place where they feel formidable."
"If it doesn’t feel like this is going to be someone who is a challenge to our hero, physically, emotionally, mentally, then you don’t really buy it."
McKenna concurred, adding, "What we were really excited about was this villain got to be a mystery for so long in the movie. We were in Peter’s shoes. We were not putting the audience ahead of him, so he was reacting to everything, and we were with him reacting."
Sommers went on to say that it "was really fun" to have "Peter experience MJ learning the truth twice," and McKenna made it clear that they have no regrets about putting Spidey through the wringer during that emotional rooftop exchange.
"The midpoint is this mislead where he thinks he’s got everything [when Jean inhabits MJ on the rooftop]. It’s his dream come true that she remembers him and that she’s in love with him still," the writer explained. "And of course, then the twist is a stab in the heart. But then the real true low point comes when he does have that moment, and he’s able to let her know the truth, and it does not go how he hoped and dreamed it was."
The comic book version of Jean has gone to some dark places on the page, and her origin story could ultimately inform how she becomes Dark Phoenix. That's likely much further down the line, and may not be something Marvel Studios touches on after Fox's two failed attempts.
The duo declined to comment on what happened to Ned Leeds after he shook Peter's hand ("We’ll let people discuss that on their own"), and talk then turned to what went down between Spider-Man and The Punisher on Staten Island.
"I don’t think anyone knows what happened in Staten Island," Sommers said with a laugh, prompting McKenna to add, "We always had an opening action sequence. I think originally it was a bank robbery, and then that turned into this really fun car chase we did with the tank, but it was always Frank blustering into this action sequence in a way that drove Spider-Man crazy."
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's a Brand New Day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
In our review, we concluded by saying, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day is everything fans could want. Emotional, hilarious, and heartfelt, it’s an action-packed love letter to the comics and one of Spidey’s best big-screen adventures. Spider-Man has never been more amazing."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.