Spider-Man: Brand New Day broke box office records over the weekend, making it clear that superhero movies are here to stay. Spidey, meanwhile, has had his status as the world's most popular superhero fully cemented, and his future on screen looks bright.
Unfortunately, some "fans" decided to celebrate by heading over to Jon Watts' Instagram—which he hasn't used since 2021—to leave a mix of abusive and insulting comments about his Spider-Man movies: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home.
From people telling Watts to never return to Spider-Man to complaints about how he shot web-swinging scenes, it's sad to see people celebrating the highs of Spider-Man: Brand New Day by tearing down the filmmaker who delivered a hugely successful trilogy.
For what it's worth (and this is Rotten Tomatoes we're talking about, so, you know...), Watts' movies were all better-reviewed than Destin Daniel Cretton's addition to the franchise. While Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home were lacking much of what made Brand New Day great, there's really no rhyme or reason to attack Watts for laying the foundation for Cretton's acclaimed movie.
Fortunately, many fans have rallied around the director, sharing messages of support and thanking him for the work he put into bringing Spider-Man into the MCU after his debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
"I just came by to say how much I loved your Spider-Man trilogy as well as the new one," wrote one Instagram user. "You set them up to soar, but none of it works without what came before." Another added, "Loved your trilogy, sir; don’t listen to trolls."
The fact that people watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day and rushed to abuse Watts says a lot about the state of the internet in 2026. The filmmaker stepped away from the franchise after No Way Home, largely due to the challenges of making that movie during a pandemic.
Watts made all three movies in quick succession, covering Peter Parker's formative years in high school before culminating with a team-up between the Spider-Man Variants played by Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield.
You can watch our 2019 interview with Watts in the player below.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's a Brand New Day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.
The movie is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor. Executive producers include Louis D'Esposito and David Cain.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.