You could argue Tom Holland's Peter Parker had a pretty forgiving and easy life... until the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, that is. Every tragedy that hadn't befallen the wall-crawler before suddenly hit like a train in the span of a few days. The friendly neighborhood hero not only had to witness the death of Aunt May, but the whole world forgot he ever existed courtesy of a spell cast by Doctor Strange. That means Peter also lost his girlfriend, MJ, and his best friend, Ned Leeds.
Spider-Man had to move into an apartment all on his own, with no one to rely on, and that's exactly where Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up. Audiences see how the friendly neighborhood hero has decided to dedicate all of his time and energy to keeping New York safe, even if this comes at the cost of his own well-being. Fortunately, not everything is completely grim.
Prior to the release of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Tom Holland himself revealed that everyone forgot Peter Parker ever existed... except for one person. So who is that, and how is it possible that Strange's spell was broken? Well, before we answer those questions: Be warned: There will be mild spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day ahead. If you don't want any surprises ruined, it's best to turn back and return until you've watched the film.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day reveals who the person who remembers Peter Parker is
No one remembers Peter throughout most of the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. At one point, the movie leads audiences to believe that MJ might be that person... only to quickly strip Peter (and us) of that hope. But just when it seems that the hero's identity is permanently forgotten... the film's very last scene indicates otherwise.
When Peter goes to buy flowers for Aunt May's grave, he comes across Ned Leeds, his former best friend. Like the rest of the world, Ned didn't remember ever spending time with Peter. Despite that, the friendly neighborhood hero decides to say hi, and then the two inexplainably share the iconic handshake that was a trademark throughout the entire "Homecoming" trilogy.
That's right, out of everyone in the world, Peter's best friend happens to remember him. For once, the wall-crawler has good luck. But while this revelation was enough to bring tears to our eyes, we also need to ask: Why Ned? How come he was the exception while people like MJ can't remember ever spending time with Peter?
Why is Ned Leeds the only one who remembers Peter Parker?
Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room: For the time being, Marvel hasn't officially answered why - or if - Ned Leeds broke Doctor Strange's spell. So, we have no option but to put on our detective fedoras à la Spider-Noir and get to the bottom of this mystery for ourselves.
For starters, Spider-Man: No Way Home established that Ned has some level of magical ability. After all, he was able to use Doctor Strange's sling ring to open a portal directly to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of Spider-Man. As such, it isn't far-fetched to assume that his wizardry had a part to play in breaking Strange's spell. However, that can't be the sole reason why he remembers his best friend.
If all that was needed to be immune to a spell was to be a receptacle for magic, then Doctor Strange himself should be able to remember Peter, and yet that isn't the case. However, it's worth noting that—out of anyone in the world—Ned is the one person Peter spent the most time with. Perhaps MJ wasn't able to remember the wall-crawler because the two had spent less time together, even if they truly loved each other. However, Ned and Peter met years ago.
Perhaps Ned was able to remember Peter due to his magical ability and the amount of time they spent together before Doctor Strange cast the memory-erasing spell. A mix of these two things could've been more than enough for him to recognize his best friend against all odds.
Then again, it seems we'll have to wait until the release of Spider-Man 5 for a more concrete answer.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.
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