Tom Holland has teased a potentially huge part of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day story, revealing that one person mysteriously still remembers Peter Parker’s secret identity.
Brand New Day picks up four years after Holland’s last superhero movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which famously ended with Doctor Strange casting a high-stakes spell to make the entire world forget who Peter Parker really was to keep the multiverse from imploding. Now, in an interview with IGN Benelux, the reliable spoiler machine that is Tom Holland detailed how that memory wipe actually worked, while dropping a major hint that one specific individual was curiously immune to its effects.
Redefining the Logistics of the Memory Wipe
“It was a creative challenge that presented some logical issues, like, what does she remember?” Holland said when asked about the spell’s lingering effects on his friends, and his ex-girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) in particular. “The idea we landed on was that they remember Spider-Man, they remember their interactions with him, they just don’t remember who he is.”
He went on to elaborate on how this choice affects his former right-hand man, played by Jacob Batalon. “One of my favorite details is that Ned is trying to figure out who Spider-Man is because he wants to thank him,” Holland continued. “And I think that’s just so cute, and so Ned, and Jacob does it so well. It presented some creative doors for us to go through.”
Because of this logic, MJ and Ned will remember being close allies with Spider-Man, but they will completely lack the context of any personal interactions where Peter was just… Peter. Whether MJ will also remember the highly emotional, romantically charged moments she shared with the web-slinger on a New York rooftop remains a major question for the sequel.
The Mystery Guest: Who Defied Doctor Strange?
One person who seemingly won’t have to navigate those broken memories is the mysterious individual Holland claims still knows the truth. “No one remembers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, apart from… one person,” Holland teased during the panel, before stopping just short of dropping another massive Marvel spoiler.
Marvel fans have immediately rallied behind two main candidates to fill the gap.
- The Savage Hulk: The first contender is the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who is officially confirmed to appear in the film. While Bruce Banner’s conscious mind forgot Peter, fans theorize that because Banner utilizes a specialized suppression device to keep his green alter-ego locked away, the Hulk’s raw consciousness wasn’t technically present when the mystic spell was cast. This could mean the untamed Savage Hulk will instantly recognize Peter as a familiar ally from work.
- Sadie Sink’s Mutant Mystery: A more plausible situation leads straight to the psychically gifted character wreaking havoc throughout New York City. Fans strongly suspect this character is X-Men mainstay Jean Grey, played by MCU newcomer Sadie Sink. Given her immense, mind-bending capabilities, she stands as the most logical figure to have naturally resisted or seen right through the brain-altering mechanics of Strange’s magic.
Looking Ahead to Phase Six
Audiences will get definitive answers when Spider-Man: Brand New Day finally hits theaters on July 31, 2026. The film is shaping up to be an intense, solo street-level adventure under director Destin Daniel Cretton, featuring a spiraling Peter Parker who is also dealing with a dangerous physical evolution of his powers and a brutal collision course with the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Scorpion (Michael Mando).
As if a solo film wasn’t enough to keep his schedule packed, Holland was also asked about his broader MCU involvement in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While he carefully avoided giving away too much, he openly suggested that he would be actively involved in the multi-franchise blockbusters at some point down the line.
