Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
When Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is living a remarkably isolated life. Aunt May died in the previous film, while Doctor Strange’s spell erased Peter from the memories of his friends. His regular conversations are mostly limited to discussions of current cases with NYPD detective Jean DeWolff.
There is, however, another voice in Peter’s life. His self-built artificial intelligence, E.V., continues a curious MCU Spider-Man tradition: giving the wall-crawler an AI companion to talk to.
From Karen to E.V.
The MCU introduced Peter in Captain America: Civil War, but his first AI appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tony Stark’s upgraded suit included an unnamed assistant that Peter initially called “Suit Lady” before settling on “Karen”.
Karen’s name has acquired an unpleasant cultural association since the 2017 film was released, but the character herself had nothing to do with entitled complaints or confrontations. She was a supportive voice that helped Peter understand the suit’s functions. Jennifer Connelly supplied the voice, having previously played Betty Ross in 2003’s Hulk. Connelly is also married to Paul Bettany, the performer who voiced Tony Stark’s JARVIS before the AI’s transformation into Vision.
Like JARVIS and FRIDAY, Karen monitored Peter’s vital signs and responded to spoken commands. Her capabilities produced several memorable moments, including the accidental activation of “instant kill” mode while Peter watched criminals. Peter’s conversation with Karen while trapped inside a storage facility was another standout sequence.
Karen’s story ended in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) destroyed the bus carrying Peter’s luggage, along with the original Stark suit and the AI inside it.
EDITH put Stark technology in Peter’s hands
Tony Stark’s next gift was EDITH, a security system transferred to Peter after Tony’s death. The name is an in-universe joke: it means “Even Dead, I’m The Hero”. Rather than living in the suit, EDITH operated through a sophisticated pair of glasses.
EDITH echoed Karen’s earlier “instant kill” incident when Peter accidentally activated a weapons satellite and nearly put his classmates in danger. After being manipulated by Mysterio, Peter handed the glasses to the villain, though he eventually recognised the deception and reclaimed them.
Peter lost access to EDITH early in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Once his identity became public, he was arrested and his Stark equipment was seized by the Department of Damage Control. EDITH is later shown as offline in Peter’s suit, and the character has not been heard from since. The department’s activities in Brand New Day leave open the possibility that EDITH’s status may not be permanent.
For readers interested in how interactive technology shapes games and entertainment, RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog covers broader arcade and gaming developments.
E.V. is Peter’s own creation
Without Stark equipment, Peter creates E.V. himself in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Naomi Watts provides the voice, and director Destin Daniel Cretton describes E.V. as “sadly, the closest thing Peter has to a friend” in an annotated script discussed by Entertainment Weekly.
The return of a talking AI may frustrate viewers who felt Karen made Peter too dependent on technology. Some fans criticized that aspect of the first film.
In this case, E.V. serves a different dramatic purpose. Peter is profoundly alone, so having someone to speak with fits the character’s circumstances. She also assists with crime alerts and tracking the villain, while the film leaves Peter more responsible for his own decisions than he was with Karen.
That balance makes E.V. feel less intrusive than Karen. Still, the MCU has established a clear pattern: Peter’s AI companions do not tend to remain beside him for very long. After Karen and EDITH, E.V. may deserve cautious attachment.
That recurring relationship between hero and machine is familiar to arcade fans too. RETROCADE’s Arcade Videos explore the technology and experiences behind interactive gaming, while the Arcade Machine Buying Guide explains the practical choices involved in bringing that experience home.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in theatres.
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