Why 2 Filipino Comic Book Artists are in the Credits of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Most audiences of Marvel movies know enough to stay glued to their seats after the credits start rolling to wait for the inevitable: a short clip that teases what to expect in the next installments of the billion-dollar franchise. These post-credits scenes have essentially altered how audiences behave after watching the movie; instead of immediately rushing out of the theater they stay in their seats and patiently wait as the names of hundreds of people who all contributed to make the film that they just saw roll across the screens.

It's no different with the latest Spider-Man movie, which is the fourth that stars Tom Holland as the titular web-slinger. But what’s interesting about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, besides the brief post-credits scene right at the very end, is that two beloved and well-known Filipino creatives are given a “Special Thanks” shoutout in the credits.

Eagle-eyed Filipino viewers who sat through the entirety of the credits will no doubt have seen the names of comic book artists Stephen Segovia and Leinil Francis Yu alongside some pretty big names in the industry, including giants like Chris Claremont, Jack Kirby, Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, and many others.

In an Instagram post, Segovia said he was “really touched” to see his name in the credits.

But for those who don’t know who they are, why exactly are these two names in the credits of this particular Marvel movie?

Both Yu and Segovia are well-known comic book artists not just in the Philippines but globally, especially through their work with Marvel comics. Yu, in particular, has worked on several high-profile Marvel runs, including Secret Invasion and various Spider-Man arcs. Perhaps the most relevant to this latest installment of the Spider-Man films is that he worked on the Spider-Man: Brand New Day Yearbook, which was released in 2008.

In addition, Yu also worked on The Amazing Spider-Man No. 792 (variant cover, 2017),  

Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 No. 1 (cover artist), and Edge of Spider-Verse No. 1 (variant cover, “Spider-Rex”). He is also directly involved in expanding the Spider-Verse, which many in the industry say has become central to both animation and live-action adaptations.

Yu’s entry into comics is almost a cliché: he was self-taught and obsessive, and he was discovered early in his life. He studied advertising in college and honed his skills largely on his own. He has previously talked about being inspired by a book called How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way.

In the mid-1990s, Filipino-American artist Whilce Portacio was scouting for local talent and took Yu in as an apprentice. Portacio passed Yu’s portfolio to Marvel, which quickly hired him and had him work on Wolverine, which was a major title at the time. Before that, Yu had early exposure through Wildstorm Productions and smaller projects, but his rise was unusually fast for a newcomer.

Yu became a regular artist on flagship Marvel titles like X-Men, New Avengers, and Fantastic Four. He also illustrated Secret Invasion (2008), one of Marvel’s biggest crossover events, and also helped design Wave, Marvel’s first Filipina superhero.

Segovia has also done work on Marvel titles and characters that frequently intersect with Spider-Man in adaptations. For example, he worked as an artist on New Avengers and also has an associated credit listing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day Omnibus Vol. 2. He has also worked on titles such as Black Widow & Hawkeye: Broken Arrow, Captain Marvel (Alyssa Wong run), as well as X-Force, Dark X-Men, and Moon Knight.

Segovia started as a writer and illustrator for the seminal Funny Komiks, where he is perhaps most well-known for the Tomas en Kulas series. He spent years building a portfolio, faced rejections like many other artists, and worked across smaller publishers in the Philippines, the U.K., and independent studios before breaking into the U.S. market when Marvel hired him.

So if you’re seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day this weekend (or if you’re reading this months later when the title has moved to streaming), wait for their names to come out during the credits and be reminded once again of just how insanely talented Filipino creatives are.