The White House is coming under fire after using Spider-Man: Brand New Day to promote ICE, with countless comments tagging Marvel and Sony to demand the imagery be taken down. Tom Holland reprises his role for the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie, which is currently breaking all kinds of box office records, having crossed the $1 billion mark in just six days. Although Brand New Day centres on Peter Parker trying to rebuild his life while protecting the city of New York, the Trump administration has now repurposed the superhero’s image for a very different message. On Thursday, August 6, it shared what appears to be AI-generated artwork depicting Spider-Man assisting ICE agents by webbing up a group of people. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The White House (@whitehouse) The Instagram post has sparked criticism across the board, with multiple media figures and online personalities chiming in. “I hope Marvel sues for infringement,” wrote comedian Dick Salas. RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shuga Cain added, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” while content creator and prop maker Braden Smith simply wrote, “This is disgusting.” Plenty of Spider-Man fans have commented on the post too, with one writing, “The White House using Spider Man for immigration messaging is honestly crazy to me. That’s a character kids grow up looking up to as a hero who protects people. “Turning him into a political marketing tool on an issue that’s affecting real families just feels wrong. This isn’t entertainment. This isn’t a joke. People’s lives are being debated, and packaging it like a meme only makes the conversation feel less human.” Another pointed out, “There’s a whole comic book where Spider-Man protects a undocumented immigrant.” They’re seemingly referring to The Spectacular Spider-Man #137–138, which sees Peter Parker protect vulnerable immigrants from targeted violence and extra-legal capture. Multiple comments are demanding that Marvel and Sony take legal action against the use of its IP, or at the very least demand for it to be taken down. Gotta Catch ‘Em All. pic.twitter.com/qCvflkJGmB — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 22, 2025 This wouldn’t be the first time. The White House faced backlash from the Pokémon Company last year when Homeland Security posted a video showing ICE agents detaining individuals backed by the anime theme song, using the “Gotta catch ’em all” slogan without permission. Other IPs including Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball were used for the Trump administration’s political messaging, leading to condemnation from Japanese government officials. It’s currently unclear whether the latest Spider-Man post will be removed. Film Shrine has contacted Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures for comment. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Sony Pictures/Instagram/@whitehouse Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
