Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" film has sparked significant discussion since its release. Joseph Michael Straczynski, a long-time writer for the "Spider-Man" comics and creator of "Babylon 5," recently posted on Substack, analyzing why the film stands out amidst the growing discourse around superhero movie fatigue.
Straczynski points out that in recent years, superhero films have become overly reliant on "MacGuffins" to drive their plots, where characters constantly vie for a specific object, person, or event. From the Infinity Stones, the Cosmic Cube, and Mother Boxes to the Scarab, audiences repeatedly watch heroes prevent villains from acquiring these crucial items, and over time, naturally lose interest in this repetitive structure.
"A character's story can begin in a thousand different ways and end in just as many. Audiences become emotionally invested, trying to anticipate the story's direction, but they can't, because the narrative is always a step ahead. Ultimately, the solution to the problem comes from the characters themselves, not from what happens to some external, inanimate object," he stated.
He believes the true success of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" lies in its narrative not reducing characters to mere accessories chasing external objects, but rather allowing the plot's development and ultimate resolution to emerge from the characters themselves.
Foreign media outlets have further analyzed that the film eschews the traditional hero's journey, instead adopting a "heroine's journey" that emphasizes reconnecting with community and others. For this reason, it is often compared to "Thunderbolts*."
However, this also serves as a reminder to Marvel not to endlessly replicate any successful formula. Straczynski's view is that audiences aren't truly tired of superheroes, but rather of seeing the same story told repeatedly. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" demonstrates the importance of continuously seeking new narrative approaches, rather than simply rehashing existing tropes.