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First Look at MJ’s New Boyfriend in Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sets Up Marvel’s Most Hated Character
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have been building anticipation for Spider-Man: Brand New Day through one of the most unconventional promotional strategies in superhero film history. Rather than dropping a traditional trailer, the studios coordinated a global relay campaign, passing seconds-long clips to fans and influencers across dozens of countries, with each new account tagging the next participant in the chain. The full trailer is set to land today, but the fragmented footage already paints a remarkably gloomy picture of Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) new reality four years after Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) memory-wiping spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Previous clips confirmed the physical toll of a maskless life, teased Jon Bernthal’s Punisher bearing down on the web-slinger in a van, and captured a heartbreaking glimpse of Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) walking past Peter without a flicker of recognition. The latest installment in this rolling reveal hits considerably closer to home.
The newest clip, unveiled by choirafrica on Instagram, cuts to a party, where Peter watches from across the room as MJ (Zendaya) interacts affectionately with an unidentified man (Eman Esfandi) at her side. The moment carries the full weight of No Way Home‘s conclusion. Because Doctor Strange’s spell erased Peter Parker from everyone’s memories, MJ has no memory of him ever existing. Therefore, she has built a new life, and Peter can only observe it from a distance as the woman he loves appears completely happy with someone else.
Is MJ’s New Boyfriend the MCU’s Paul?
The mystery man’s identity in the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains officially unconfirmed, but a persistent rumor points to one of Marvel Comics’ most controversial recent creations, Paul. Paul Rabin debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 during Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.’s run in April 2022. His very first panels presented him sharing a domestic life with MJ, raising children, and essentially living the happy ending that fans had always envisioned for Peter Parker. Rather than writing Paul as an outright antagonist, Marvel instead crafted him as a decent man with no compelling personality beyond being the latest editorial mechanism to keep Peter and MJ apart. The backlash was predictable. Despite never being written as a true villain, Paul became arguably the most hated character Marvel had introduced in years, with readers viewing him purely as an obstacle engineered to prevent Peter and MJ from rekindling their relationship.
That makes the timing of the character’s rumored MCU debut genuinely fascinating. By introducing a Paul-inspired figure in Brand New Day, the film can capitalize on the pre-existing animosity that a significant portion of the audience will carry into the theater. The dynamic also creates narrative possibilities that the comics never fully explored, given that the MCU’s MJ does not share the comics version’s complicated history with Peter. If the spell Doctor Strange cast in No Way Home is partially or fully reversed in Brand New Day, as multiple rumors have suggested, the film sets up a scenario where MJ could recover her feelings for Peter while still being in a committed relationship. Whether the MCU chooses to play MJ’s new paramour as a likable foil or lean into the audience’s built-in disdain remains to be seen, but either approach transforms a comics-era controversy into an essential part of Peter and MJ’s MCU relationship.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.
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