No Way Home Theory: MJ Still Remembers Peter Parker

Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending makes everyone forget who Peter Parker is, but it might also tease Zendaya’s MJ still remembers him. For the third film in Tom Holland’s Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy, Peter Parker was threatened with everyone learning he was Spider-Man. This brought multiverse villains and other Spider-Men into his life after Doctor Strange’s spell went awry. In the end, Peter had to make a huge sacrifice and ask Strange to magically erase all knowledge of him from this world – but not everyone may have been affected after all.

Peter’s heartbreaking decision comes at the very end of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s final fight. Even though he and the other Spider-Men cure the multiverse villains, the multiverse continues to crack as the sky shows hundreds of people from different universes who know Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Holland’s MCU hero figures out that the only way to reverse this is to make sure no one remembers his Peter Parker, which will stop them from coming to the MCU due to the original spell. After a few emotional goodbyes, Doctor Strange performs the spell and wipes all memories of Peter Parker from the main MCU universe. Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending shows Peter starting his new life where no one knows he is, including his girlfriend, Michelle Jones-Watson, and best friend, Ned Leeds.

It’s quite a sad note for Spider-Man: No Way Home to end on, even if it does give viewers a more hopeful ending with Spider-Man’s new beginning and suit. Peter is otherwise all alone and studying to get into college. However, the expectation that Holland will return for Spider-Man 4 and a new trilogy means that people will get to know Peter Parker all over again. This should include those closest to him before, but Spider-Man: No Way Home might also provide a clue that at least one relationship won’t start from scratch. It seems as though MJ does remember Peter Parker despite Doctor Strange’s spell.

Why Peter Doesn’t Tell MJ About Their Past In No Way Home’s Ending

When Peter initially tells MJ about the plan to have Strange erase everyone’s memory of him, it is clear she doesn’t want this to happen. He promises her that he’ll make it right by finding her later and explaining everything. Spider-Man: No Way Home goes as far as to make it seem as though this is how the movie would end, as Peter went to MJ’s job with a prepared speech to explain what happened. However, Peter changes his mind once he gets there. He sees MJ and Ned living their lives without the trouble that comes with knowing Spider-Man. They are both going to MIT next semester and are generally happy. Although it pains Peter to be without their friendships, knowing they are safer in the long run not being connected to him and Spider-Man makes him change his mind. He keeps the note to himself and seems content to let them live their new lives.

Even though it is understandable why Peter decides not to tell MJ about their past and her forgotten memories, that is not what she wanted. She jokingly said that if he didn’t tell her, she’d figure it out, as she did that already in Spider-Man: Far From Home. It is pretty clear at the start of MJ and Peter’s exchange in Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending that she has no recollection of their time together. However, her view of Peter seems to change by the end of their conversation. She gives him a noticeably strange look as he leaves, which might be because MJ is starting to remember Peter Parker.

Theory: MJ Still Remembers Peter Parker

Based on the look that MJ gives Peter as he leaves her workplace, Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending could be hinting that her memories are starting to come back to her. She might not entirely remember who Peter Parker is and the crazy journey they’ve gone on together recently, but it certainly appears that she feels he isn’t a stranger. While this would seem like a plot hole or retcon at first glance, it would make sense on some level. Doctor Strange knows how big the sacrifice is that Peter is making, and that MJ was the first person he mentioned wanting to remember him with the original spell. As the sorcerer saw Peter and MJ’s emotional goodbye, there’s a chance he tampered with his spell – free of Peter’s distractions – and included a loophole for MJ and her alone to remember Peter Parker.

If Doctor Strange did this, the obvious question becomes how the wizard made sure her memories could return. MJ does say Peter Parker’s full name three times during their interaction, so perhaps that is a loophole to the spell. Doctor Strange also could’ve connected her memories returning to a specific memory of MJ and Peter, such as her saying about expectations and disappointment. Peter finishing the phrase for MJ in the shop might have been the trigger. Doctor Strange’s spell loophole might also be simpler, as he could’ve made it so the next time they saw each other that MJ would start to remember. It’s clear that the conversation with Peter played a part in MJ potentially remembering their past, so their interaction likely was tied to the memories coming back.

There is also some great support for this theory included in Spider-Man: No Way Home’s script. When Peter leaves MJ’s job, the script reads, “HOLD ON MJ, watching Peter go off with a lingering sense of… recognition?” The script and Zendaya’s performance leave enough ambiguity for Marvel and Sony to go in a different direction if they want. Still, it’s also clear MJ remembering Peter is in the cards. Assuming they don’t, then Spider-Man 4 could be where MJ’s memories of Peter Parker and his secret life as Spider-Man officially come back fully.

Why Spider-Man 4 Should Reverse No Way Home’s Ending

The possibility of MJ remembering Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4 has already generated some debate. Since Spider-Man: No Way Home only just gave Holland’s Spider-Man this loner setup, many want to see Peter deal with this stage in his life for an entire movie. That lonely mental state and the tease of the Venom symbiote remaining in the MCU are intriguing pieces for Spider-Man 4 to be built around, where the darker sides of Peter could come out potentially. It would also allow the movie to portray classic Peter Parker themes from the comics, where the girl of his dreams is just out of reach.

All that said, Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending being undone in Spider-Man 4 still needs to happen. The MCU only just brought MJ and Peter together, really, so ending that relationship already would be disappointing. It wouldn’t make sense either for Peter to move on to a new romantic interest immediately, whether that became Gwen Stacy, Felicia Hardy, or someone else. Holland’s Peter Parker is all-in on MJ and still has to tell her, “I love you.” Spider-Man 4’s story can certainly include the two of them coming back together in some fashion, even if it takes MJ a bit of the movie’s runtime to fully remember what her life was like originally. With Spider-Man: No Way Home’s script supporting the idea of MJ’s memories returning, it only makes sense for her and Peter Parker to reunite in the sequel.

Doctor Strange Remembers Peter In Multiverse Of Madness

If MJ’s reaction of recognition weren’t enough, it also seems that Doctor Strange remembers Spider-Man to some extent in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As he and Wong meet with America Chavez for the first time, Strange admits that they have dealt with the Multiverse before, citing an earlier incident involving Spider-Man. At first, this statement seems to contradict the fact that Strange also lost his memories of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In reality, though, this comment most likely means that Strange remembers Spider-Man as a fellow Avenger, he just no longer knows who it is under the mask. However, it could be one more piece of evidence that the erasing spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home wasn’t as extreme as it seemed. If Strange included a loophole for MJ to start remembering Peter, it stands to reason he could have included one for himself as well.