It's Time To Talk About The Final Scene Of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Contains spoilers for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day"

If we had a nickel for every time an MCU protagonist tried to reignite a romance with a woman who no longer remembered their courtship, we'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. That said, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is in a bit of a different situation than Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). Much of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" deals with the fallout of the memory spell cast by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) at the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," with no sign that either MJ (Zendaya) or Ned (Jacob Batalon) has even the faintest recollection of their past relationships with Peter...until the final scene, that is.

In a closing tag, Peter runs into Ned at a bodega and initiates their old secret handshake, which Ned completes perfectly, a look of shock on his face. It's clear that whatever's happening here is instinct, or some sort of muscle memory lingering beyond the effects of the spell. But then, when Peter introduces himself, Ned seems to actually recognize the name.

Different fans have brought different interpretations to the table. Earlier in the film, MJ calls Spider-Man "Peter," and Ned notices, so his look of recognition could be the realization that this man he just shook hands with is the friendly neighborhood superhero. But is that really all that's going on here? Let's see what Jacob Batalon himself has to say.

Speaking recently with The Hollywood Reporter in the wake of the smash-hit release of "Brand New Day," Jacob Batalon discussed some possible theories around that final scene and the tear-jerking handshake.

"First and foremost, does Ned actually remember him, though?" Batalon replied when asked about the handshake. "It seems a little open-ended. What if it's just muscle memory? What if he just remembers that handshake but nothing else about Peter? What if he just repeats Peter because that's what Peter says his name is in that moment?"

Admittedly, Batalon could be right. This could just be a nice moment at the end of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," showing that the body still remembers a good friend even after magical amnesia wipes them from the brain. It's sweet either way, and it's pretty obvious from their chemistry in "Brand New Day" that Peter and Ned will quickly be close friends again, regardless.

That said, Batalon left things open. "I feel like it's really up to interpretation for everyone," he told THR. "For me, I think it's a really cool little nod, so hopefully things happen from there." The door, in other words, is cracked, and perhaps Ned can push past the spell and walk through it. And if Ned could potentially reclaim his old memories with Peter, there's a second, arguably larger question (not to discredit the value of pure friendship, of course): Could MJ start to remember Peter too?

For a brief moment in the middle of "Brand New Day," the film tricks you into thinking maybe MJ could remember Peter. After rushing to save her from a body-hopping Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) and swinging to what he thinks is safety, Spider-Man is surprised to hear MJ ask the very question he'd hoped to hear: "We knew each other, didn't we?"

It's a powerful moment, culminating in a right-side-up recreation of the iconic mask kiss from the first Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man," only for the rug-pull reveal that this is all Jean using her powers to mess with Peter's head. The real MJ, even after later finding Peter's old letter to her and believing his story about their past, doesn't remember him at all.

But seeing Ned's potential spark of remembrance after the handshake begs the question: If MJ kissed Peter, or just spent enough time with him, could it jostle something loose? It's just as likely that Marvel will push for a "second chance" storyline, with MJ falling in love with Peter all over again as an adult (the real-world parallels with Tom Holland and Zendaya make it too compelling to pass up). Fans would certainly like all those onscreen memories between the two characters to be restored, one way or another. Maybe, just maybe, the handshake scene leaves that possibility on the table.