Marvel Reportedly Has Much Bigger Plans for The Hand After SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

The Hand is making its way back into the MCU, and this time it looks like Marvel Studios may have much bigger ambitions for the infamous ninja clan than simply serving as the latest obstacle for Spider-Man.

With Spider-Man: Brand New Day arriving later this month, The Hand is expected to return with a more comic-accurate design and a mysterious new female leader. That's already enough to get longtime Marvel fans talking, but a new rumor suggests this could just be the beginning of their next chapter.

The group was previously introduced during Marvel's Netflix era, appearing in Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. While they were positioned as a major threat, many fans felt that version of The Hand never quite captured what made the organization so compelling in the comics.

Even after leaning into the mystical side of the mythology, the decision to have them follow the original character Alexandra Reid, played by Sigourney Weaver, left plenty of viewers wanting something closer to the source material.

Now Marvel Studios has another opportunity to reinvent them. According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, The Hand will "receive its own standalone project within the MCU."

As with any rumor, it's worth taking with a grain of salt, but it's an interesting possibility. If Marvel is expanding The Hand beyond Spider-Man: Brand New Day, there are several directions the studio could take.

A Marvel Special Presentation feels like a natural fit. It could tell a focused story without requiring a full Disney+ series, giving audiences a deeper look at the secretive organization and its new leadership.

There's also the long-rumored Ten Rings series. If that project eventually explores the criminal underworld of the MCU, a conflict between The Hand and the Ten Rings could make for a very entertaining clash between two of Marvel's most dangerous underground organizations.

Another possibility ties directly into Elektra. With the character confirmed to return in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, many fans believe she's now leading The Hand.

The prevailing theory is that she sends the ninjas to break Matt Murdock out of prison in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. If that's true, Marvel could eventually tell the story of how Elektra survived the events of The Defenders and rose to power within the organization.

Whatever Marvel has planned, it certainly sounds like The Hand could become a much more significant presence throughout the MCU than they were during their Netflix run.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton has also shared a few details about Peter Parker's journey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, teasing a much different chapter for the web-slinger.

"Peter's not in high school anymore. Our story takes place about four years later. It’s that time in your mid-20s, when the harsh realities of life can sometimes slap you in the face."

He went on to explain how Peter's life has changed following the events that erased him from everyone's memory. "Peter is dealing with some real grown-up problems both personally and professionally, and for the first time, he’s learning how to deal with them completely on his own."

Cretton added: "Peter is going through a stage that I think many of us can relate to right now. He’s living in the middle of NYC, surrounded by millions of people, yet somehow, he feels completely disconnected and alone."

He concluded by saying: "This is the first time we see Peter trying to live his life outside of his community of friends and family, and his isolation has some unexpected consequences that will complicate everything in his life."

This is the perfect environment for an organization like The Hand to emerge from the shadows and make Peter's already complicated life even worse.

Whether this rumored standalone project actually happens remains to be seen, but if Marvel finally embraces the comic book version of The Hand and gives Elektra a larger role in shaping their future, there's a lot of exciting storytelling potential waiting to be explored.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31.

What would you like to see Marvel do with The Hand after Spider-Man: Brand New Day?