Once you’ve come to believe that our Spidey faces a lonely journey ahead as a responsible hero post-No-Way-Home, that might seem true.
But what if there’s still someone who remembers him as Peter Parker?
In fact, within the Marvel Universe, there’s a case proving that even if every living being on Earth forgets Peter Parker as Spider-Man, there is still an exception.
In a few seconds, we’ll explore this mind-blowing scenario. But first, let’s understand how Doctor Strange’s reality-altering spell functions in the MCU:
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How Tragic Is Doctor Strange’s Reality-Altering Spell?
After his identity as high-schooler Peter Parker was leaked, Spider-Man sought help from Doctor Strange, who agreed to cast a spell to make everyone forget that MCU’s Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
However, Peter’s request to modify the spell mid-casting destabilized it, it unintentionally attracted multiverse individuals aware of Spider-Man.
Given the infinite number of multiverses, this posed a significant threat to the fabric of spacetime.
Ultimately, Peter chose to address the growing crisis by persuading Doctor Strange to cast a new spell.
This spell made everyone forget Peter existed, effectively returning all interdimensional visitors to their respective universes.
However, the spell’s impact might not be confined to just the MCU timeline: it had a much more tragic consequence.
The spell could potentially affect those who know about either Garfield’s or Tobey’s Spider-Man, causing them to forget him in their universes as well.
In other words, the range of this “simple” spell is vast, potentially unlimited as long as there is a universe with a Peter Parker who is Spider-Man.
At this point, you might think, “So there’s no chance for anyone to remember Peter was Spider-Man.” But, is that really the case?
But Still, There Is an Exception When Someone Recalls in Such a Case
This plot, where the whole world has their memory of Peter Parker as Spider-Man rewritten, was previously depicted in the 2007 comic “One More Day.”
In that storyline, Aunt May is critically wounded by a sniper’s bullet intended for Peter, a consequence of his public identity revelation during the Civil War.
To save her life, Peter makes a deal with Mephisto: he agrees to sacrifice his marriage to Mary Jane in exchange for Aunt May’s recovery and the restoration of his secret identity.
Afterward, the reality-altering magic appears to work perfectly, making everyone forget the man behind Spider-Man’s mask—except for Hulk.
A detail in this comic highlights a crucial interaction: “You (Peter Parker) make everyone forget who you are. Banner forgot. But I don’t forget,” Hulk declares.
This suggests that when Mephisto’s magic was activated, Hulk was in the form of Bruce Banner, who was affected by the spell.
Because Hulk is the alter-ego of Bruce Banner, when Bruce transforms, the altered reality affects Banner, not the Hulk persona.
This explains why Hulk is the only one who still remembers Peter Parker as Spider-Man, while Bruce Banner does not.
And Coincidentally, The Same Story With Post-No Way Home!
In the MCU timeline, details seem to mirror those of the comic, particularly in terms of the events’ timeline.
Starting with the Battle of Earth in 2023, the Spider-Man sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home” follows shortly after. Then, “No Way Home” occurs about a year after its previous sequel.
On the other hand, Smart Hulk appears in the ending scene of “Shang-Chi,” which is believed to occur not long after the Battle of Earth.
Notably, Bruce Banner is back in his human form with an injured hand for unexplained reasons.
To provide a more specific timeline, according to Collider, “Shang Chi” takes place in 2023, while “No Way Home” occurs in the latter half of 2024.
Thus: At the time Doctor Strange cast the reality-altering spell to erase memories of Peter Parker as Spider-Man, Hulk was in the human form of Bruce Banner.
Interestingly, if you’re wondering whether Spider-Man and Hulk have met before, the answer is yes—they were both at Tony’s funeral, and Peter stood literally in front of him without any mask!
(That line should be reserved for the Avengers only. Besides, almost all the key members know about Pete, especially since Spidey removed his Iron Mask in Endgame quite often)
During the time of Endgame, Bruce Banner had already perfected control over the Hulk persona, often referred to as The Smart Hulk.
However, for unknown reasons, Smart Hulk reverted to Bruce’s form, suggesting that their integration might have been disrupted.
With these details in mind, plus the same rule from the comic applied in this MCU event, it suggests that Hulk will be the only one who still remembers Peter Parker as Spider-Man, while Bruce Banner will not.
Optimistically speaking, in the upcoming sequel of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, we might see how our Pete communicates intimately with Hulk.
What do you guys think? Could Hulk or anyone else still remember Peter Parker as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Share your thoughts!