Spider-Man: Brand New Day Teases Controversial New Suitor Paul

The first teaser for Spider-Man: Brand New Day introduces a contentious new suitor for Mary-Jane Watson and shows Peter Parker forced to watch as the man courts her while Peter keeps a low profile. The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is scheduled for release on July 31, 2026.

Speculation links the character to Paul Rabin, who debuted in 2022's Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 6) #1 as the son of Emissary Benjamin Rabin. In the comics MJ spent four years in Paul’s alternate reality, married him, and the pair adopted two children before breaking up in All-New Venom #9 (2025).

Readers reacted strongly to Paul’s arc: he was written as a device to separate Peter and MJ, leaned on "nice guy" tropes, secretly helped develop glyph technology tied to his father’s genocidal plans, lied about confrontations with Peter, and at one point punched Peter.

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