Spider-Man: Brand New Day may promise a fresh start for Peter Parker, but new script pages reveal he is anything but ready to move on. The film’s annotated opening scenes show a hero who secretly keeps his old life closer than anyone realizes.

Spider-Man Brand New Day script shows how Peter keeps tabs on MJ and Ned

Entertainment Weekly exclusively shared three annotated script pages from Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The pages reveal how Peter Parker keeps emotional tabs on MJ and Ned Leeds after losing them.

The script pages show that Peter’s apartment contains meaningful keepsakes from his former life. Ned’s LEGO Emperor figurine sits on a dresser nearby, and Peter looks at it longingly. He then rifles through a drawer and finds the coffee cup MJ once gave him.

Peter also uses his phone to stay connected to the people he lost. An alert reminds him about “Flowers for May,” referring to deliveries for Aunt May’s gravesite. A separate social media notification tells him about Ned’s latest life update.

The script describes a video of Ned in front of a banner reading “Welcome, Freshmen Engineers!” Ned excitedly films his first day at MIT’s engineering program and turns the camera to include MJ. She does not look happy to be on social media at that moment.

Ned tells MJ to pretend she is the happiest she has ever been. MJ beams and then says she cannot do that. The video freeze-frames on MJ’s blurry face as Peter watches from his apartment.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton annotated the pages alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, and director of photography Brett Pawlak. The stage directions note that Peter smiles for his friends, even though he remains miserable without them. Peter’s voiceover continues reading the letter he wrote for MJ at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. He reflects on his dual identity and the sacrifices it demands.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in theaters on July 31, 2026.

Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.com.