Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Brand New Day
After watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day, one has to wonder what might be next for the MCU’s true foe. While Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey is presented as the movie’s primary antagonist, the true villain is eventually revealed to audiences and Peter Parker’s Spider-Man himself in the movie’s final act. Furthermore, it feels very likely that Brand New Day won’t be the last we see from this particular threat.
Although Spider-Man spends much of the story dealing with threats ranging from the Hand to the Hulk in connection to Jean Grey’s mission to find her sister, the true villain is Trammell Tillman’s Bill Metzger, director of the Department of Damage Control. Despite the organization’s role in the government handling superhuman threats and extraordinary events, it’s revealed that Metzger has a darker agenda in his efforts to fulfill the DOD’s mandates.
Because his fate at the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is intentionally ambiguous, let’s break down what we do know and what’s most likely in play for Bill Metzger regarding his MCU future.
Bill Metzger’s Fate At The End of Spider-Man: Brand New Day Explained
Spider-Man and Bill Metzger shaking hands in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
In Brand New Day, it’s ultimately revealed that Bill Metzger covered up his organization’s abduction of Sara Grey, seeking to replicate her telepathic abilities for the DODC’s use. These brutal experiments ultimately killed Sara, a truth Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey wouldn’t learn until she was taken by the DODC herself, as Metzger manipulated Spider-Man into helping him capture Jean so he could continue experimenting on her.
Metzger believes that young and untrained people with extraordinary and potentially dangerous abilities like Sara and Jean need to be controlled and contained. Additionally, he sees the best course of action is to replicate those powers and put them in “better”, arguably more professional hands.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
Assessment Complete Your Spider-Sense Rating
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Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
By the ending of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jean’s powers massively evolve due to the pain and trauma of Metzger’s experiments combined with the revelation that her sister was killed. Not only does Jean’s telepathy range expand to a full kilometer, but she also gains telekinesis as well.
As such, Jean immobilizes the entire DODC when Spider-Man arrives, offering his help and a path forward that’s far less dark. While this results in Metzger’s life being spared, it’s revealed that he does end up escaping in the aftermath and is currently MIA as Yelena Belova’s Black Widow works with the authorities to fully expose his illicit operations. Keeping that in mind, the door’s wide open for Metzger to reappear down the line, perhaps as an even bigger threat to young mutants like Jean.
MCU Theory: Metzger Will Return As A Key X-Men Villain
Trammell Tillman as Bill Metzger in Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer
Looking to the future and following Brand New Day, Bill Metzger is now perfectly positioned to become a key X-Men villain in the MCU. After all, Metzger being staunchly anti-mutant is his character’s entire MO in the original comics. Following the massive evolution of Jean’s powers, it’s not hard to imagine that Metzger would feel validated that his methods were and are necessary. Furthermore, assuming Bill still has his hands on Spider-Man’s prototype universal inhibitor tech, Metzger could help introduce one of humanity’s biggest weapons against mutantkind with the comics’ classic suppression collars.
Additionally, the timing couldn’t be better, as Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot is right around the corner with a release date in mid-2028. Metzger could easily return to face Jean Grey again, perhaps even allying himself with like-minded foes also seeking to harness and replicate the abilities of mutants (like Adam Driver’s Mister Sinister).
All things considered, I highly doubt that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the last we’ve seen of Bill Metzger, as this latest movie was more than likely the first chapter of his origin story as a key X-Men villain in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.
Release Date
July 29, 2026
Runtime
145 minutes
Writers
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Producers
Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
