Edgar Ascensão Reveals Two Spider-man Covers for Brand New Day

Empire revealed two world-exclusive spider-man: Brand New Day covers on May 28, and both put The Hand at the center of the film’s next look. One cover shows Spider-Man and the ninja assassins soaring through the New York skyline; the other has Spider-Man pulling them into his web.

Edgar Ascensão illustrated the subscriber cover, giving the villains a comic-accurate makeover that pushes the film closer to the vintage Spider-Man material the issue says it explores. The July 2026 issue also includes interviews with Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, and Destin Daniel Cretton.

Ascensão’s subscriber cover

The subscriber image does more than showcase a new costume treatment. It also gives the clearest read yet on how Brand New Day is handling The Hand, which last appeared in Daredevil and The Defenders on Netflix. In this film, the group now answers to a mysterious woman, a shift that turns a familiar Marvel adversary into a new hierarchy rather than a repeat appearance.

That leadership detail is the friction point. The Hand’s return is not just about bringing back mystical ninja assassins; it is about who controls them inside a Spider-Man film set four years after Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Peter Parker lives alone in New York City after erasing himself from everyone’s memory.

July 2026 issue details

The issue pairs the covers with never-before-seen images from the upcoming film, which means the magazine is functioning less like a promo beat and more like a first look package. The feature also says Brand New Day brings vintage comics Spider-Man to the big screen, while Peter Parker now devotes himself entirely to protecting New York City as Spider-Man on a full-time basis.

That setup comes with a built-in problem: an unexpected physical change threatens Peter Parker’s existence, and a strange and dangerous crime wave emerges in the film. The cast also includes Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo, with Cretton directing from a screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

June 4 and July 31

The magazine goes on sale June 4, giving readers a short runway before the film’s next wave of marketing. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into cinemas on July 31, 2026, so these covers are the first close look at the redesign and the leadership mystery before the release enters its final stretch.