Tom Holland says Spider-Man: Brand New Day tells a different kind of superhero story—one that focuses on vulnerability, community and the importance of asking for help.
"The movie kind of serves as this cautionary tale about living a life alone, the importance of community, and how sometimes the bravest thing to do in life is to ask for help," Holland told Reuters in New York.
"It's definitely more grounded; it's grittier, it's more emotional, but that doesn't mean we sacrifice the humor and the fun," he added.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film is set several years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Peter Parker is still dealing with the consequences of Doctor Strange's spell, which erased everyone's memory of both his identity and his existence.
Among those affected are Peter's girlfriend, Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson, played by Holland's real-life wife Zendaya, and his best friend Ned, played by Jacob Batalon. Neither remembers their relationship with Peter.
As Spider-Man navigates this new reality, he forms an unlikely alliance with vigilante The Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal, marking another crossover from Marvel's Daredevil and Netflix's The Punisher.
Despite initial tension, the two eventually develop a bond.
"I think it's always interesting when you have two characters who are just trying to push everything away," Bernthal said. "That's sort of the opposite of what being a human being is... all of a sudden you find yourself caring about someone you swore you never would."
The Punisher is one of several familiar Marvel characters appearing in the film. Others include Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk.
One mystery continues to fuel fan speculation: the identity of the character played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink.
"Now that I have to talk about it all day, it is a little bit more difficult than I thought," Sink said of keeping the role secret during the promotional tour.
Cretton, who previously directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and served as executive producer on Marvel's Wonder Man, hopes audiences resist trying to solve every mystery before release.
"Trying to figure out the puzzle beforehand is fun and exhilarating and creates anticipation," he said. "But I do hope that people don't look too hard, because the experience of watching it on the big screen in a room full of people—it's great to still have a lot of surprises for them."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theatres on July 31.— Reuters
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