What to watch before Spider-Man: Brand New Day
A short list, and one surprising addition from a corner of the MCU that has nothing to do with Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released on 31 July 2026. This is still the order to catch up in.
Updated 9 August 2026 · 9 titles tracked
The essential prerequisite is one film: Spider-Man: No Way Home. It ends with the entire world forgetting Peter Parker exists, and Brand New Day starts from that, which is where the title comes from.
Everything else is either the run that got him there, or the reason a street-level vigilante turns up in a Spider-Man film.
The catch-up list, in order
Hand-ordered rather than sorted. Watch top to bottom.
- 1Captain America: Civil War2016 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Three
- 2Spider-Man: Homecoming2017 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Three
- 3Avengers: Infinity War2018 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Three
- 4Avengers: Endgame2019 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Three
- 5Spider-Man: Far From Home2019 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Three
- 6Spider-Man: No Way Home2021 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Four
- 7Daredevil: Born Again2025 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Five
- 8Daredevil: Born Again (Season 2)2026 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Six
- 9The Punisher: One Last Kill2026 · Marvel Cinematic Universe · Phase Six
The short version
If you have seen No Way Home, you can watch Brand New Day today and follow all of it. Nothing else on this list is required.
The rest is depth: how Peter got to that ending, and what the two shows in the last three rows are doing here.
His own run, in order
Tom Holland debuts in Captain America: Civil War, not in a Spider-Man film, which catches people out. Then Homecoming, Far From Home and No Way Home.
Infinity War and Endgame are the other two that matter to him personally, and neither has his name on the poster. Between them they are where the largest things happen to him.
Why Daredevil and the Punisher are on this list
Brand New Day pulls from the street-level corner of the MCU rather than the cosmic one. Frank Castle appears, and so does the Hand, and both come out of that side of things rather than out of anything Spider-Man has done before.
Daredevil: Born Again season two is set shortly before the film, and The Punisher: One Last Kill sits between the two and explains why Frank is where he is. Neither is required to follow the plot; both make his presence land as something other than a surprise.
Matt Murdock himself is not in it. That team-up has not happened yet, whatever the trailers implied.
What you can safely skip
Everything cosmic. The Guardians films, the Eternals, the Marvels, Captain Marvel and the Thor run have nothing to do with this one.
The full essentials list covers the wider question of what the MCU actually requires.
Common questions
What should I watch before Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the only one you need. For more, add Civil War, Homecoming, Far From Home, Infinity War and Endgame, plus Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Kill for the street-level side.
Do I need to watch Daredevil: Born Again first?
Not to follow the plot. Frank Castle and the Hand both come from that corner of the MCU, so it changes how their appearances land rather than whether the film makes sense.
Is Daredevil in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
No. The Punisher and the Hand appear, but Matt Murdock does not.
Why is it called Brand New Day?
No Way Home ends with the world forgetting Peter Parker exists. The film starts from that, with him rebuilding a life nobody remembers he had.
Where does Brand New Day fit in the MCU timeline?
After No Way Home, and after Daredevil: Born Again season two. The Punisher special sits between those two.