The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gained another A-list star in Naomi Watts. The King Kong and The Watcher star recently appeared in Marvel Studios’ newest release, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which reunites the actress with her The Impossible co-star, Tom Holland. Watts joins a list of actors making their MCU debuts in the film, including Sadie Sink, Eman Esfandi, Tramell Tillman, and Liza Colón-Zayas.
Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
While not initially marketed as part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Watts is indeed in the movie, with the credits confirming that she provides the voice of EV. The new artificial intelligence assistant is Peter Parker’s original creation, replacing his previous robot companions, whom he lost access to after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home erased his existence from his family and friends’ memories. Thankfully, Peter Parker has always been a smart kid, and his skills have enabled him to create his very own robot sidekick.
In the published script notes, director Destin Daniel Cretton described EV as the “closest thing Peter has to a friend” at the beginning of the movie. The AI tech is built into Peter’s suit and also assists him at his workbench at home, where he also has a homemade fabricator.
Indeed, EV is something of a constant companion for Peter throughout the movie, providing him with information and assistance as he spends more time than ever on the streets fighting crime as Spider-Man. EV is particularly instrumental as Peter attempts to control his “spider puberty”, relying on the AI system to monitor his arachnid levels and keep them in check. These scenes give Watts plenty of lines as EV, who seems to be an important part of Spider-Man’s story in the MCU going forward.
When it came to finding the actor to voice EV, Cretton looked to a past collaborator, recruiting Watts, whom he’d previously worked with on The Glass Castle. This marks Watts’ first role in a major superhero project since her appearance in 1995’s Tank Girl. Watts has yet to publicly address her role in the MCU.
Watts adds to the all-star lineup in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which also includes Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Florence Pugh. Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released in cinemas on July 31.
Naomi Watts Joins An Important Marvel Studios Club
Naomi Watts’ casting as EV adds her to a lineup of famous actors who have provided voices for the various AI companions in the MCU.
Spider-Man’s previous AI assistants in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home were KAREN, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, and EDITH, voiced by Dawn Michelle King. Other notable actors who have voiced AI companions in the MCU include Kerry Condon as FRIDAY, Trevor Noah as Griot, and Lyric Ross as NATALIE. They are all built on the idea of Tony Stark’s original AI, JARVIS, voiced by Paul Bettany, who later went on to earn his own major live-action role in the MCU as the synthezoid Vision.
Now that Watts has made her debut as EV, it seems logical that she’ll be included in any further Spider-Man projects, as EV’s system is synonymous with Peter’s suit. This could even set Watts up for a small voice role in an Avengers movie, should Holland appear in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
