‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Star Jacob Batalon Talks the Ending, Spidey Tracker and the Scene That Shut Down Filming
Actor Jacob Batalon has been discussing the ending of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", particularly the emotionally loaded handshake between his character Ned Leeds and Tom Holland's Peter Parker, which closes out a film that has become a huge box-office success. The scene has sparked debate among fans over whether Ned genuinely regains his memory of Peter's identity, a question that matters because the entire film hinges on the memory-wipe spell cast at the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home".
The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, broke Avengers: Endgame's record for the biggest domestic opening weekend ever with $360 million, and took $941 million worldwide on opening, second only to Endgame. In the final bodega scene, Peter reveals himself to Ned, who responds with a seemingly knowing "Peter?" after they shake hands, fist-bump and mime finger guns. Fans remain split on whether this signals a genuine restoration of Ned's memory, mere muscle memory triggered by MJ's earlier mention of the name Peter, or a partial memory return linked to Jean Grey's psionic powers, with the article noting inconsistencies in each theory.
- Jacob Batalon discusses the ambiguous Ned-Peter handshake ending in "Brand New Day"
- Film broke box-office records: $360m domestic, $941m worldwide opening
- Fans debate whether Ned truly remembers Peter's identity or not
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At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell that makes everyone forget who he is. His friends Ned Leeds and MJ lose their memories of Peter, even though they still remember Spider-Man. In the next film, Peter tries to reconnect with Ned.
Jacob Batalon plays Ned, Peter’s friend, while Tom Holland plays Peter. Their characters share a handshake in the closing scene, followed by Ned saying “Peter?”, leaving viewers unsure whether he remembers his friend or is reacting to a familiar name and gesture.
The question matters because the spell’s effect shapes Peter’s relationships and the story’s direction. The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and became a major box-office hit, prompting close attention to what its ending might mean.