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When credits rolled on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the cliffhanger left people talking, and of course it did. In that final scene (not including post-credits), audiences must have left with their brains in overdrive. Everyone had an opinion on the movie. And everyone had an opinion on that scene because it’s a pretty big deal.
If you’re one of the people who haven’t watched yet, or one of the people who didn’t have it spoiled for you already, you might want to come back to this one.
So after the big finale, when the hero walks away victorious, and after the buddy cop vibe at the end, there’s one scene that has everyone talking. Peter walks into the bodega and approaches Ned. Then, he introduces himself, and Ned looks on, both confused and hopeful. Then came the part everyone was talking about. Ned and Peter share their “secret” handshake that only the two of them would know. Well, MJ might know, and likely saw it before.
So the discussion going around was obviously, “Did Ned remember Peter?” since he remembered the handshake. A lot of people say yes. Many say no. It’s just “muscle memory,” and he did it automatically without thinking. But here’s the thing, not to totally nerd out on you, but muscle memory is still a memory. That’s why it’s still in the phrase. You could argue that it’s a comic book movie and science doesn’t really apply. However, let’s move past that for this one.
With muscle memory, your brain is still remembering things. It has just created pathways to make that thing quicker to process. You still have the memory and are still performing the task without thinking. It has to be formed, and your brain still works through the series of events one after another. Think of it like programming code. Your brain is essentially creating macros to speed up an action so you can focus on other things.
That’s why, to me, Ned has to remember Peter. Muscle memory wouldn’t persist if that memory were wiped. Consider this: it is a product of Peter and Ned. If all memory of Peter Parker were erased, that muscle memory would never have formed. The initial act would’ve been what created the muscle memory in the first place, right?
So what’s the likely cause? How all of a sudden would Dr. Strange’s spell have worn off? What could have triggered Ned’s memory, and did it happen to everyone else too? Surely a simple handshake wasn’t enough to break a spell of that magnitude, and it obviously wasn’t “true love’s kiss,” so what gives?
Two prevailing theories have been stuck in my head. One is less likely than the other. The first (and less likely) is that Strange altered the spell. He knew Peter would eventually regret it and put a failsafe in place, knowing he’d change his mind. When he asked Strange to wipe his memory, the world didn’t seem to be fond of Spider-Man. He lived in constant fear and wanted to make sure his loved ones were safe.
If the world doesn’t know he’s Spider-Man, then there’s nothing to fear, but how would this trigger a memory? Remember the first time Peter asked? He named all the people who he’d want to remember him and kept naming names until Dr. Strange contained an unstable spell. Could he have altered that spell to hold off everyone’s memory of him until the world had more of an appreciation for Spider-Man? Maybe, and maybe after that hospital scene, when everyone gathered hoping for his safety, both he and the people of New York had a better appreciation for the hero.
There’s also an easy explanation at the end of the movie, and one of two things could be the result of the final scene with Jean. The easiest way out would be for them to use Jean’s powers to unlock the memories of people he asked in the next movie. Initially, she told Peter that there was no memory of him when she possessed MJ, but that could’ve been a lie to hurt him. At this time, she was the villain. It would feel like a cheap end to a great story, but if they can make it work, it would explain it.
Or, at the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, when Jean was being held captive, she finds out what happens to her sister and channels all her power, which is so strong it freezes a large portion of the city. Jean is the most powerful telepath in Marvel (to most), and that burst of power could’ve triggered a deep enough reaction that people start to remember. Slowly but surely, the people he cares about could start to get their memories back, leading to the big payoff in the Peter Parker story between him and MJ.
Whatever the case may be, it has to happen. You don’t spend all those years creating this story, just for him to be alone. If Captain America gets to ride off into the sunset, then so does Spider-Man. The next movie is allegedly 4-5 years away. Hopefully they take their time to stick this landing and potentially take a break from the Peter/MJ/Ned story. Maybe to move on to Miles Morales? Who knows. We’ll have to wait and see.
