Brand New Day Is The First MCU Spider-Man Movie Without This Beloved Character

Destin Daniel Cretton's new action flick "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" will be the seventh appearance of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or the eighth, if you count his cameo at the end of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage"), but it will also kind of be the first. At the end of Spider-Man's last adventure, the $1.92 billion blockbuster "Spider-Man: No Way Home," he requested that the sorcerer Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a powerful spell that will erase him from the memories of everyone in the world. He feels it's the only way to keep the multiverse safe, and it's a major sacrifice on Peter Parker's/Spider-Man's part, as he will be forgotten by his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and his beloved MJ (Zendaya). On a meta level, the memory wipe will also clean the slate for Spider-Man stories.

One of the final scenes of "No Way Home" was Peter visiting the grave of his beloved Aunt May, despondent that he's now alone in the world. Unexpectedly, May's grave is also being visited by Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), a regular character throughout the MCU, and (until his memory loss) a friend of Peter's. They both lament May's passing, and Happy says that mourning friends is especially difficult when you remember what they stood for. Happy's final words to Peter are a bittersweet "Nice meeting you." 

It seems that may be the final word on Happy Hogan, at least for now. Favreau recently appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to talk about his upcoming directorial effort "The Mandalorian and Grogu," and he revealed a few details about the upcoming Spider-Man movie "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Notably, he revealed that he's definitely not in it. Unless Favreau is deliberately obfuscating, this means that "Brand New Day" will be the first MCU Spider-Man film that doesn't have Happy Hogan in it.

Jimmy Kimmel asked Jon Favreau quite directly if he would have any further involvement in Spider-Man movies, and Favreau tantalizingly said, "I could give you a big spoiler." When entreated to go ahead, Favreau said: 

"I'm not in it. [Peter Parker] lost his memory. I'm not part of [it]. He doesn't remember me anymore! He might meet me again someday, I don't know. But isn't that how the last one ended with him forgetting everything? So now it's all about his new ... I don't know anything about it. If I'm in it, they better hurry up. 'Cause they're running out of time." 

The MCU is notorious for, during the marketing cycle, remaining oblique about what will be in their upcoming movies. Andrew Garfield, for instance, was cagey about whether or not he would be in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," only to appear in a central role. But this time, I think Favreau is telling the truth. Checking on his filmography will reveal that he has no upcoming credits for either "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" or for "Avengers: Doomsday," out in theaters on December 18. 

Of course, the memory-wipe of the world reduced Spider-Man back into an unknown vigilante, operating on the streets of New York City. After Spider-Man has gone tripping across dimensions, joined large superhero teams, been shunted into space, and traversed the various dimensions of the multiverse, it will be refreshing to see an old-fashioned Spider-Man movie set entirely on Earth. 

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" will be in theaters on July 31, 2026.