A minor plot point in Spider-Man: Brand New Day just opened a major plot hole in Wonder Man and the MCU. This is surprising given how Marvel Studios has generally done a good job of making their productions link together. In this case, however, it seems that they may have dropped the ball on the timeline.
The main plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day finds Peter Parker facing a new villain who seems to be able to control people like puppets. After speaking with the new Black Widow, Yelena Belova, Peter decides to consult with the Department of Damage Control. Thankfully, the organization that now manages superhumans for the United States government has an open office in downtown Manhattan.
Despite some issues with the scanners and security at the entrance, Spider-Man is waved in by DODC Director William Metzger. He is kind enough to speak to Spidey and gives him a quick tour of the building. Specifically, the R&D lab where Damage Control researches the advanced weapons used by supervillains like Shocker.
Director Metzger’s apparent openness wins Peter’s trust. He leaves the DODC offices thinking he can work with the agency, despite their general negative attitude towards independent superheroes. However, this scene opens up a plot hole regarding how the agency was portrayed in Wonder Man, which is set before Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the MCU timeline.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn’t line up with Wonder Man’s story
The plot of Wonder Man found the Department of Damage Control facing heightened oversight regarding their excessive spending. Reportedly, the Congressional Budget Office questioned how many prisons they needed for supervillains when the existing ones were half-empty. They also asked if the DODC needed as many regional offices and agents as they had. This pushed DODC Agent P. Cleary to begin investigating actor Simon Williams. It was his hope to justify his job by capturing a dangerous superhuman who was hiding his powers.
The problem is that there is no evidence of the DODC facing budget cuts or increased scrutiny in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The agency boasts a skyscraper base in downtown New York City, with a state-of-the-art science lab on-site. The climax of the movie reveals the DODC also established a lab on Roosevelt Island in the middle of the East River.
Beyond this prime Manhattan real estate, there are other signs nobody is monitoring or limiting Damage Control’s spending. Chief among these is Director Metzger’s hiring The Hand clan as DODC agents. One would think a government agency openly hiring ninja assassins might raise some objections from the CBO.
Amusingly, this plot hole could have been avoided if Wonder Man were set after Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Indeed, it could have been the exposure of Director Metzger’s excesses that led to the US Congress investigating the DODC’s budget. As it stands, the only thing that might justify this is that Director Metzger may have been given more leeway in his spending than the regional DODC office in Los Angeles. Certainly, it wouldn’t be the first time the MCU portrayed the DODC management as corrupt and hypocritical.
