Long before Disney+ was even in the plans, Marvel Television launched a street-level universe on Netflix that became one of the best chapters in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The interconnected streaming shows established a gritty reality populated by complex characters and violent storylines that departed heavily from the theatrical side of the MCU business, more concerned with family-friendly spectacle. At the center of this success was an impeccable run for Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), whose original show was resurrected and canonized through Daredevil: Born Again. However, despite its overwhelming triumphs, the Netflix production block still had noticeable shortcomings, such as the highly maligned Iron Fist series. Yet, even beyond the issues of specific shows, the Netflix era’s worst mistake was misusing a classic Marvel villain.
Introduced in Daredevil as a shadowy organization of undead ninjas, The Hand had the potential to function as a threat as significant as HYDRA within the broader MCU. Unfortunately, the organization grew less frightening at each new appearance. By The Defenders, the writing staff had stripped the group of its Japanese identity, reframed its origin as a heretical exile from K’un-Lun, and introduced five competing internal factions under leaders including Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver). Furthermore, the foot soldiers devolved from costumed practitioners of a centuries-old martial tradition into generic thugs. The Hand’s ambitions then collapsed entirely in The Defenders‘ finale when the Midland Circle building fell, all leaders of the Hand were killed, and the organization’s source of power — Dragon’s bones — was effectively removed from the MCU. All that makes The Hand’s return to Spider-Man: Brand New Day more surprising.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Can Do Justice to the Hand
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Created by Frank Miller in Daredevil #174 in 1981, the Hand is an order of mystical ninja assassins primarily based in Japan who covet power above anything else. They were founded in 1588 as a secret society of Japanese nationalist samurai but were soon co-opted by the Snakeroot, an ancient ninja clan devoted to a demon known as the Beast of the Hand, who grants the organization their resurrection powers. Members of the Hand can kill a target and return that person as an undead servant, an ability that makes the organization one of the most dangerous forces in Marvel Comics across more than four decades of storylines.
Among its most villainous feats, the Hand captured Wolverine and converted him into a brainwashed operative, deploying him in a coordinated assault on a SHIELD Helicarrier that killed more than 200 agents. The organization later stole Bruce Banner’s corpse after his death and resurrected him as a mindless Hulk that tore through Tokyo before Doctor Voodoo was able to purge the corruption, costing Banner his life in the process. After Bullseye killed Elektra, the Hand moved immediately to claim her body for the same resurrection treatment, forcing Daredevil and the Chaste to intervene. Perhaps most tellingly, Daredevil himself accepted the Hand’s offer to serve as their leader over Hell’s Kitchen simply to prevent the damage a less principled ruler would cause.
The Netflix era had access to all of that history and reduced the Hand to a generic obstacle anyway. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the first production in nine years to suggest Marvel Studios actually learned from that failure. Trailer footage confirms that red-suited ninjas will attack Peter Parker (Tom Holland) across multiple sequences, including a prison fight. The color scheme is a direct echo of the Hand in Marvel Comics, and signals the movie will feature a comic-accurate version of the villains. Furthermore, with persistent rumors pointing to The Hand appearing in Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again, their reintroduction in Spider-Man: Brand New Day could kickstart a full revival for the organization.
While it might take some creative writing to justify why the Hand returned and why they are different from the organization we’ve seen before, this is the best path forward for the MCU. A comic-accurate Hand can help the universe expand towards its more mystical corners, while fixing the biggest mistake of the Netflix era.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, 2026.
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