MJ's new boyfriend in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also friends with Peter Parker's high school best friend, Ned Leeds, and new dialogue revealed by Marvel Studios confirms this dynamic. The film picks up after No Way Home, where Doctor Strange's spell wiped Peter from the memories of everyone who knew him, including MJ and Ned. The two of them have since moved on with their lives, and the new man dating MJ now belongs to that same circle, leaving Peter on the outside of every relationship he used to have.
A new scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, shown at CinemaCon 2026, confirmed that MJ's boyfriend is also friends with Ned, and the moment came with new dialogue, making their bond clear. The footage placed Tom Holland's Peter Parker at the housewarming party of Ned and Zendaya's MJ, who are now roommates, where MJ's boyfriend walked in mid-conversation and started joking around with Ned like a regular member of the group. The scene gives the audience a look at how comfortable the new man already is inside Peter's old friend group.
Eman Esfandi, who played Ezra Bridger in the Disney+ series Ahsoka, plays MJ's boyfriend in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The CinemaCon clip starts with MJ telling Ned she went for a job interview and got the offer, only to turn it down because she does not want to work for a "soulless corporation." She tells Ned she feels like she is waiting for something great in her life, and Ned toasts the idea with her. That is when her boyfriend walks in, picks up on the toast, and joins the conversation as if he has been in on the joke for a while.
In the scene, MJ's boyfriend hands Ned a housewarming gift, and Ned reacts with glee. He tells him, "Dude, this is top shelf," and the boyfriend fires the compliment right back at Ned. The conversation between the brand new buddies goes as follows:
BF: Well, the wait is over.
Ned: Oh! Haha!
BF: Yo!
Ned: Dude, this is top shelf.
BF: Just like you.
Ned: Aww! I’m gonna hide this.
BF: (To MJ) You can’t save everyone.
MJ: I can try.
BF: That’s my girl.
Peter watches all of this happen as a stranger. The same footage shows him introducing himself to MJ as "Maynard," with Ned standing right next to him, none the wiser. The boyfriend's easy chemistry with Ned only deepens Peter's pain, having already lost the love of his life to the same guy.
Ned's New Found Friendship Will Hurt Peter Parker as Much as Losing MJ
Peter and Ned have been close since high school. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ned walked in on Peter pulling off the suit and figured out the secret on the spot, becoming the only person his age who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man. From there, Ned turned into the guy in the chair, hacking Peter's fancy suit from Tony Stark, running comms during fights, and covering for Peter at every awkward moment a teenage superhero runs into.
By Spider-Man: Far From Home, Ned was the one Peter leaned on while he tried to work out how to tell MJ how he felt. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ned used the sling ring to bring in Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's versions of Peter Parker, making him a direct part of the multiverse event that cost Peter everything.
This history is why a new guy slotting into Ned's life cuts as deep as MJ moving on. Ned was Peter's whole social world when school treated him like an outcast, and this bond felt unbreakable, but Peter's sacrifice has changed everything. He cannot fight his way back into the role he used to hold in that friendship after all, Ned has no idea who he is, which is the worst part. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, and this dynamic will play out even more painfully than depicted in the trailer.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
