Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s place on the Marvel timeline appears to have been revealed – here’s when the MCU movie might take place

Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s position on the MCU timeline might have been revealed
Filming will begin in Glasgow, Scotland in August
A Marvel fan has snapped some set photos that indicate when it could be set

Spider-Man: Brand New Day won’t arrive in theaters until July 2026, but some fans think they’ve already worked out where it’ll sit on the Marvel timeline.

With filming due to begin on Spider-Man: Brand New Day in August, preparations have been underway in Glasgow for a number of weeks now. The Scottish city is being used a stand-in for New York City (NYC), so Glaswegians have seen their hometown receive a US makeover before the cameras start rolling.

One eagle-eyed Marvel fan has wasted no time snapping images of the sets being erected for Spider-Man 4, too. Indeed, X/Twitter user lukec1605 recently uploaded some photographs that indicate what year it might take place in.

Photos from set on #SpiderManBrandNewDay @eavoss @NewRockstars pic.twitter.com/LZICv2IohfJuly 28, 2025

As the above post reveals, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) version of NYC is being renovated, with numerous construction builds in progress. This might have something to do with events that occurred in Thunderbolts*, aka one of three new movies released by Marvel Studios this year. That film is set in the MCU’s present, which is believed to be the year 2027. You can read more about what happened in that flick via by Thunderbolts* ending explained piece.

But I’m getting off-track. Two of the images in the aforementioned post reveal that work is due to be completed on these renovations and new builds by December 2027. Cue MCU fans jumping to conclusions and convincing themselves that the next Marvel Phase 6 movie will take place in late 2027.

I’m not satisfied this is the case, though. Those pictures only indicate that the buildings will be erected before that year ends. Depending on the size of said build, it can take multiple years to complete work on them, too. It’s entirely possible, then, that Spider-Man‘s next outing in the MCU could be set in early or mid-2027, or even sometime in 2026.

A screenshot of Reddit users discussing some Spider-Man 4 set photos

Some Marvel fans don’t think Spider-Man 4 will be set in late 2027 (Image credit: Reddit)

There’s evidence that Brand New Day could take place well before December 2027 as well. Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, whose story is thought to play out between late 2026 and early 2027, sees Wilson Fisk become NYC’s latest mayor. Throughout the Disney+ show’s first installment, Fisk fast-tracks a number of developments in the city, so it’s plausible that the ongoing construction work was greenlit by him. If that’s the case, events in Spider-Man 4 might run concurrent to Daredevil: Born Again season 1.

That said, Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/The Punisher will a supporting role to play in Brand New Day. The last time we saw him, i.e. in Born Again‘s season 1 finale, he escaped captivity after being incarcerated in a secret prison facility patrolled by Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force. In order to show up in Spider-Man 4, he’ll need to have broken out of jail before that film begins. This would mean Brand New Day has to take place from mid-2027 onwards.

Hopefully, we’ll get a better idea of when the film is set, plus who Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink is playing in Spider-Man 4, when principal photography finally gets underway. In the meantime, find out why Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s release was delayed or learn more about how its official title takes its cue from the most controversial moment in Spidey’s comic book history.