Does Ned remember Peter Parker at the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day? It's an important question, as it could change everything as far as Pete's world is concerned, and the answer isn't clear-cut.
The fallout and magical hijinks of Spider-Man: No Way Home are still keenly felt in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Peter desperate to reunite with his old flame MJ (Zendaya) and his best pal, Ned (Jacob Batalon). But all that seems to change in the final moments.
So just how do Ned’s memories of his best friend get jump-started, and what could they mean for MJ and Peter in future Spider-Man adventures? Well, grab your shark-themed energy drink and take a seat while we break it all down for you. But beware: full spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day lie ahead. Why not check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review if you've yet to see the latest Marvel movie?
Does Ned remember Peter Parker at the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
It might’ve taken a heartbreaking written confession from Peter to reveal everything to MJ, but it seemingly took only a handshake for Ned to realize the piece that had been missing from his life for the last few years. During Peter’s routine trip to get flowers for Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), "Maynard" once again bumps into Ned, who still has no idea that he’s either Spider-Man or his former Lego-building BFF. After an awkward reintroduction, Peter goes for a handshake before daring to try out their secret one. Muscle memory quickly kicks in, and before he knows it, Ned is giving a new greeting to an old friend before letting out a relieved "Peter."
It’s a great note to end things on, but one that might raise a few questions for fans unsure about how magic works in the MCU. While Doctor Strange’s memory spell at the end of Now Way Home certainly did the trick, it’s clear that all it takes is a small trigger to undo the magic and put things right. Ultimately, as any self-respecting magic wielder will tell you, no matter how strong a spell might be, it’s nothing against the power of friendship. But with that spell seemingly lifted, what does it mean for the one other person who confessed to essentially moving on to a Spider-Man-free life? Our guess is, she won’t be in that state for long.
Does Ned's reminder spell hope for MJ?
In what might be one of the soul-destroying moments of the entire film, Peter gets a long-awaited kiss from Mary Jane, who he believes has finally remembered who he is, before learning that Jean (Sadie Sink) has taken over his ex-girlfriend in a clever ruse. Laughing at his struggles to be reunited with her, she mocks the hero at the idea that a kiss might break Strange's magic. Now, unfortunately, with Peter too busy trying to find balance within himself and eventually bringing Jean back to the light, the two former high school sweethearts don’t get a chance to test that out, but that doesn’t mean it might not work in the future.
If a handshake set things right for Ned, there’s a chance that a kiss really could work for MJ, but a subtle scene with Peter’s old girlfriend suggests it might not even need that. Intercut with the handshake between Spidey and Ned, we see Mary Jane sat on the roof of their old school, clutching at the necklace she got from Peter. To have kept hold of that suggests that there might be some fragment of a memory tucked away, and that the next time around she’ll remember just how much she loved Spider-Man. Well hey, a webslinger can dream, right?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now. For more, here's how to watch all the Marvel movies in order.
