‘Spider-Man’: Did MJ Remember Peter in ‘Brand New Day’?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has officially arrived, and with it, the answer to a five-year question of whether or not Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) love, MJ (Zendaya), and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) remember him after Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell to make the world forget him.

But is the answer as straightforward as fans would have assumed? Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day!

As viewers see in the film, Peter finds himself drawn to MJ and Ned when he crosses paths with the latter in a bodega. Following Ned to his new apartment, Peter walks into a housewarming party where he learns that MJ has a new boyfriend and that these people who once knew him best in the world don’t recognize him at all.

But when Peter was confronted by the threat of Jean Grey (Sadie Sink), who could take over the minds of anyone within a certain radius of her, she threatened MJ, forcing him to make a rescue attempt. While Peter thought he’d outsmarted his unknown antagonist, a revelatory moment on the Silvercup Studios roof led him to briefly believe that MJ had regained her memories as she kissed him.

©Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Seconds later, though, Jean revealed herself to be behind the actions, telling Peter there were no memories of him in MJ’s mind. After Jean exited MJ’s mind mid-fall from the roof, Peter took her to Frank’s (Jon Bernthal) hideout and answered as many questions as he could, but when he accidentally left his letter to MJ behind while called into action, she discovered the truth he’d attempted to hide.

Despite reading Peter’s letter revealing their past relationship, MJ admitted to him that she didn’t love him because she didn’t know him, but that didn’t stop her from inviting him into her apartment to hang out with Ned, and she even encouraged Peter to open up about the situation to him.

Still, it was clear there was no recognition of their past memories of Peter until after Jean freezes a portion of New York City that MJ and Ned happen to occupy. After Peter is hospitalized for taking a bullet to protect Jean, he wakes to find a drawing MJ had done of him and Ned building Lego together.

Related

10 'Spider-Man' Movie Couples, Ranked

Later, when Peter bumps into Ned at the bodega, he introduces himself as Peter and goes out on a limb by engaging in their old secret handshake. As Ned’s muscle memory takes over, he looks up in wonder to remark, “Peter!” with a face that hints at potential recognition. Could Jean’s freezing shenanigans have restored a portion of Ned and MJ’s memories, or could she have unlocked hidden memories in their brains as a favor to Peter for his heroic act?

It’s a question that looms as one of the final shots in Brand New Day sees MJ sitting on her old school’s roof while clutching the necklace Peter gifted to her in high school. Is that proof that she’s beginning to remember the man who loves her most? We want to hear from you in our reader poll below, and sound off in the comments about what you think the ending means for MJ’s memories of Peter.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, In Theaters Now