The next Spider-Man film in the MCU has a major loose end to tie up before charting a new path forward. Spider-Man: No Way Home concluded Tom Holland's first trilogy under the direction of Jon Watts, delivering an emotional finale that dramatically reset Peter Parker's world. Yet even as it wrapped up one chapter, the film left several mysteries unresolved that Spider-Man 4 will need to address to properly bridge the past with what comes next.
Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) final spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home remains one of the MCU's biggest unresolved mysteries, in a certain sense. When Peter Parker asked Strange to make everyone forget who he was, the sorcerer's magic appeared to wipe his identity from the minds of every person on Earth. The real question is how far that spell reached. Did it simply alter memories, or did it also rewrite reality itself by erasing every photo, digital file, and document tied to Peter's existence?
Luckily, writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna confirmed in 2021 that the movie intentionally left this vague, describing it as a kind of "magical redaction."
In addition, Sommers said they had plans to circle back and answer any questions "in another movie." Thankfully, the writing duo is, in fact, back for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which should give audiences hope that this mystery will be directly addressed.
In No Way Home, audiences quickly saw how the spell worked interpersonally. First off, no one knew who Spider-Man was anymore after his identity had been revealed to the world at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home by Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio. Then, most memorably, when Peter goes to the coffee shop to tell MJ who he is, she and Ned clearly don't remember him, and the spell works on those he is closest to. Even in a brief scene at Aunt May's tombstone, Happy Hogan thought Peter was a stranger.
The spell is complicated, as the warped perception of the past might be odd for those close to Peter, but it undoubtedly worked. Notably, no villain set for Spider-Man: Brand New Day (and there are a lot) seemingly knew Peter's identity, as Adrian Toomes withheld that information from Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming. It's unclear whether the Hulk will remember in Spider-Man 4, with some speculating that his fractured identity between Bruce and the rage monster could complicate his memory.
How Strange's Spell Will Be Addressed in Spider-Man 4
The lingering effects of Doctor Strange's spell could play a significant role in shaping Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Undoing the spell entirely would likely upset fans who saw No Way Home as a definitive ending to Peter's first chapter, but the inclusion of Ned and MJ raises questions that cannot be ignored.
Both characters are confirmed to be back in Brand New Day, and a set photo confirms that Ned (and presumably MJ) have been attending MIT to pursue their college education. If their reunion with Peter is more than a quick cameo, the story will need to explain how and why they even cross paths again.
On a practical level, No Way Home never showed exactly how the world's physical and digital records adapted to the memory wipe. Did old photos and videos automatically erase Peter? Did official documents, such as IDs, school records, and Social Security records, also vanish? Since Peter was last seen studying for his GED, it seemed even his academic history had been erased.
Brand New Day could easily clear up this confusion with a quick visual nod, perhaps showing Peter rebuilding his identity from scratch or noticing that he no longer appears in old photos.
From a broader MCU perspective, the spell's impact on the Avengers adds even more uncertainty. If no one remembers Peter Parker, only Spider-Man, then how would he reconnect with Earth's heroes in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars? These questions remain some of the biggest loose ends, making Spider-Man: Brand New Day the perfect opportunity to bring clarity to one of the MCU's most complex magical consequences.
