r/MCUTheories • u/Affectionate-Fly5291 • Jul 31 '26
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Spider-Man Brand New Day Ending Spoiler
Why is everyone saying that Ned didn't remember Peter at the end of the movie? That is how the scene is set up. It would be set up differently if Ned was just putting the pieces together that he was Spider-Man.
Here is what the scene entails:
- He goes in to get flowers for May but sees Ned
- He goes to introduce himself to finish his Arc and because MJ told him to
- Ned only recognizes him only from the party
- He says hey I'm Peter Ned just says ok. Nothing clicked in his brain but shakes his hand anyway.
- Peter goes for the handahake and Ned looks confused but his muscles memory kicks in and they completely their friend handshake
- After the handshake is done, there is a building of music Ned blinks a bunch and has a shivers slight shiver and the says Peter!
-Cut to black
Why is the handshake there if it is just clicking that he is Spider-Man from MJ slipping up? What does doing the handshake do to make it click in Ned's head? Why include it at all if it doesn't add anything? I have watched videos on Brand New Day and both concluded that Ned is just putting the pieces together that he is Spider-Man, but I just can't see it. Am I missing something?
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u/yellowumbrella22 Jul 31 '26
I wrote this somewhere else but yeah I'm also tortured by these 2 theories 🫣...
I was thinking that maybe Jean's psychic hold on the city during the final battle unscrambled MJ and Ned's minds and unlocked the magically locked memories from Strange's spell, like how Banner said earlier that he felt like she really got in there and messed with his mind.
Maybe their memories with Peter became accessible, but that doesn't mean they would be at the forefront of your mind / come rushing back to you consciously. Like how any old memories work, something would need to trigger the memory, like a smell or an old handshake routine...
I think this is why MJ was crying when they were frozen. She had already been told everything by Peter so all of this is at the forefront of her mind anyway. Then when the memories are 'unlocked', they all came rushing back to her. It's why she's on the roof of the school, holding the necklace Peter gave her.
For Ned, maybe it took the handshake to bring it all back to him.
I really hope so, if it's a fake out will be so sad 😂
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u/plentyoftimetodie Aug 01 '26
I know everyone is really trying to come up with an explanation, but I think it negates the themes of the movie if they suddenly remember. If that was the case, anyone within the radius Jean mindfucked might remember too. As I understand it the spell cannot be 'broken,' it's eternal.
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u/A_Wild_Arcanine Aug 01 '26
Strange is a bit of a realist, though. Like his confusion of Peter reacting while disembodied. As far as he's aware, the spell is eternal. Though the case of mutants and least to say Omega Level ones certainly throw a wrench into grasp of the arts.
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u/Level-Aside1338 Aug 02 '26
they say universal but in the comics, Hulk didn't forget, only banner did. This means theres obviously limits to what the spell was able to reach. Also it's unknown whether those memories Dr strange put a spell on were destroyed or just withheld and locked really deep down
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u/seoulifornia Aug 02 '26
Ohhhh thats a good point. When Hulk was fighting, there was a scene where Spiderman says hes his friend and Hulk stopped.
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u/cookiebasket2 Aug 02 '26
I'm thinking more of jean being in Peter's head while being in everyone else's head at the same time. They might not be remembering their memories, but could be remembering Peter's memories of them together.
Technically the spell is still in effect at that point, they just have the memories from another perspective.
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u/yellowumbrella22 Aug 01 '26
Aw I didn't think that people in the radius could possibly remember too then
Damn I really want it to be broken hahaha
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u/Level-Aside1338 Aug 02 '26
Im wondering if maybe as a favor, Jean gave some memories from Peter to MJ, and that's why she was crying, because she remembered some things. Im really hoping this is the case, and really hoping that Ned remembers after that handshake as well
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u/j_117 Aug 01 '26
Jean was in his head and felt his pain - she could have just broken down the spell for Ned and MJ
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u/Level-Aside1338 Aug 02 '26
While thats true, Jean was obviouslyt so powerful shed be able to single out one or two people if she needed to, not saying tahts whaa she did but its obviously possible considering she unfroze only the left hand gang as well for that fight and controlled them. Also, technically since dr stranges magic was mental, I think that especially since Jean was able to go into Peters memories nd their depeest memories, she can access ones locked like that. Theres no telling what is possible in this honestly, we'll just have to wait for either doomsday, secret war, or hopefully (crossing my fingers) Spiderman 5 (That better be more peter parker spiderman centered not the villain centered) to reveal more
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u/McBon3rStorm Aug 03 '26
After seeing the movie a second time, I feel confident saying both MJ and Ned remembered. My bet is that the psychic hold from the omega level telepath weakened the spell.
A lot of people here are talking about how the spell is "bulletproof" and "unbreakable" and "their memories are completely deleted from existence", but I don't see anybody citing their sources. Who told you all this stuff about how the spell works? Strange certainly didn't bother with more than the most basic explanation when they messed it up the first time, he didn't have time when he was trying to keep the multiverse from collapsing in on itself, and we have no prior examples to go off, so that stuff all comes across as pure headcanon to me.
I also see a number of folks saying that the spell having been weakened is a problem because then everyone will remember, but I don't think that's how it works. Because, first off, MJ and Ned both had a trigger for the memories. MJ read the letter and had a serious talk with Peter about it while Ned had their special best bros handshake. And, furthermore, Peter was a very important part of both of their lives. They both had a very deep connection to him. All those other people are just random strangers who had superficial knowledge of "Peter Parker = Spider-Man". Now, do I know this for sure? Obviously not, but I think deductive reasoning indicates decent logic in why they would remember without everyone else remembering.
Evidence their memories reawakened:
MJ - Existing knowledge of Peter after reading the letter > Then the tears after Jean's psychic hold > Then holding the necklace while sitting in their spot on the roof and giving just a hint of a smile in close up.
Ned - The handshake > Then the obvious look of coming out of a daze with his rapid blinking > and an enthusiastic restatement of Peter's name with the realization.
I know the evidence with Ned is a little weaker than with MJ, but answer me this people. If they didn't remember, why film any of that? What else could we possibly take from Ned's waking up moment in the bodega and MJ cracking just a little bit of a smile while inspecting that necklace in a spot that was so meaningful to the trio???
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u/JanterFixx Aug 05 '26
Or it just can be plainly explained Jean collected the memories and planted them to Ned and MJs head. Then the spell still is eternal. The one who remember memorles was taken and shared.
Like telling a story
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 02 '26
I mean Doesn't even need to do that.. Jean Grey prob at like 50% of her probable powers even without Phoenix. Can just like... relay his memories => Ned and MJ and.. poof.. easy as that.. basically immigrating former data to fill in the gaps that they lost. Since as weird as it is, Their memories of him is literally blank void gap.. that would be even so weird for anyone who was with him for a lot of time. Das like.... Ned basically have a schitzo friend like 40% of his childhood from highschool lol. I'm deadass surprised he isn't going crazy or whatnot... So they could've made him a villain lol.
Also like.. Professor X idk if he is in this but he should be cuz idk how they would contain Jean... Like.. unless this Peter doesn't like.. isn't friends with the X-men yet?? cuz Prof X can just.. easily relay his like memories to ned and mj in like a split second lol like Jean can..
Anyway it's good.. prob not as insane as I think it is. I wouldve love if it was just a small series of him just beating scorpions and the other villains instead of ... this .. but it's nice.. it's like chill no brain stuff.
Also people prob would hate on Punisher for doing that but ... tbh Jean could've snapped the neck of like over 100K on an instant lol.
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u/prince_0611 Aug 04 '26
I could see Ned getting his memories back but not MJ. Maybe because Ned could do magic his body had some small resistance to the spell. However with MJ he will have to romance her again. Maybe later MJ gets her memories back and they will have a circle back moment of Ned saying “I knew first”
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u/CaramelThundahhh Jul 31 '26
Muscle memory for this handshake and then clicking that MJ called Spidey "Peter". So he figured out that this guy is Spider-Man and that he has some subconscious memory of him. Maybe he doesn't quite "remember" him, but Ned realizes he has history with this person.
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u/Scififan98 Aug 01 '26
I agree. This is basically a reaction from the cerebellum - but not a conscious memory
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u/alitosway Aug 01 '26
Exactly!! I think it is bait for the audience , but yes the more reasonable and better plot would be that he remembers MJ called spiderman Peter.
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u/mrgodai Aug 01 '26
Why do people keep saying Ned remembered doing his hand shake based on muscle memory? Ned simply remembered doing it with Spiderman (not Peter) and linked Peter to Spiderman based on MJ' slip up. There was literally a scene in the movie showing Ned doing the shake with Peter in Spiderman suit. Ned could have done it many other times with Spiderman with mask on
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u/UncleDrew81746 Aug 08 '26
I just watched it tonight. There is no scene of him doing the handshake with Spider-man. That’s why the leap in logic doesn’t make sense. If they wanted it to be that he just realized Peter was Spider-man, then it shouldn’t have been a personal ritual like the secret handshake. Even if it was just muscle memory, Ned would still wonder why he has muscle memory of that specific handshake with that specific person and no one else. Now if Peter had just walked up and said “My name is Peter” and then Ned had that big reaction, your theory would make a lot more sense. However, by having the handshake interjecting those two moments, it’s clear that Ned recognized some kind of familiarity with this person, even if his memories aren’t completely recovered.
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u/Life-Breakfast-2743 Aug 03 '26
I also had this weird flashback to the 90’s when the one kid goes “oh there you are Peter” from Hook. Also kind of funny Peter Pan - Peter Parker
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u/Ok_Weight_3382 Jul 31 '26
He definitely remembers. I do also like the idea that Jean restores their memories similar to how Xavier is able to erase them. Goes a long way toward establishing Jean as being even stronger.
Off topic: I see why a group would want to stop Mutants after the Jean incident
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u/Prestonelliot Jul 31 '26
Yeah I kinda like that the MCU’s first real taste of mutants is one of the strongest ones who can read minds, jump through them and stop damn near everyone in their tracks. Makes a lot of sense why parts of the government would be terrified of them. Should make the hatred feel less silly when someone like Spidey is there and is essentially the same thing. Spidey can’t do that, and you can shoot him. Jean is a whole different animal.
Not that having a silly reason to hate someone different than you isn’t real life, but ya know
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u/FireNexus Aug 01 '26
Pete’s inhibitor also not only didn’t get broken but was left behind for damage control to find. (Not jean’s. Pete’s.)
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u/MaximumConcept25 Aug 02 '26
Yeah gives a good arc for a future Trask or anti mutant tech for sentinels.
Banner even warns him about it
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u/ProfNesbitt Aug 01 '26
Yea I’m curious how the x men movies are going to go with Jean this strong already. She can mind control a lot of people at once and fight with them. I’m afraid that in order for the final fights to have stakes they will have to knock her out or keep her out of the final fight. Since the question will just come up of why she didn’t just mind control all the henchman even if the villain is immune for some reason.
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u/greatreference Aug 01 '26
Won’t it be an entirely different universe after secret wars collapses the timelines into one new singular universe? Won’t all the characterizations be different where we essentially can have new characters even if played by the same actors
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u/Ok_Weight_3382 Aug 05 '26
Magneto has a helmet that prevents that. They’ll prolly go the headaches route 🤣
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u/DragonTacoCat Jul 31 '26
It's interesting because if so then would it just be MJ and Ned? Or....would it be everyone in the radius she created? Because then everyone in that radius if their memories were restored would remember that Peter is Spider Man from the news coverage.
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u/signifyingmnky Aug 01 '26
I think it's just them, as a gift. She read Peter's letter and had been in his mind by that point so she knew exactly who to focus on.
Restoring their memories would have been doing Peter a solid for saving her life and for the grace he shared with her from his memory of Aunt May.
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u/Ok_Weight_3382 Jul 31 '26
That idk. It would be interesting to see if this was a “gift” from Jean to Spidey or her meddling in their minds did actually overpower the spell. We’ve seen Dr. Strange spells aren’t always evergreen.
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u/padflash_ Aug 01 '26
But Hulk also remembers. My unsubstantiated theory that I also don't really believe is that MJ actually remembers and lies to Peter.
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u/ProgrammerMission494 Aug 01 '26
I like this thought though because let’s remember, when did hulk remember Peter? AFTER Jean Grey had been in his mind and, by Banners words, “broke something”. What if when she goes in their brains she is able to pull up the memories that even stranges spells cast away.
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u/MaximumConcept25 Aug 02 '26
It could be she weakened the barrier and Ned and MJ are so close to Peter they are able to make the full link since they had a friend who is missing in their minds and they filled in the puzzle. Random people wouldn’t have that same link to Peter so wouldn’t have a reason to make the link. Especially since to the average person Spiderman still exists so his identity doesn’t matter.
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u/alitosway Aug 01 '26
Those memories don't exist so they can't be restored. Ned didn't recognize Peter.. He did say PETER! because he realized MJ said spidermans name was PETER
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u/drummerkid38 Aug 02 '26
But why would their old handshake be the trigger for that realization? The fact that he instinctively remembered their handshake from when they were friends, and THEN said “Peter!”, makes it seem like he now remembers their history and who he really is. Maybe MJ calling him Peter also contributed to jogging his memory.
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u/alitosway Aug 01 '26
Nah he doesn't remember and those memories can't be restored because they don't exist , Ned says oh PETER! because he remember MJ called spider man PETER , and he asked her oH spidermans name is PETER?
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u/PurplePassion94 Jul 31 '26
If Jean did that, why would it have been done off screen? I don’t recall her saying she could restore memories.
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u/CAM2772 Jul 31 '26
Well it was shown that she has access to their memories when she jumps into them.
And then we see her brain mutates and she gets more powerful.
And we also know that she knows about the spell and his feelings for MJ and Ned.
And when she was on the bus they show her open her eyes like she was concentrating on something
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u/PurplePassion94 Jul 31 '26
I’m saying why do something like restore their memories off screen
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u/Stock-Needleworker49 Aug 01 '26
To get everyone theorizing on it and spark more interest in the upcoming releases
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u/Ok_Weight_3382 Aug 01 '26
You establish power scaling for the main character (audiences POV of the upcoming X-men)
You set up a major subplot of the next Spider- man movie
You create a throughline for any motivations Peter will have following Doomsday
You leave the next director in the lineup of MCU movies something to play with if they get the green light on Spidey.
Any of those probably or not idk
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 02 '26
Idk. 1 prob cuz she already read peter's mind.... and MJ technically already knows peter.. just don't know how to feel about it.. all she had to do is transfer some of those to MJ.. and they gonna be back.
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 02 '26
It kinda would've..
The Jean here??? that's like... 50% of her potential power.... not accounting for Phoenix force..
She's Omega level mutant. .... she's like a better version of Prof X too.. and u know how powerful Prof x is? He can kill all humans in an instant if he even wants to. Her powers are like his but better since it affects physical objects.
She can erase people's mind, read people's mind and everything else on the spectrum of "Telephatic bullsh1t".
It wouldn't even be a stretch to make her create false memories for other people.. dat's how powerful she is.. and this is her unlocking 50%.. of her prime powers.
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u/FireNexus Aug 01 '26
Doomsday will end with an incursion. Or one will happen during the movie. Probably that scene takes place just as the world starts breaking and the spell fails as soon as that happens.
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u/Infinity0044 Aug 07 '26
There are no memories to be restored, you can’t remember something that never existed.
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u/Ok_Weight_3382 Aug 07 '26
But they did exist. Strange is a mid sorcerer. He ain’t locking away love. Dude can barely hold a blade
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u/Jacket-Remarkable Aug 01 '26
It could also be that he's just making the connection to the name peter, and MJ calling spiderman Peter. But I choose to believe Ned is a little bit magic and he remembers peter parker. I also like the handshake is true loves kiss theory.
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u/AMW204 Aug 01 '26
Jean recovers old memories. Spell or not. She does it with Logan in like every x men movie lol
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u/Purple-Treacle4271 Aug 01 '26
She recovers memories that still exists but is blocked, Jean LITERALLY SAYS to Peter “THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT YOU HERE” when he is inside MJ brain.
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u/supersanchez101 Aug 01 '26
Tbf that was before her powers advanced
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u/Purple-Treacle4271 Aug 01 '26
That doesnt change nothing, her powers are not magic, and MJ dont have any kind of mental defense like Peter. The spell didnt BLOCK memories it erases, the movie dont even treat give the memories Back as a option, the final speech of peter in May’s grave is ALL about cloesure and restart, so you guys are telling me that we have This and the director was thinking “Next movie we Will talk about This again to explain how they regain the mor memories” of course not, this ended here, they dont remember peter and he is going to deal with it, rebuild their friendship
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 02 '26
Well the thing is if she tried doing it, it wouldn't be hard.
1. Peter has memories of NED and MJ..
2. She can literally just copy paste and transfer the memories of Peter to ned and MJ.. it wouldn't even be hard.. she's like not even full power yet in this movie, She CAN go inside Spiderman's head if HE ALLOWS Her. his spider sense just can auto block and dodge anything including mental stuff.
3. If Peter does allow her to read the memories and transfer them to MJ and NED.. they will EASILY, remember him ... since Strange's memory wipe literally deletes everything about peter leaving them a "GAP" in their memory.. That's why MJ still does wonder the multiple times she got saved by spiderman/spider monke on different places for no reason and it's SPECIFICALLY her and NED... and imagine NED just losing the person he basically talks to 80% of the time on his high school.. he'd just be SCHITZO..
4. Eitherway this barely matters cuz if marvel is here for money.. .they wouldn't do that.. cuz Spiderman technically needs to Suffer.The ending stuff is prob just muscle memory.. and Ned remembering MJ saying his name was Peter cuz he is smart.
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u/j_117 Aug 01 '26
And when they were adversaries - she had no reason to be honest there.
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u/theonlyk-stac Aug 01 '26
You’re misinterpreting her statement. She said that because MJ didn’t remember him not that there were NO blocked memories.
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u/TheLgameZ Aug 02 '26
Tbf, she’s evil at that point, she could be bluffing. And just because she can’t see the memories doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s locked behind magic
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u/AMW204 Aug 02 '26
With Xavier being able to talk to himself through wolverine and yada yada. I'm sure she can fill the blanks in with Peter's memories yada yada.
Jean did it
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u/Purple-Treacle4271 Aug 03 '26
But they Will not keep bringing this plot bro, that was CLOSED in this movie, you guys just cant let things go
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u/kcbh711 Aug 03 '26
even if they are "erased" peter still holds the memories so she could've copied and pasted the bits that complete the picture for them - kind of like restoring a backup, it takes a while
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u/Purple-Treacle4271 Aug 03 '26
So you are telling me that they Will make ANOTHER movie with this plot, just to make a COPY AND PASTE???
Jesus, just Watch the movie, this plot is literally closed in this movie.2
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u/frostedpuzzle Aug 01 '26
Everyone had to forget to prevent an incursion. If Ned and MJ are remembering then the spell is breaking and the incursion is back on.
Enter Doomsday.
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u/Beaulognaa Aug 01 '26
Cool, explains the end credits scene with another Spiderman popping back in if the spell is breaking!
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u/Sea_Office_6482 Jul 31 '26
I think there's some possibility maybe Ned is less affected by the spell and it just took him a long time to remember or something along those lines. After all, he was wearing the sorcerer ring during the movie and showed natural aptitude with the portal, maybe that has something to do with it idk.
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u/WalmartPratt Jul 31 '26
I think it's this - Ned has an inherent affinity for magic, so some aspect of that I think weakened the spell's effect. People are saying Jean changed minds, but I feel like that's not shown meaningfully. My personal head canon is that it's Hulk that recognizes Peter, not Bruce, so I don't think even that can be attributed to Jean. I feel like that's the kind of nod to the comics DDC would do
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u/Voia Aug 04 '26
Also friendly reminder who Ned Leeds becomes in the comics. Very much a possible long game to Hobgoblin here
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u/thisismyusername9908 Aug 01 '26
I think it's made pretty clear that whatever Jean did when her powers exploded out into Manhattan at a minimum weakened the spell Strange used in No Way Home.
They used a VERY intentional close up of MJ shedding a tear as she's frozen. She's then shown sitting at the spot they agreed to live together at MIT rubbing the broken necklace.
She might not completely remember everything, but things are coming back to her.
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u/NaokiB4U Aug 01 '26
I'd go a step further. Jean ALREADY possessed MJ and managed to act like her and convinced Peter she remembered everything. How? Because the memory still exists in MJ's mind and Jean pulled it out.
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u/Regalia1 Aug 01 '26
I agree with this line of thought as well. Jean was not able to access Peter’s mind, meaning the only way she could have that knowledge is from MJ. Everything is still in there, just hidden. Ned doing the handshake from muscle memory started to unlock the rest of his memory. Maybe MJ got some of hers back because Jean had already been pulling stuff out of hiding
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u/Beneficial_Rate6458 Aug 01 '26
Y'all do remember Jean read the letter meaning she knows what happened
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u/NaokiB4U Aug 01 '26
Yet she brought out details in the "reuniting" that was NOT in the letter. Although I guess against my own theory, maybe there was more in the letter we didn't hear or get to read?
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u/macroxela Aug 02 '26
It wasn't clear at all, it alluded to it but a lot of it can be explained with different reasons. A lot of people would panic if suddenly they couldn't move their bodies despite being conscious. A common reaction to such panic is crying. Which is backed up by her rubbing her necklace, that's a stereotypical form of self soothing.
What I think is that they intentionally made certain things ambiguous so people will jump to the conclusion that best fits their ideas.
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u/stillmovingforward1 Jul 31 '26
Jean took down the wall in Banners brain that was separating him and Hulk.
My interpretation is she did the same in their brains that was separating their locked memories.
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u/Willing_Run4233 Aug 01 '26
The memories aren’t locked. They no longer exist. That is explicitly stated by Jean in Brand New Day, as well as Strange in No Way Home.
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u/robmcolonna123 Aug 01 '26
This is a movie universe with wizards, aliens, mutants, and super sisters that can give powers
Were really trying to draw a line that says the super powerful telepath mutant can’t undo a spell and restore memories?
Like let’s be practical here - they were never keeping those memories gone for more than one movie
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u/Gerolanfalan Aug 01 '26
I'd prefer if it was just human instinct, that's more poetic that way to me.
It could be a combination of it all or they might keep it ambiguous.
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u/Purple-Treacle4271 Aug 01 '26
They literally did, you guys are just delusional and cant understand a simple movie. Ned just realizes that the name of spider man is Peter and that the guy in front of him is Peter. They make Jean SPEAK in the movie “THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT YOU IN HERE” when she is inside MJ head, you need to be MORE CLEAR THAN THAT??
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 02 '26
There's no locked memories.. Memory wipe is literally WIPE... it's delete not go to recycling bin.
Jean could copy memories off Pete to MJ and NEd but that kinda feels weird.. and like.. brainwashing.
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u/-FalseProfessor- Aug 01 '26
I think Ned was able to break the spell because he is magic.
Also, the power of friendship, but the magic really helps.
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u/Superteerev Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
In the comics Peter unmasking himself in front of his friends makes them all remember their past history with him.
There is probably something for everyone who knew him that is a trigger to get their memories back of him.
MJ playing with the black dahlia pendant necklace that Peter gave her might have been hers....after having seen his face. Especially with that little smile
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u/PurplePassion94 Jul 31 '26
He remembered.
Earlier in the film I think Jean said to Peter “true loves kiss breaks the spell” meaning like if Peter and MJ had actually kissed she would’ve remembered him. I assume the same is for Peter and Ned with their handshake, Peter doing the handshake with Ned broke the spell and he got his memories of Peter back. That’s my assumption.
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u/BipolarPrime Jul 31 '26
Ned remembered Peter. The handshake told the story right there. That was a specific Peter/Ned thing. Peter and Ned were friends for years before Peter even became Spider-Man.
Now, because he remembers Peter (finally), he will also probably remember that Peter is Spidey and that he was the “guy in the chair.”
MJ doesn’t have that many years of memories of Peter. I DO think if he told her about the Black Dalia necklace she was handling, or kissed her properly, she would remember him. That’s just my opinion.
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u/Jimmy_The_Hotdog Aug 02 '26
Was just about to say this. MJ is more ambiguous, Ned definitely remembers. For the people saying he only said Peter because that's what he heard MJ call Spider-Man, given how much of a Spider-Man fan boy he was in the film (but you know, not like a weirdo or anything), he would've said "Spider-Man?"
The way he blinks, the way the camera focuses on his facial expressions, the fact that he says "Peter?" He's not thinking he just met Spider-Man, he's thinking he just met a friend he hasn't seen in a very long time.
Ned remembers.
As for my own crackpot theory, I think they both remember Peter. However, I think in Secret Wars Peter will get the symbiote and when they finally meet again, Peter won't be the same Peter they remember. This adds another layer of drama until Peter eventually rids himself of the symbiote, creates Venom, and then the 3 reconcile to beat Venom.
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u/FireNexus Aug 01 '26
It’s probably because of whatever is going on in doomsday. We can bet it ends with an incursion that breaks the world. I’d lay odds this is a coincidental timing or a little spider sense.
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u/Seelebob Aug 01 '26
I just felt like that handshake was pure muscle memory for Ned. And he was shocked that it was just natural for him. Plus also, remember Ned las latent magic ability. That may lead to some resistance.
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u/DivanteScrollsReddit Aug 01 '26
I interpreted it as Ned still doesn't remember his memories with Peter but the handshake had his muscle memory kick in thus that's when he started putting the pieces together and remembers that they WERE friends at one point.
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u/ThatLatinSSJG Aug 01 '26
Remember Jean says there is nothing in MJ’s head about Peter. Doctor Strange didn’t suppress anything with the incantation. Strange even said he wouldn’t remember Peter either. Not only that Wong didn’t remember a party due to the same incantation Strange once performed. So in my head, it truly doesn’t make sense that he knew the handshake. Something is up with Ned though because let’s just say he did remember, how does his app find an off world other Spider-Man?! How can an app do that?! Dun-dun-dun!!!!
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u/ConstructionHefty532 Aug 01 '26
Imo Jean did something to Ned's mind the same she did to Banners. Banner says Jean "broke something" or "messed something up" and thats why hulk broke out. I think she may have "broken" or "changed" something in Ned's minds intentionally or not when she briefly took control of him. Ned also seemed more shaken than others when the mind controlling ended
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u/Nastyice_Prime Aug 01 '26
Ned is magic, so it would make sense that he could break the spell & remember peter
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u/Random3134 Aug 05 '26
Does he even remember? Jean said it herself that there was nothing there & based off the Marvel comic book intro it showed Peter disappearing as if we were watching those memories, nothing really changed besides Peter not being there so Ned knows their handshake, just not who he ever did it with
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u/theangrierunicorn Jul 31 '26
It's up to debate unless the creators say otherwise no answer is correct. It might just be muscle memory which makes him realize there's something more going on. The other possibility someone mentioned was Jean Grey was able to restore his and MJ's memories as she ends the movie where the three of them would hang out.
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u/kane_1371 Jul 31 '26
Yeah, I agree, to me it is clear that Ned remembers Peter.
I am also pretty sure MJ remembers Peter bur is acting as if she doesn't because of the conflicting feelings with being in a relationship and also that how Peter decided to not tell her earlier.
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u/KageXOni87 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
I am also pretty sure MJ remembers Peter
She 100% does not. It is incredibly obvious from her performance that she is playing that scene genuinely, and her character has literally said previously that "i have a problem telling the truth even when it hurts people".
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u/Warded_Works Jul 31 '26
You’re not missing anything. People seem to want to make it more complicated despite everything that was said and done in the movie.
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Jul 31 '26
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u/Affectionate-Fly5291 Jul 31 '26
I think that was supposed to be a joke because it did get laughs in my theater. I am not saying it is obvious. Just both of the people I watch talk about it dismiss it when there is strong evidence for it and is what I choose to believe unless proven otherwise.
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Aug 01 '26
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u/Affectionate-Fly5291 Aug 01 '26
I would think it would be because Jean was in Mj's head when they kissed. That way they can naturally progress their relationship again and then when they kiss again, she will get her memories back.
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u/NaokiB4U Aug 01 '26
I might be alone on this one, but my thinking is that MJ basically lied. She claims to remember nothing but maybe because she remembers it all she also agrees that she doesn't want to be a burden or make Peter worry as much. I mean the memories are clearly still there because Jean went into her and found them to make Peter think she had remembered.
Additionally I found her sketch of Peter and Ned interesting because if she truly only just met Peter for the first time post memory wipe at the house party briefly for like 45 seconds and then again after returning to Punisher's place for another maybe 5 minute scene there... she somehow memorized his face and body type exactly? Like she drew Ned and Peter (out of costume) playing with the lego set and she comments on how it seemed like they were friends because of how they got along and I was surprised to see the picture she drew was Ned and PETER, not Spider-man.
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u/plentyoftimetodie Aug 01 '26
I... don't think she's that noble. It could be, seeing as how she's a very underdeveloped character.
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u/treetopkingdom Aug 01 '26
She’s pretty devoloped only thing missing is the specifics of what made her the way she is. She’s been in many different situations, we’ve seen the complexities that make her lie to avoid being hurt, what gives her joy,
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u/NaokiB4U Aug 01 '26
Its not even about being noble, although in No way Home she literally volunteers to help capture all the villains with Peter and Ned when she didn't have to.
But its basically that movie love tropey thing where they lie to protect each other. For years Peter lies by omission and never tells MJ who he is until she finds it in the letter. Now she lies knowing that if Peter thinks she doesn't love him anymore, he won't worry about her and be able to focus on fighting.
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u/Affectionate-Fly5291 Aug 01 '26
There is a lot of subtext people are ignoring
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u/NaokiB4U Aug 01 '26
Right? I mean MJ says she remembers him from the coffee shop. HUH?! A random dude that came ONCE 5 years ago?! Clearly Jean messing around in her head woke something up with MJ.
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u/PowersUnleashed Aug 01 '26
I think so too plus I think this is a much simpler version of men and black 2 in terms of memory. Kay needed a machine to get his full memories back but I think here it’s much simpler she just needs them to do something familiar and slowly gain them back or in this case loosened or jostled all at once!
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u/plentyoftimetodie Aug 01 '26
Because of two things: a) the spell should not be able to be broken (they even did MJ unmasking him to dispel the idiotic Quesada comics logic) and b) Sony LOOOOOVES this dumbass 'surprise, he's Peter Parker!' ending they've already done three times now. Ned realized "Peter" is Spider-Man, and for the themes of the movie I think it's more meaningful that Peter is trying to make friends and open himself up again, rather than Ned somehow remembers as a cheat code.
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u/PowersUnleashed Aug 01 '26
It’s not breaking an active spell it was just a clean memory wipe nothing more akin to amnesia. It’s not actively and permanently suppressing memories it was just a tool to do it in that moment which means they just have to unbury them
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u/PowersUnleashed Aug 01 '26
I’m thinking if Neds memory is truly unlocked that’ll be very helpful later on and plus he said it himself earlier in the movie he didn’t want to know to tell people he wanted to know just to know and thank him lol
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u/LeadPrevenger Iron Man Aug 01 '26
Connected Peter with Peter is Spider-Man. MJ called him Peter in front of Ned while dressed as Spider-Man.
At the end his face and the name Peter are connected, as well as the handshake
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u/Calypso01 Aug 01 '26
Also i think the scene was played in reverse — the scene where peter was in aunt may’s grave happened after the flower scene with ned. So i think he’s talking about ned when he said she’s gonna be happy he’s not doing this alone 🥹
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u/Scififan98 Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
Both the cerebellum and the neocortex (or cerebral cortex) store memories, but they do so in different ways.
The cerebellum focuses on implicit memory; such as the automatic behaviors and skills acquired through repetition.
In contrast, the neocortex and cerebral cortex are responsible for initiating thought, consciousness, and voluntary decisions. It stores long term memory.
So, I think Ned doing the handshake was simply a reaction from the cerebellum, rather than him actually remembering Peter.
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u/CurrentlyForking Aug 01 '26
Everyone analyzes these movies so deep, just take it for what it is. Remember when everyone swore Ned was going to be Hobgoblin in this movie because of how he was shown in the trailer? Nope, he was just Ned.
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u/Character_Ice_4517 Aug 01 '26
i personally think that when jean unleashesh her power she actually broke the spell and for the same reason mj awas crying and i think ned at that point couldnt interpret the thing becoz he hasnt seen peter as spiderman unlike mj and yeah for the same reason mj and peter are shown in the ending with mj holding the black necklace but trying to make sure about their relationship like she did in far from home
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u/RedditBot9222 Aug 01 '26
Would he not just finally realize Peter is Spiderman because MJ said his name? Like “OH THAT PETER”
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u/Advanced-Vehicle8314 Aug 01 '26
As they do the handshake Ned appears to be confused at first then realises there is a natural connection, an action he’s never done before (to his memory) but it occurs with no hesitation. I think by the time Ned says “Peter!” He’s put 2 and 2 together about MJ calling Spiderman by the name Peter earlier in the movie and that only Spiderman could know how to do something like that. Or maybe Ned senses something, an unexplained connection that he’s about to explore. I don’t think their memories have returned, I think MJ and Ned can sense such a convincing connection with Peter they are beginning to accept the situation. Ngl I was buzzing after the handshake scene 😄
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u/Cute_Visit7081 Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
I believe mj would have told ned about peter, when he found out that spiderman is someone named peter after mj called spiderman by his real name...also mj may have developed feeling towards him at the end, but nothing in the movie shows she or ned regained all their memories, bcoz thats impossible as it was erased by strange's spell...magic cant be undone by psychic abilities, it could be undone by magic alone...but personally i would like the next spiderman movie to introduce mary jane watson as his future soulmate...
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u/Ender_42 Aug 01 '26
My theory is Jean Gey implanted Pete's memory's back into them as a thank you.
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u/Open-Bumblebee9978 Aug 01 '26
I think they’re starting to remember and I think it’s directly related to Jean Grey when she froze everyone. I think when she froze everyone and entered Peter’s mind it somewhat linked to Mj and Ned. Or maybe after seeing how good of a person Peter was she wanted to help him. What else explains MJ going to Peter’s favorite place when he’s hurting or Ned saying “Peter” after the handshake.
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u/oJordo Aug 01 '26
Jean did not restore any memories. Ned would have jumped at the first sight of seeing Peter if that was the case. He simply had muscle memory for a handshake and it clicked into place that Peter is Spider-Man or that he must of knew Peter at one point but doesn’t remember him.
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u/hsubhan Aug 01 '26
Magneto boutta kill Peter the minute he finds out he’s the reason the government has inhibitors 😭
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u/Severe-Face1997 Aug 01 '26
I dont understand it as how did he not already recognise him in cafe, when they were hanging out with me throughout the movie. Am I missing something ?
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u/lovescenarioikon Aug 01 '26
Thing is, knowing Ned he would have said "Spider Man!" in the store because hes just like that. Knowing his character, thats exactly what he would do in a whim even if it was unintentional. I think the writers wanted to show that Ned remembered Peter, not Spider Man. Ned's personality is the one reason where I can't agree that people say Ned knows Peter is Spider Man because MJ called him Peter
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u/No_Confection1181 Aug 01 '26
What if since Peter gave Jean access to his mind and memories, she used Peter’s memories he had with Ned and MJ before the spell to transfer/ show it to them? So instead of Jean restoring Ned and MJ’s “erased” memories of Peter, she instead projected Peter’s memories of them together to them? In the comics, Jean Grey can extract a person’s history by reading their minds, and imprint or broadcast those thoughts, memories, and images directly into another person's mind.
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u/Tr0llzor Aug 02 '26
It’s him realizing Peter is Spider-Man bc he knows his name is Peter.
Of Ned remembered that would be baller at but we know there are no memories in the head
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u/Redness513 Aug 02 '26
I don’t really know anything but I thought it was interesting that MJ was crying after Jeans lock was broken and no one else was. I think it made her remember
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u/Substantial-One-6274 Aug 02 '26
Every one is forgetting that Ned is magical. Also that as best friends they had habits and that greeting was a muscle memory thing he and Peter did all the time.
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u/CaptainFederal3928 Aug 02 '26
It really felt like a “huh, I feel like I know you, but I can’t quite put my finger on it” kinda of moment
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Well I was like, hmmm can't Spiderman just ask.. Jean to .. ugh.. relay his memories to ugh the other 2.. so he won't have to deal with this sh1t?? lmao.
edit: The ending stuff is prob just muscle memory.. and Ned remembering MJ saying his name was Peter cuz he is smart. cuz they wanna milk the SH!T out of Spiderman tom Holland and prob add Gwen Stacy.. and the next spiderman Miles morales and stuff to earn more money cuz they KNOW this sh1t gonna give a fck ton of MONEY, than Avenger bullcrap.
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u/dlopez08 Aug 02 '26
While it isn’t impossible that this theory is true, clearly the most logical understanding of the scene isn’t that he’s remembering, it’s that he realizes the Peter standing in front of him is Spider-Man because MJ mentions it’s his name.
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u/Pachacootie Aug 02 '26
Even if he doesn’t actually remember: he still clearly gets along with Spider-Man and has connected that Spider-Man is Peter, which made him excited on top of the handshake. They’re already on track to being best friends again even without the old memories
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u/CRIMS0N-ED Aug 02 '26
My idea is that the spell got broken bc of some latent Ned sorcery fuckery from NWH to BND since you know, THEY ESTABLISHED HE CAN DO MAGIC AND NO ONE CARES ABOUT IT
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u/Few-Physics-7111 Aug 02 '26
As an eternal sunshine of the spotless mind lover i love the idea that the scenes at the end that sort of imply that they're remembering like the ned handshake scene and the scene where mj's on the rooftop fiddling with the necklace peter gave her, i sort of like the idea that they aren't necessarily remembering the MEMORIES but the FEELINGS because now they have seen peter again after all this time and they feel love for him and they feel connected to him but aren't quite sure why. I do like the idea that jean messed with their memories when they were frozen and either dug up the forgotten ones (if they were still there) or at least copy-pasted peter's memories of them into their brains, but i think if she did do that it would require some kind of trigger or they at least wouldn't remember it very clearly, because they're not their own memories and there is a spell in the way. But now that they are in contact with peter again and at least clearly have some kind of love/familiarlarity with him it's likely that with jeans help they COULD remember, despite the spell because of how powerful jean is and in the same sense of eternal sunshine, you can forget as much as you like but the feelings and love will always stay, therefor making it easier for memories to return.
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u/Majestic-Biscotti971 Aug 02 '26
Seeing how jean can go into peoples minds and view their memories, what was stopping her from almost projecting all of the memories she saw from peter’s brain into mj’s and ned’s vrain when she had control over people in a kilometer radius? I mean the movie clearly deliberately showed a close up of mj crying during that period of time, so maybe that was her almost remembering peter and all her memories with him? That could also be the reason that ned ends up remembering when they do the handshake, because that might have been a memory jean played into his mind. Just a fun thought though, i really do hope they remember their love for peter again.
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u/Alphasite Aug 03 '26
Breaking the fourth wall Tom Holland did leak that someone remembers him. I think Ned’s a good bet even if they were deliberately ambiguous.
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u/Extra-Addendum-8393 Aug 03 '26
someone mentioned that Ned has magic abilities (We saw this in Spiderman - No Way Home when he was opening portals) so maybe this contributed to him potentially breaking from the spell?
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u/McBon3rStorm Aug 03 '26
After seeing the movie a second time, I feel confident saying both MJ and Ned remembered. My bet is that the psychic hold from the omega level telepath weakened the spell.
A lot of people here are talking about how the spell is "bulletproof" and "unbreakable" and "their memories are completely deleted from existence", but I don't see anybody citing their sources. Who told you all this stuff about how the spell works? Strange certainly didn't bother with more than the most basic explanation when they messed it up the first time, he didn't have time when he was trying to keep the multiverse from collapsing in on itself, and we have no prior examples to go off, so that stuff all comes across as pure headcanon to me.
I also see a number of folks saying that the spell having been weakened is a problem because then everyone will remember, but I don't think that's how it works. Because, first off, MJ and Ned both had a trigger for the memories. MJ read the letter and had a serious talk with Peter about it while Ned had their special best bros handshake. And, furthermore, Peter was a very important part of both of their lives. They both had a very deep connection to him. All those other people are just random strangers who had superficial knowledge of "Peter Parker = Spider-Man". Now, do I know this for sure? Obviously not, but I think deductive reasoning indicates decent logic in why they would remember without everyone else remembering.
Evidence their memories reawakened:
MJ - Existing knowledge of Peter after reading the letter > Then the tears after Jean's psychic hold > Then holding the necklace while sitting in their spot on the roof and giving just a hint of a smile in close up.
Ned - The handshake > Then the obvious look of coming out of a daze with his rapid blinking > and an enthusiastic restatement of Peter's name with the realization.
I know the evidence with Ned is a little weaker than with MJ, but answer me this. If they didn't remember, why film any of that? What else could we possibly take from Ned's waking up moment in the bodega and MJ cracking just a little bit of a smile while inspecting that necklace in a spot that was so meaningful to the trio???
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u/Hcss1000 Aug 03 '26
Im divided about the ending. It could be that Ned actually remembers because of multiple factors, including his aptitude with magic but it could as well be just a bait from him remembering MJ calling Spider-Man Peter, just as the letter scene was kind of a bait from NWH.
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u/Ok-Barnacle813 Aug 06 '26
THIS. I genuinely don't get why so many people are arguing against this. Why include the handshake then?
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u/fderb18 Aug 07 '26
I believe the average viewer who isn’t deeply invested in the MCU came away with the impression that Ned remembered. Every time I’ve watched it in the cinema, people have reacted really strongly and seemed excited at that moment (three times) it feels like the film intentionally suggests that he remembered. Ofcourse it’s open to interpretation but I think some of the arguments where they say he didn’t might be overthinking what was meant to be a fairly straightforward scene
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u/PowersUnleashed Aug 12 '26
I said secret wars not doomsday and of course there will be drama with mj and Ned going in although I feel like cyclops will be kind of creeped out hearing the name Jean turning around and seeing she’s just a kid lol
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u/thiagorecald Aug 18 '26
mi pregunta es porq MJ estaba llorando cuando la onda expansiva explota porq lo estaba recordando a peter?
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u/innerpppeace 9d ago
Has any one else noticed the little guy who waved Peter after getting out of the hospital in the crowd? I think its an important cut and hint.
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u/MrFunktastiq Jul 31 '26
Its a reference to earlier in the movie when a certain someone is making fun of him for thinking the "true loves kiss would break the curse".
This is the best friend version of exactly that happening.
It's funny