Spider-Man: Brand New Day appears to end with Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) recognizing his best friend Peter Parker (Tom Holland) after four years of living under the spell Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast in No Way Home, but this is not necessarily what's happening in the scene.
Ned's muscle memory definitely seems to kick in for the pair's signature handshake, but when Parker introduces himself by his real name, Leeds could simply have been recalling MJ (Zendaya) mentioning that Spider-Man's name was Peter earlier in the movie.
Batalon was asked for his take on the scene during an interview with THR.
"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."
Unfortunately, Batalon offers even less insight into BND's post-credists scene, which shows Ned's Spidey-Tracker picking up a Spider-Man in space.
"Come on! Who are you talking to here? You think I know that stuff!? (Laughs.) You think me, of all people, knows top-brass-level information? Come on."
During a recent appearance on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, Holland said that he approached director Destin Daniel Cretton to admit that he "wasn't feeling" a certain scene he was filming with Zendaya.
Now, Batalon has revealed that the scene in question was the Star Wars LEGO building sequence, which features Spidey and Ned quoting Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring while MJ sketches them.
"That was one of the scenes where some work had to be done to really polish it. We shot [a version of that scene] the day before, and it didn’t really feel as organic and as real as we were used to. So that was a day where we all stopped filming, and then we sat down to put a bunch of ideas together for the scene. Then Destin and his writing partner [Justin Kuritzkes] were able to rewrite and fix that scene. They made it what it is in the movie."
Finally, Batalon reveals that the codename used for Sadie Sink's Jean Grey in the script to conceal her character's identity was "Denim Red."
Have you been to see the movie yet? If so, what did you make of the ending? Let us know in the comments.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already passed the $1 billion global milestone after six days in theaters.
Following the record-breaking success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day begins a brand new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult and living alone after erasing himself and the memories of him from those he loves. In a New York that no longer knows his name, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to protecting his city as Spider-Man full-time.
But as the demands on him grow, he is put under increasing pressure. This triggers an unexpected physical change that threatens his existence, while a strange wave of crime emerges - and gives rise to one of the most dangerous threats he has ever faced.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor. The cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.