By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following includes spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Ever since Ned dropped the LEGO Death Star upon learning of Peter Parker’s web-slinging alter-ego in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Star Wars has had an understated yet sentimental role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of Spider-Man movies.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is no different, featuring three neat Star Wars references that fans of a galaxy far, far away will enjoy. Here they are….
LEGO Chewbacca
When Peter crashes MJ and Ned’s housewarming party, he finds his way into Ned’s room, where he sees a massive board featuring newspaper clippings and pictures of Spidey sightings. Next to the board is a table, which features a LEGO Chewbacca mini-figure. Peter picks up the mini-figure and cracks a smile.
Prior to Doctor Strange’s memory wipe, Peter and Ned used to build LEGO Star Wars sets for fun. In Homecoming, Ned holds the Palpatine mini-figure while enthusiastically asking Peter to build the massive LEGO Death Star set with him. In No Way Home, after the universe forgets who Peter is, the isolated hero places a lone Palpatine mini-figure on his dresser as a poignant reminder of the friendship he left behind. Now, in Brand New Day, a LEGO mini-figure serves once again as a tangible callback to his bond with Ned.
The Boyfriend
Eman Esfandi, who plays Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka, pops up for a single scene as MJ’s boyfriend. His character is not given a name and is just credited as “The Boyfriend.”
While a seemingly minor role, it is The Boyfriend who kicks off Spider-Man’s evolution in powers. After watching MJ and The Boyfriend exchange a kiss at a party, Peter’s mental health reaches a new low, which, in turn, manifests physiologically in the form of elevated levels of arachnid hormones. This is an inversion of a similar plot line from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. In that film, Peter undergoes a mental health crisis related to the love of his life and subsequently loses his powers. In Brand New Day, Peter undergoes a mental health crisis related to the love of his life and subsequently gains powers.
The Empire Strikes Back
As Ned collaborates with Spider-Man and MJ to help track down Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey, he has a number of monitors on display. One of these monitors is playing Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.
Specifically, the scene playing occurs early in the movie and takes place in Echo Base on Hoth as the Rebels ready for an attack from Darth Vader and the Empire.