'The Dark Knight' warned us about mass surveillance. In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' it's a punchline.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has faced backlash for its portrayal of mass surveillance, sparking ethical debates similar to those in "The Dark Knight."
In the 2026 film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland's Spider-Man employs illegal facial recognition technology to identify criminals and telepathic mutants running amok in New York City. This approach to surveillance, which many moviegoers found problematic, echoes a similar scenario from The Dark Knight (2008), where Batman's use of the same technology was portrayed as an ethical dilemma with disastrous consequences.
While The Dark Knight presented facial recognition as a significant ethical issue, Spider-Man's casual attitude towards mass surveillance in the sequel reflects a shift in societal attitudes towards the technology.
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