Destined for Greatness: Destin Daniel Cretton Directs This Summer’s New Spider-Man

This July, Director Destin Daniel Cretton (01) is bringing us the next chapter of the earth’s biggest superhero franchise as Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters around the world. As Cretton and Sony/Marvel Studios launch one of 2026’s biggest blockbusters, we wanted to take the time to reflect on his filmmaking journey, celebrate this monumental occasion in his career, and geek out together over his impending approach to the beloved web-slinging superhero. 

The last two major films Cretton directed and co-wrote were critical and commercial successes: Just Mercy (2019) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). The former is an adaptation of the memoir from defense lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who sought to bring equitable representation to Black prisoners on death row. PLNU students were able to meet Stevenson on the Civil Rights Pilgrimage after he spoke at Brown Chapel AME in Selma, Alabama, last year. 

Shang-Chi is a martial arts fantasy spin on the superhero genre. Its exceptional cast is predominantly Asian, which was a first for Marvel, and while it pays homage to traditional culture and classic kung fu movies, it also feels like a fantastical celebration of contemporary Asian culture around the world.

This film solidified Cretton as an accomplished creator of some of the biggest movies in the world. But before Hollywood, he was roaming PLNU’s campus, just beginning to find his creative voice.

Cretton’s Loma Connection

Cretton attended PLNU as a communications major and graduated in 2001. He reflected on his undergraduate experience during a Homecoming 2021 virtual interview with Dean Nelson, Ph.D., professor of journalism at PLNU.

“All I knew at the time and all I could handle was what was right in front of me,” Cretton said of his filmmaking, which was just starting to develop at PLNU. “I knew that I loved the practice of telling stories and shooting them on film, getting my friends together to make them, and presenting them to an audience.”

Many of his questions and thoughts about filmmaking that he had at PLNU seemed to shape how he entered the industry. Some qualities he developed as a student have also stayed with him.

“But I’ve also found that having principles and treating people fairly no matter what their status is, making hard decisions that could potentially lose you money but standing your ground because of your principles, there comes a certain respect [for that].”

“I remember when I was at Point Loma, I was thinking of what it would be like to work in this industry, and it terrified me because of what I thought directors or producers needed to be like,” he said. “That you feel like you have to put on a certain act in order to be cutthroat enough to make it to the top.

“That can be true, if that’s the road you want to go down. But I’ve also found that having principles and treating people fairly no matter what their status is, making hard decisions that could potentially lose you money but standing your ground because of your principles, there comes a certain respect [for that].”

One of Cretton’s most vivid experiences he described is something that many students can relate to: wrestling with anxiety while public speaking. As a communications major, he remembers having speeches and presentations that were challenging for him. Now, he encourages young people who feel intimidated or less qualified within their anxiety and assures them they’re not alone.

“A university setting can glorify a certain type of personality more than others,” Cretton said. “Like, you don’t get extra points for giving a speech with a shaky voice and sweaty palms, barely making it through.

“But I honestly have found that it helps me. It shows the person I’m giving the speech to that I’m a human being; I’m vulnerable, and sometimes they are rooting for me because of my vulnerabilities. I always make it a point to tell students not to be scared of the things they think are their weaknesses.”

A New Type of Superhero

This idea seems to have influenced the theme of the MCU’s newest, funniest, and arguably most heartfelt show yet: Wonder Man, which premiered on Disney Plus in January of this year.

Co-created by Cretton (who directed the first two episodes) and showrunner Andrew Guest, Wonder Man tells the story of struggling actor Simon Williams, who’s striving to get cast in the reboot of his favorite (fictional) superhero movie, Wonder Man. It’s a very honest, personal look at the struggles of “making it” as an actor in Hollywood, complete with open auditions, LA traffic, self-audition tapes, and grueling competition.

Although it’s a Marvel show, it’s not really a superhero story: Simon has powers, but he has no interest in crimefighting. For Simon, his abilities are an embarrassing and dangerous condition he has to control, and they seem to bubble out of him during moments of heightened stress and anxiety. He grapples with these vulnerabilities just as he endures the doubts and disappointments of his family over his dreams of stardom.

“The idea of the superhero I think has a lot of great inspirational benefits, but I do think there is a way to redefine what the superhero is emotionally. I 100% believe vulnerability is a superpower, not a weakness.”

During his 2021 interview with Nelson, Cretton explained that qualities he previously considered weaknesses in his life — anxiety, soft-spokenness, his nervousness before large projects or public speaking — he now regards as strengths that have helped him in his career. It’s fun to see that personal philosophy translated so vividly in the show.

“The idea of the superhero I think has a lot of great inspirational benefits, but I do think there is a way to redefine what the superhero is emotionally,” Cretton said. “I 100% believe vulnerability is a superpower, not a weakness.”

With Great Power …

Enter: Peter Parker. When Spider-Man was first created in 1962, he was one of the most vulnerable and unexpected superheroes across American comic books. Spider-Man was the first major teenage superhero in a creative space where all the young guys were sidekicks to more herculean figures: Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky Barnes. There were doubts whether a lanky teenager who took his fashion ideas from everyone’s least favorite bug would make a splash with readers.

However, comic fans instantly related to the character. From the beginning, a key appeal for the character is that Spider-Man’s heroic activities constantly created detrimental effects for Peter Parker: his grades slipped, he missed social opportunities, and he eroded the trust of loved ones by breaking promises and commitments. This reflected many of the real-world challenges that young readers were experiencing: growing up and learning to find balance.

Spider-Man as a character is also driven by compelling morals that resonate with a Christian perspective. His defining mantra, “With great power comes great responsibility,” mirrors a key facet of biblical stewardship.

Luke 12:48b says, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Not many of us have spider-like superpowers, but when we’ve been blessed with skills, talents, passions, wealth, or spiritual gifts, our calling as believers compels us to share those resources for the good of others.

Spider-Man’s origin story features major thematic parallels to the book of Jonah as well. Peter is angry at the world when he gets his powers, but after his refusal to corral crime results in the tragic death of his uncle, he vows to never again fail to protect the innocent. Similarly, Jonah at first rejects the responsibility of witnessing to the Ninevites, only to be humbled (in a fish’s stomach, no less) and guided back to his calling. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Peter Parker’s first boss is a muckraking news editor named J. Jonah Jameson.

Cretton seems to be approaching the Spidey mythos with a creative voice that’s not only vulnerable and emotionally accessible, but also concerned with justice and equity. His faithful and compassionate approach to adapting the history within Just Mercy speaks volumes about what he values as a storyteller.

“By the end of [the book] I was expecting to feel depressed about the world, but I felt so connected and inspired,” Cretton said in a 2019 interview with the Directors Guild of America. “Bryan Stevenson’s voice takes you to the dark side of humanity but simultaneously opens your eyes to the beauty of humans and what they can do for each other.”

Amazing Fantasy

In addition, and there’s no other way to say it: Cretton is not afraid to get weird. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s reveal trailer, we see such offbeat comic-book villains as Scorpion (a green gangster with a mechanical tail), Boomerang (who tosses his namesake as weapons to commit crimes) and The Hand (a secret but easy-to-spot organization of scarlet-clad ninjas), not to mention guest heroes Hulk and the Punisher.

“The definition of success for me always comes down to personal growth and how a particular experience can contribute to that personal growth.”

Amidst battling baddies, Peter also seems to be going through strange mutations that might leave him more “spider” than “man,” waking up in web-cocoons and developing shocking new powers. If his past Marvel projects are any indication, Cretton won’t hold back on taking big creative swings to reflect the zany excitement of comic books.

“In a similar way that we approached Simon Williams and Wonder Man, I was really excited that… all the creatives involved wanted to do something different [with Spider-Man] when I was brought aboard,” Cretton said in a video interview for comicbook. com.* “Of course, it’s still the Spider-Man that everybody loves, but this is a new chapter in his life. That tonal shift was really exciting to me and felt really different, and it was an extremely gratifying experience.”

Shifting the character in this bold and bizarre new direction feels like a good fit for Spider-Man, who from the beginning has been a science fiction character. He debuted in the fifteenth and final issue of a “monster-of-the-month” comic series called Amazing Fantasy, which featured sci-fi, fantasy, and other strange tales for young adult readers in the early 1960s. Spider-Man was dreamed up during the height of fears surrounding the Cold War, nuclear radiation, and other emerging technologies. In the story, Peter Parker’s powers came from the bite of a spider exposed to radiation during a lab demonstration. This is one of countless origin stories at Marvel Comics involving lab accidents, explosions, and nuclear radiation — with writer Stan Lee’s plots often exploiting the general public’s vague understanding of science.

If Cretton’s other work is any indication, however, the wacky plots won’t get in the way of telling an engaging, meaningful story.

“The definition of success for me always comes down to personal growth and how a particular experience can contribute to that personal growth,” Cretton said in 2021. “Whether or not [a project] wins awards, or people watch it or like it, or if it just gets shelved and nobody sees it, the experience of making that movie and telling that story has already enriched my life enough to make it worth it.”

Whether you’re eager to see how Cretton builds on Peter Parker’s story or just want to see Spidey fight ninjas, we won’t have long to wait as Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters July 31.

* “Spider-Man vs. Wonder Man with Creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest”

Hero image: Tom Holland and Director Destin Daniel Cretton on the set of Columbia Pictures SPIDER-MAN™️: BRAND NEW DAY. Photo by: Jay Maidment c/o Sony Pictures Entertainment.