A long-held fan theory about Zendaya's MJ and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) has since been confirmed in a new clip from Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The fourth Spider-Man film takes things in a new direction for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as he adjusts to life after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which left him without his beloved Aunt May and with no friends or family due to Doctor Strange's memory spell. The spell also ended the relationship between Peter and MJ after she was left with no recollection of him.
A new scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been revealed, confirming a theory fans have had since filming took place in 2025. The scene is part of a new teaser for the MCU movie (shared by @SpiderManMedia_) that shows MJ wearing a yellow turtleneck and standing in a graveyard.
Set photos revealed this scene was filmed back in 2025, with Tom Holland and Zendaya on set together. At the time, it was unclear whether Zendaya was a part of the scene or simply on set supporting Holland, and not in character. The set photos confirmed the two were at Aunt May's grave, a spot Peter has been seen visiting alone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day footage.
Now, the reveal of this scene in Spider-Man 4 marketing confirms that Zendaya was filming on set that day and that MJ will visit Aunt May's grave with Peter at some point in the movie.
This interaction raises immediate questions, given that the rules of Doctor Strange's memory spell mean MJ has no recollection of Peter, and therefore shouldn't have any connection to Aunt May or any reason to be at her grave.
Answers will be revealed when Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in cinemas on July 31st. The fourth MCU Spider-Man film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo, and Jon Bernthal.
Does MJ Remember Aunt May in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
With the theory that MJ will visit Aunt May's grave with Peter in Spider-Man: Brand New Day now proven true, there are a few potential reasons for this, despite the new nature of their relationship.
One is that MJ, while having no memory of Peter Parker, still has some memory of Aunt May. The spell may have retroactively amended why MJ was connected to May, but it may still have left her a memory of their bond, and it might've been a bond strong enough to cause MJ to visit her grave on occasion. This was proven to be the case for Happy (Jon Favreau) in Spider-Man: No Way Home, who showed up at May's grave alongside Peter to grieve for her but had no memory of who Peter was or of his role in their relationship.
Another theory is that Peter may eventually find a way to reverse Strange's memory spell, or at least identify flaws in its logic that he can exploit to restore MJ's memories of him (Spider-Man: No Way Home already hinted as much).
A different possibility is that this scene takes place late in the film, at which point Peter and MJ may have built their new relationship to a level that Peter has confided in her about Aunt May, and MJ is visiting her grave with him as a supportive friend. It's clear that while Peter has spent years separated from his friends since Spider-Man: No Way Home, he finds himself entangled in their lives again in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, steadily trying to recapture what they'd lost and to protect them from harm as Spider-Man.
