Spider-Man: No Way Home brought a tragic conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU’s) Homecoming Trilogy. To save Earth from the invading Multiverse, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) asks Doctor Strange to erase all knowledge of his existence.
We get an idea of the devastating effects this has for Peter, as even those he’s closest to no longer have any memory of him.
But many fans have wondered if the spell truly included everyone. Are there any characters within the MCU who remember Peter?
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Does Anyone Still Remember Peter Parker After No Way Home?
The final installment of the MCU’s Homecoming Trilogy leaves Spider-Man to deal with the fallout of having his identity revealed to the world.
After he and his friends are denied entrance into MIT because of the controversy surrounding him, Peter Parker goes to Doctor Strange. He asks the sorcerer to cast a spell to make the world forget that he is Spider-Man.
However, he changes the spell several times while Strange is trying to cast it, which leads to the spell becoming corrupted and unleashing the Multiverse on the world.
Various villains from other realities converge on New York, and Peter finds himself facing greater consequences than he could have imagined.
As the sky fractures and beings from throughout the Multiverse threaten to break through, Peter asks Doctor Strange to cast another spell–that everyone in the world would forget that Peter Parker exists.
This spell works, sending everyone back to their own reality and putting a stop to the chaos–but at a great personal cost.
After Doctor Strange casts this final spell, Peter Parker is left alone in the world–because no one can remember him.
At least, that’s how it appears on the surface.
But was anyone left out of this spell? There are theories suggesting that a few characters within the Marvel universe may remember Peter.
Can Heroes Outside Earth Remember Who Peter Parker Is?
There’s a lot of obscurity at the end of No Way Home. As Doctor Strange attempts to hold back the hordes of characters breaking through from the Multiverse, Peter asks him to recast the spell the right way, without the changes he was requesting.
Strange responds: “We’re too late for that, they’re here.”
So, Peter asks him to cast a new spell–one in which everyone will forget who he is.
This spell works to send everyone back to their own realms, presumably because they have all forgotten Peter Parker’s existence.
Since this spell prevented the Multiverse from breaking through, it extended to the Multiverse.
But within this universe, did it extend beyond Earth?
One popular theory is that anyone who knew Peter, but who was not on Earth when the spell was cast, was not affected by it.
This would include characters like Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, and–most notably–Nick Fury, who was off-world during the events of No Way Home.
If these characters were not included in the spell, there’s a possibility they could remember Peter Parker the next time they encounter him.
Was Anyone Else Unaffected By the Spell?
One prevalent theory is that Wong was not affected by the spell and, thus, remembers who Peter Parker is.
This theory comes from Wong’s comment early on in the film, as Doctor Strange is preparing to cast the initial spell. He tells Strange, “Just leave me out of this.”
Fans speculated he was literally telling Strange to leave him out of the spell and that, by extension, Strange would have left him out of the second spell too.
Some, however, suggested that Wong was telling Strange he wanted nothing to do with the spellcasting.
Other fans believe that perhaps Doctor Strange himself was unaffected by his own spell, stating that if he could create a loophole for Wong, he could create one for himself.
This theory seems disproven by Strange’s reaction when Parker asks him to cast the spell. He says, “That would mean that everyone who knows and loves you, we–we’d have no memory of you.”
Moments later, as Parker leaves to say goodbye to his friends, Strange looks on with moist eyes and whispers, “So long, kid.”
Yet another theory suggests that the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff, would be exempt from the spell because she was in hiding at the time and protected by her rune magic.
However, even if this is the case, she would not have much knowledge of Peter Parker in the first place. She only met him, as Spider-Man, briefly on a couple of occasions.
Does No Way Home’s Ending Hint That Memories are Coming Back?
The most tragic part of Doctor Strange’s final spell in No Way Home is the fact that it affects everyone in the world–even those closest to Peter.
When he says goodbye to his girlfriend, MJ, and his best friend, Ned, he promises to find them, explain everything, and make them remember him.
Later, he goes to the doughnut shop where MJ works, sees Ned and MJ there, and it’s clear they don’t remember him. Peter realizes their lives are better without the danger and worry he brings to them and decides to let them go on not knowing who he is.
However, as Peter and MJ talk, something begins to change in her expression. This is confirmed in the script, which mentions a moment of deja vu for MJ and hints that she may begin to recognize him.
This could mean many different things.
Some fans have speculated that, when casting the spell, Doctor Strange may have secretly included a loophole that would allow MJ to eventually remember him.
Others have suggested that MJ’s love for Peter allowed her to remember him subconsciously, which would make it easier for her to slowly start remembering him.
It’s also possible that she doesn’t yet remember him, but there is something about him that feels familiar and she is intrigued by this.
Whatever the reason, it is likely that MJ, and possibly Ned, will remember Peter Parker in future MCU movies.
Conclusion
At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, everyone in the world has seemingly forgotten who Peter Parker is, thanks to Doctor Strange’s spell.
Fans speculated that characters like Nick Fury, Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Wong, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch are exempt from the spell. However, this has not been confirmed.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.