Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Gay Jokes Caught Me Off Guard. Why I Love That They Were Included
Minor spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is finally in theaters, and making a ton of money at the box office. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were thrilled about finally picking up the narrative after No Way Home‘s ending, which saw the entire world forget about Peter Parker. I didn’t expect any gay jokes to be made throughout its 145-minute runtime, but as a queer Marvel fan I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s trailer featured Hulk and Punisher, but the movie also featured an A+ appearance by Florence Pugh‘s Yelena/ Black Widow. Peter meets her at her “office”, which is really a city bathhouse. After undressing apart from his mask, Yelena pokes fun at his anonymity, asking if he keeps the mask on…
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Even for your girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Or whatever? There’s a lot of conjecture online. And super graphic art work. Have you seen the one with you and the ten Mysterios?
This quick line of dialogue absolutely took me out, and further shows why Yelena is one of the best characters we’ve gotten in the post-Endgame phases of the MCU. She typically brings a ton of humor to her roles, including in Hawkeye and Thunderbolts* (both of which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription).
As a hardcore Marvel fan who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I also appreciated that this exchange wasn’t making fun of queer folks. What’s more, Spider-Man didn’t seem offended by the idea of folks thinking he might be gay. I thought this was refreshing, given how often being gay has been used as an insult in media throughout the years. Yelena’s comment is just a fun moment, and one that acknowledges that yes, there are LGBTQ+ people in the MCU.
Another queer-coded moment in Spider-Man: Brand New Day happened after Peter woke up hanging outside of his apartment in a web. He falls to the ground, and has to steal clothes from his building’s laundry room before taking the elevator back to his place. He accidentally grabs a crop top and pants with “juicy” written on the butt, in another one of the movie’s funnier moments. And it felt more significant after his conversation at the bath house with Yelena.
Of course, there have been a handful of LGBTQ+ characters introduced in the MCU. Joe Russo played a gay man during his Endgame cameo, while America Chavez has two moms in Doctor Strange 2. Additionally, Billy Maximoff was confirmed as gay during Agatha All Along.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. The gay jokes happen very quickly, so be careful not to miss them with a bathroom trip!
