'The Dark Knight' warned us about mass surveillance. In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' it's a punchline.

The use of illegal facial recognition technology by Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has ignited a debate about surveillance culture. Critics noted that, unlike "The Dark Knight," which presented such technology as a serious ethical dilemma and subsequently destroyed it, the new movie treats mass monitoring casually through a quip. This shift has drawn criticism from fans and political scientists alike.