Brand New Day Entangled in a Complex AI Web

The film Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently screening in theaters, but it has recently become the center of controversy over potential generative AI usage in its production.

The release of the film’s art book sparked discussions among fans, particularly regarding a page that displays concept art of New York City. The depiction of taxis and buildings colliding raised questions about the necessity of AI technology for creating such artwork, leading many online to express disappointment, drawing parallels to the debates surrounding Supergirl. Nevertheless, some individuals believe the situation is more nuanced than it appears.

The publisher of the ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’ concept art book clarified their artistic process, revealing the use of cloning tools and photobashing techniques. They acknowledged that the approach may indicate a lack of effort, but emphasized that no AI was involved in the artwork’s creation.

The company maintains strong anti-AI policies. https://t.co/ROHMrjummj pic.twitter.com/NMW3KgyxCQ

— That COMICBOOK Guy (@Culture3ase) August 21, 2026

A Reddit contributor known as StingRe claimed they were responsible for the layout and design of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day art book. They asserted that, to their knowledge, there was “no AI art in [the book],” and that they received visual assets directly from the Brand New Day visual development team. Although they heard that some freelancers utilized AI for background elements in their individual contributions, StingRe mentioned (in comments that have since been deleted) that “any art intended for AI use was either not shared with me for [the book’s] layout, or was excluded.” They further supported their claims by noting that Ryan Meinerding, Marvel Studios’ longtime visual development head, was “very strict” in reviewing every page for AI-generated content.

StingRe acknowledged that it’s possible something could have been overlooked. they challenged the prevalent notion that the art’s peculiar appearance was due to Adobe Photoshop’s fill-in tool. They speculated that this tool, which has been a feature in Photoshop for over 15 years, might have contributed to the odd appearance of the taxis. A watermark could have existed between two taxis, and its removal would have led the fill-in function to draw from the nearest pixels to fill the gap. they attributed the outcome to the artist’s choices and confirmed that both Disney and Marvel were not interested in publishing any work produced with generative AI.

“Legally, you don’t own anything created by AI. Contracts require that the work be ‘your wholly original work,’” they clarified. “Any artist choosing to take shortcuts in their work is making that decision independently and not under company directive.”

As of now, neither Meinerding nor Disney has publicly addressed this issue. io9 has reached out to Meinerding for comments and will provide updates as they become available.

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