At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, in order to protect the multiverse, Doctor Strange cast a spell that caused everyone to forget who Peter Parker is. Due to that incredible sacrifice, Peter entered Spider-Man: Brand New Day on something of an island, with none of his friends or family by his side. However, the conclusion of the movie opened the door for that to change because of the film’s surprise character. In the months leading up to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, fans everywhere wondered who Stranger Things star Sadie Sink was going to be playing. All sorts of rumors floated around, yet the MCU never confirmed it. Her character was purposely kept quiet for months, and the reveal of this incredibly important and potentially game-changing character doesn’t happen until you’re actually watching the film.
The secret character Sink plays is Jean Grey, marking the arrival of the first pivotal member of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine. While the MCU debut of Jean Grey is a huge deal on its own, what she ultimately ends up doing could have huge implications on Peter Parker’s relationship with his friends. One intriguing fan theory suggests Jean Grey caused it.
Jean Grey’s Control Could Have Caused Ned’s Memories To Come Back
The final scene of Spider-Man: Brand New Day sees Peter come up to Ned and offer up a handshake. As soon as Ned accepts it, Peter goes into doing their old secret handshake, and Ned does it back. Ned is shocked at what he did since he doesn’t know Peter, and once they finish the handshake, he seems to recognize his old friend and calls him by his name. This feels odd on its own, especially since the film makes note earlier of how “true love’s kiss” doesn’t bring MJ’s memories back. They make it clear that Doctor Strange’s spell worked well.
A popular theory going around right now is that Jean Grey caused his memories to return. During the film’s climax, Jean takes control of the minds of everyone within a certain radius of her, including Ned and MJ. The theory is that when this happened, she restored their memories. Jean showed an ability to bring back repressed memories, including when she got the Hulk to come out of Bruce Banner. Hulk even backs down from attacking Peter when he learns his name, meaning his memories may have come back. The handshake could’ve just jogged Peter out of Ned’s subconscious.
MJ’s Memories Seem To Be Back As Well
MJ learns the truth about her past with Peter when she discovers the letter he wrote to her. However, she has to heartbreakingly tell him that since she doesn’t actually know or remember him, she doesn’t love him. There are several clues about how much of Peter is in her subconscious as well. For starters, when she invites Peter to her home and they hang out with Ned, MJ sketches them together. In the sketch, Peter is wearing his old suit from Spider-Man: Homecoming, which MJ shouldn’t actually remember.
Again, MJ’s memories of Peter feel like they were brought to the forefront by Jean Grey’s psychic bubble. While Jean has control of everyone, MJ is the only character specifically shown to be shedding a tear. It could be that she was remembering her feelings for Peter and how he had to sacrifice their relationship to save the multiverse. Although there’s no confirmation of those feelings or memories, MJ is last seen sitting on the rooftop that was important to her, Peter, and Ned, and she’s clutching the Black Dahlia necklace that Peter got her as a gift in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day makes it clear that MJ feels like something is missing. She says that she feels like she’s waiting for something big in her life. The movie also reveals that the relationship she has with her boyfriend isn’t strong. Even if MJ’s memories aren’t actually back, the door is open for her and Peter to reconnect. She sees how good Peter is as a person and now knows that there was something between them in the past. It’s possible they end up as a couple down the road.
There’s Another Big Theory For That Final Ned Scene
Of course, Jean Grey being the fix for MJ and Ned’s memories of Peter is far from the only theory out there. Some people think it was simply a case of muscle memory that caused Ned to respond to Peter’s handshake. However, the explanation that something like “true love’s kiss” won’t fix the spell suggests that a handshake wouldn’t do it either. A great theory for Ned remembering Peter stems from the reveal in Spider-Man: No Way Home that he has latent magical abilities.
Ned uses the Sling Ring to open interdimensional portals, which helped bring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parkers into the mix. Since he doesn’t remember doing that, Ned hasn’t practiced since that time, but that magic is still in him. It might not be likely, but his unexpected skills as a sorcerer could be behind the spell breaking for him. The rules could be different for a sorcerer, though time will tell. For now, the idea that Jean Grey inadvertently helped Peter after he helped her is a sweet theory that puts a bow on Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
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