Marvel fans all over the world are ready to embrace another Spider-Man movie. Based on the early numbers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, they are doing so much more than that, too. And honestly, it figures; this isn't just a Spider-Man movie, it isn't just a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, and it isn't just a summer blockbuster. This is a film designed to further one of the biggest cliffhangers in recent movie history: Do Ned Leeds and MJ remember Peter Parker?
2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home saw the webslinger instruct Doctor Strange to cast a spell that would erase Peter Parker from everyone's memories. Although he had planned to tell his nearest and dearest about it soon afterwards, he ultimately decided that their lives would be better off without being associated with the chaos of Spider-Man. And that's where Brand New Day comes in, because fans are now left wondering if the MCU sequel will answer those questions and further that narrative.
*** This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the ending of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. If you haven't seen the movie and would prefer it wasn't spoiled, don't read on. ***
Ned and Peter's reunion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, explained
While the bulk of Spider-Man: Brand New Day was about whether Peter Parker could make MJ remember their relationship, it still leaned on him longing to reconnect with his best friend Ned Leeds too. The two shared a long history with each other throughout the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy and it continues to be felt - even in Brand New Day when they aren't technically friends anymore.
That all seemingly changes in the closing moments of the movie when Peter attempts to introduce himself to Ned with their signature handshake. Although Ned seems a little confused by the interaction, his body instinctively responds to the handshake and he slowly remembers it beat-for-beat. After the two share the moment, Ned looks up at his friend and exclaims "Peter!" as the film's end credits roll. And, with that in mind, does Ned actually remember Peter?
There are two schools of thought in this argument. On one hand, it's that Ned doesn't actually remember his best friend but that his body does. Remember, he learned earlier in the movie that Spider-Man's real name was "Peter" so he may have simply been responding to the stranger before him by recognizing that he was Spider-Man. As for the response to the handshake? Well, muscle memory is a completely different thing than actual memory; so while Doctor Strange's spell eradicated Ned's memories of Peter, his body would have retained the residual response to their signature handshake... even if it doesn't know why.
That could easily set up the next movie, in which Ned and Peter would have to work together in order to get him and MJ to remember their past lives. Just as MJ has now started to grow attached to Peter in this version of her life, the resolution here would still be to unlock those previous memories of their teenage years together. She now knows that they exist; she just doesn't have them. Perhaps Ned's discovery has put him in a similar place and now, together, the three of them can figure it out.
Another point that complements this theory is that the massive wave of energy released by Jean Grey, which seemingly targetted people psychically, loosened up some of those hidden memories in Ned and MJ's minds, allowing for some of them to slowly begin cracking through. After all, MJ began crying when frozen in terror; were the memories beginning to return?
On the other end of things, there is another potential theory as to why Ned actually remembers Peter. While he probably doesn't fully remember his best friend yet, some fans have pointed out that Doctor Strange's spell may not have worked as well on him as it did on everyone else. Remember, Ned was - at one point in time - a magic user, successfully using Doctor Strange's sling ring in order to open portals to other places. Even Strange was impressed, perplexed, and bemused by this, which suggested that the story might actually lead somewhere.
Perhaps this is that place. Perhaps the residual magic within Ned meant that the spell didn't take as effectively as it did on everyone else. We've seen this in fiction before, where a magic user can sense if a spell is hiding something from them. Perhaps Ned's response to Peter's handshake has genuinely reawakened those memories - memories that weren't as well-hidden for him as they were for everyone else.
We probably won't get official answers until Spider-Man 5, whenever that may be. But this essentially guarantees that Jacob Batalon and Zendaya will reprise their roles once again as Ned and MJ in the next film within the franchise. Peter made a choice to be both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, and making his loved ones remember who he is is the official next step in making that a reality.
The ending of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has left us with many, many questions, but it has given us some answers too. The most notable being: Spider-Man will return, and MJ and Ned will remember. The only real question is: When?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has arrived in movie theaters.
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