After everything Peter Parker sacrificed at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day finally offered fans a glimmer of hope. Following a full movie of Peter quite literally being left heartbroken by deception, lies and, well, magic, the final moments of the movie gave us something we hadn’t felt for Peter in a very long time. Hope.
The film’s emotional closing moments reunited Peter with his best friend, Ned, and one seemingly innocent handshake immediately became one of the MCU’s biggest talking points. Now, the actor behind Ned has finally shared his thoughts on what really happened. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Jacob Batalon admitted that even he doesn’t know whether Ned truly remembers Peter. Batalon thinks there’s not a definitive answer but, like all of us, he knows what he hopes it is.vWhen asked whether Ned had regained his memories during the film’s closing scene, Batalon said there’s no definitive answer.
“First and foremost, does Ned actually remember him, though? 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? I don’t know. I feel like it’s really up to interpretation for everyone. For me, I think it’s a really cool little nod, so hopefully things happen from there. There could be a slight glint or little glimmer, if you will.”
After introducing himself simply as Peter, the pair instinctively fall into their ridiculous handshake they perfected over years of friendship before Doctor Strange’s spell erased the world’s memories of Peter Parker. Moments later, Ned quietly repeats Peter’s name, leading many fans to wonder whether his memories were beginning to return. And it’s clear Marvel wants it to be ambiguous but, after what happened to Peter when he thought he’d found MJ again only for it to be a ruse? We can’t allow it.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
How Successful Is ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has quickly become one of the biggest blockbusters of 2026. The film has already grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the year and one of the biggest comic book movies ever released. It also earned widespread critical acclaim, with Collider praising the sequel’s more grounded, character-focused approach while calling it one of Tom Holland’s strongest outings as Peter Parker.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters worldwide. Stay tuned at Collider for more.
Release Date
July 29, 2026
Runtime
145 minutes
Director
Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Producers
Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
