{"id":843786,"date":"2026-08-05T00:20:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T00:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/843786\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T00:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T00:20:16","slug":"spider-man-brand-new-day-jacob-batalon-talks-ending-handshake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/843786\/","title":{"rendered":"Spider-Man: Brand New Day: Jacob Batalon Talks Ending Handshake"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

\n\tWith their concluding dap in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jacob Batalon<\/a> and Tom Holland have joined Predator\u2019s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers in the pantheon of cinema\u2019s most iconic handshakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBatalon\u2019s Ned Leeds and Holland\u2019s Peter Parker might be at the very top of the list when one considers the narrative and emotional significance behind the trademark gesture they\u2019ve been giving each other since their best friendship debuted in 2017\u2019s Spider-Man: Homecoming<\/a>. However, the exact meaning behind this particular exchange has already been hotly debated by the audience that helped the fourth Holland-led Spidey tale surpass Avengers: Endgame for the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time at $360 million. The Destin Daniel Cretton<\/a>-directed pic also accumulated a worldwide opening of $941 million, second only to Endgame, which again featured Ned and Peter dapping upon their return from the blip.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Peter had Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) wipe everyone\u2019s memory of him at the end of Jon Watts\u2019 Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/a>, moviegoers largely assumed the spell that was meant to protect Earth-199999 \u2014 including Ned and Peter\u2019s girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya) \u2014\u00a0would be broken somehow, someway. But that\u2019s not exactly what happened despite the MCU debut of the telepathic X-Men character, Jean Grey (Sadie Sink). Ned and Peter interact throughout the film as Peter\u2019s faux neighbor persona, \u201cMaynard,\u201d as well as Spider-Man. But it\u2019s not until the final scene at a bodega that Peter finally reintroduces himself to Ned as Peter before shaking hands.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs they clasp hands and break into fist bumps and finger guns, Ned seemingly recognizes his best friend for the first time in four years, hence his enlightened response of \u201cPeter?\u201d This is likely the reading that most moviegoers walked away with considering it\u2019s the most satisfying version of events. If Ned doesn\u2019t actually have a fragment of his memory back, then the scene borders on what is regarded by film and TV writers as \u201cschmuck bait.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNevertheless, some fans have instead argued that Ned\u2019s muscle memory is all that remains intact, and his utterance of the name Peter is just him connecting the dots to MJ\u2019s earlier reveal that Spider-Man\u2019s name is Peter. Others have argued that Jean\u2019s psionic freeze that affected a large chunk of New York City\u2019s population helped begin the restoration of Ned and MJ\u2019s memories since they were also trapped in that energy field. But the latter theory makes less sense when you consider that Jean already possessed MJ in the middle of the movie, and it still didn\u2019t reignite her memories when she later found Peter\u2019s confessional letter that he inexplicably left out in the open at Frank Castle\u2019s (Jon Bernthal) domicile.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Batalon\u2019s case, he doesn\u2019t have the black-and-white answer, but he seems to lean toward the idea that some progress has been made toward reviving Ned\u2019s memories of Peter.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt seems a little open-ended. What if it\u2019s just muscle memory? What if he just remembers that handshake but nothing else about Peter? What if he just repeats \u2018Peter\u2019 because that\u2019s what Peter says his name is in that moment? I don\u2019t know,\u201d Batalon tells The Hollywood Reporter. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s really up to interpretation for everyone. There could be a slight glint or little glimmer [of recognition], if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe animated post-credit scene also features Batalon\u2019s modulated voice as part of Ned\u2019s Spider-Man tracking app, Spidey Tracker. The program implies that Spider-Man, or a Spider-Man, is off-world, hinting at the Wall Crawler\u2019s presence in an upcoming Avengers movie that is likely to be Secret Wars. Unfortunately, Batalon has no added insight as to what his character\u2019s tech is alluding to here. \u201cYou think me, of all people, knows top-brass-level information? Come on,\u201d Batalon says mid-laugh.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring early press for Brand New Day, Holland told a story on Amy Poehler\u2019s Good Hang podcast<\/a> involving an ineffective scene that shut down production for the day in order for Cretton and his on-set writer, Justin Kuritzkes, to reconceive. Batalon confirms that it was the scene that is now represented as Ned and a masked Spider-Man building Star Wars Legos and quoting The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, as MJ draws Ned and an unmasked Spider-Man doing exactly that.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe shot [a version of that scene] the day before, and it didn\u2019t really feel as organic and as real as we were used to. So that was a day where we all stopped filming, and then we sat down to put a bunch of ideas together for the scene,\u201d Batalon shares. \u201cThen Destin and his writing partner [Justin Kuritzkes] were able to rewrite and fix that scene. They made it what it is in the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, during a spoiler conversation with THR, Batalon also discusses Jean\u2019s codename in the script, as well as portraying a more grown-up Ned for the first time.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen we last spoke in May 2024, you were filming Novocaine at the time, and you said you hadn\u2019t really heard anything concrete about what would become Spider-Man: Brand New Day. When did things start to get rolling from your perspective?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThey actually started checking availability shortly after we had that talk. But then nothing really happened until early 2025. Luckily, we were able to go by then.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJacob Batalon and Tom Holland attend the World Premiere of Destin Daniel Cretton\u2019s Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the Dolby Theatre on July 27 in Hollywood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEric Charbonneau\/Sony Pictures via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tTom Holland earned his way into the writers room for Brand New Way. Did he ever ask for, or did you ever offer, your two cents as far as what you\u2019d like to see for Ned in this one?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNot particularly. In general, Destin was always open and willing to collaborate with myself and Zendaya about our characters. So the really beautiful part is that Tom not only has his fingerprints over the entire movie, but we were also given more liberty with our parts.<\/p>\n

\n\tI noticed the Naruto poster in Ned\u2019s room, and I initially assumed that was your suggestion because you once told me how you\u2019re a big fan of that manga series. But then I remembered that Destin Daniel Cretton started developing a live-action movie back in 2024.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, he\u2019s definitely shouting himself out there, and we absolutely talked about his Naruto movie. So it was a really cool nod to himself. He deserves it.<\/p>\n

\n\tLike the last movie, you guys had some big secrets to keep on Brand New Day. When did you first hear the name Jean Grey?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t even know how to answer that. When I first read the script, that was pretty much when I first came across that name.<\/p>\n

\n\tDid they play any games with your scripts?<\/p>\n

\n\tJust to be safe, they changed names on purpose. Sometimes, people just don\u2019t know how to keep quiet.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo instead of Jean Grey, it was something like Jen Green?<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) It was more like \u201cDenim Red.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNed (Jacob Batalon) observes his Spidey Tracker in Destin Daniel Cretton\u2019s Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJay Maidment\/Sony Pictures<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first glimpse of Ned is through a series of Instagram-like stories that summarize Ned and MJ\u2019s four years at MIT. Peter Parker can\u2019t help but keep tabs on his best friends who no longer remember him. Judging by Ned\u2019s goatee in one of them, did you and Zendaya enjoy putting those together?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, and that goatee was definitely a funny suggestion that they put in there. It felt uncomfortable, but it was definitely worth the joke. I\u2019m actually happy that I can\u2019t grow facial hair because that\u2019s, unfortunately, what I\u2019d look like.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom there, your first real scene is when Peter spots Ned buying mini beer kegs and an energy drink he\u2019s addicted to called SharkFire. There are noticeable differences in Ned in that he has a fringe cut and a more grown-up wardrobe, but he also just seems more confident. Were you pretty involved in creating this makeover of sorts?<\/p>\n

\n\tI can\u2019t really take credit for that. It was the costume department who really wanted to age us up in the proper way without making it seem too forced. The more grown-up costume, in a way, gave me space to explore that in my own performance as well. It helped me feel like he\u2019s actually like an adult now, as opposed to the young high school kid that we\u2019re so used to seeing. So the costume really helped me make him seem more grown-up now.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter playing best friends since 2016, how strange was it for you to ignore Tom in a couple scenes?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was actually easier to ignore him because he\u2019s often pulling so many shenanigans. It was a really cool little quirk that we got to add to the acting exercise. We had the same emotions and the same fun that we\u2019ve always had, but it was just missing that one layer that Peter Parker adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you say shenanigans, is he a prankster on set?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHe just tries to make you laugh in the same way I try to make other people laugh. But he\u2019s just not as funny as me. That\u2019s the thing.\u00a0(Laughs.)<\/p>\n

\n\tPeter follows Ned to his and MJ\u2019s housewarming party, and that\u2019s when all three of you interact with Peter\u2019s newest alter ego named Maynard. Was it equally odd to play this new dynamic between the three of you?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, it definitely felt a little different. But as actors, you relish and enjoy the fact that you get to explore different parts of your characters that haven\u2019t necessarily been seen before. Understanding that new dynamic and actually building in that missing layer only adds to the heartbreak of Peter Parker, because they are clearly having a great time without him in their lives.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) watch the news in Destin Daniel Cretton\u2019s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJay Maidment\/Sony Pictures<\/p>\n

\n\tThis would be pretty implausible for so many reasons, but no one ever went as far as to say, \u201cHey, what if we ignored Tom during filming hours? What if we kept our distance for the sake of the story?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) No, we didn\u2019t have to do anything like that. If you\u2019re doing Method like that, then you\u2019re just a dick.<\/p>\n

\n\tEman Esfandi is introduced as MJ\u2019s current boyfriend, and Ned seems to like him a lot, especially since he brings him gifts. I have to imagine Eman felt a little awkward that day considering the history between the three of you. Did everybody try to put him at ease?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst and foremost, everyone is a professional, and we all know it\u2019s just a movie. And what\u2019s really great about Destin as a person and a leader is that he makes everyone feel comfortable and welcomed. He wants everyone to be a part of the family and the community. So Eman was really great for us, and it was a big task to step in as the replacement boyfriend. That just speaks to how invested we\u2019ve all been in these characters\u2019 relationships the last decade. People genuinely sense the awkward tension when they see MJ\u2019s new boyfriend because they know it feels wrong.<\/p>\n

\n\tIs Eman\u2019s character who Ned referred to as Nate Dawg\/Dogg\/Dog? He said that he pulled \u201call-nighters with MJ and Nate Dawg.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) I actually don\u2019t even know what Eman\u2019s character\u2019s name is in the movie. He\u2019s just \u201cMJ\u2019s boyfriend.\u201d So he could be Nate Dawg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOr it\u2019s just a \u201890s rap reference.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laugh.) Exactly. That\u2019s funny.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the loveliest moments is when Ned and Spider-Man build Star Wars Legos and quote The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, all while MJ draws them. What\u2019s the story behind that scene?<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was one of the scenes where some work had to be done to really polish it. We shot [a version of that scene] the day before, and it didn\u2019t really feel as organic and as real as we were used to. So that was a day where we all stopped filming, and then we sat down to put a bunch of ideas together for the scene. Then Destin and his writing partner [Justin Kuritzkes] were able to rewrite and fix that scene. They made it what it is in the movie.<\/p>\n

\n\tTom told that story during early press for the movie, but he couldn\u2019t specify which scene it was at the time. So it\u2019s nice to hear confirmation that it was the Lord of the Rings scene.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNed and MJ participate in Spider-Man\u2019s Zoom call with Yelena Belova\/Black Widow. Did Florence Pugh perform her side that day? Or did a crew member stand in for her?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWe just acted against a camera monitor, but it would\u2019ve been fun if she had been there. As everyone knows with these types of movies, people are busy.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film ends on a beautiful note as Peter approaches Ned at the same bodega as the beginning of the film. Peter finally introduces himself with his real name, and when they go to shake hands, their muscle memory leads them back into their secret handshake\/dap that they have done so many times, seemingly triggering at least some memory of Peter. What was your first reaction to the fact that you\u2019d be the first one to remember Peter to some degree?<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst and foremost, does Ned actually remember him, though? It seems a little open-ended. What if it\u2019s just muscle memory? What if he just remembers that handshake but nothing else about Peter? What if he just repeats Peter because that\u2019s what Peter says his name is in that moment? I don\u2019t know. I feel like it\u2019s really up to interpretation for everyone. For me, I think it\u2019s a really cool little nod, so hopefully things happen from there.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe way that Ned said \u201cPeter?\u201d makes me think that he\u2019s taken the first step toward remembering everything. He may not have it all back, but he\u2019s got a fragment of recognition.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, there could be a slight glint or little glimmer, if you will.<\/p>\n

\n\tI walked into this movie thinking that Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) was going to reignite both Ned and MJ\u2019s memories given the choice to include a character with telepathic powers, but that\u2019s not what happened. MJ still doesn\u2019t remember Peter despite reading his carelessly misplaced letter. Were you also surprised that MJ ended this movie without her memories restored?<\/p>\n

\n\tThat adds to the lore, though. When the easiest path to success doesn\u2019t happen, that\u2019s a good thing for storytelling. If everything happened in an easy way, it would not be as conflicting,\u00a0 emotionally damaging and interesting. So I honestly think it\u2019s a great choice.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you first opened up the script, did you assume you both were getting your memories back by the end?<\/p>\n

\n\tTo be perfectly honest, as a person who\u2019s been working under Sony and Marvel for a long time, I\u2019ve learned to temper expectations a lot. (Laughs.) I\u2019m just grateful that people wanted me back and that the fans wanted this to happen \u2014\u00a0and that it was all for the right reasons. So whatever story and script that we\u2019re given, I\u2019m just happy to be a part of it.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Spidey Tracker post-credit scene indicates that Spider-Man, or a Spider-Man, has returned to space. I took that to mean he\u2019s back with the Avengers in some capacity, be it Doomsday or Secret Wars. Do you know anything more about this?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) Come on! Who are you talking to here? You think I know that stuff!?<\/p>\n

\n\tI figured the inventor of the Spidey Tracker would know how his tech is being used.<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) You think me, of all people, knows top-brass-level information? Come on.<\/p>\n

\n\tMaybe you overheard Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal talking in the break room at work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI wish! I wish I was in the same room with them. I\u2019m just not the right person to ask. So I can\u2019t plausibly confirm or deny anything.<\/p>\n

\n\tNed may not remember Peter, but he does remember Spider-Man saving him throughout high school. Thus, he created that Spider-Man tracking app because he\u2019s committed to discovering his secret identity for himself. His two top suspects at the start are Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) and Mr. Harrington (Martin Starr). I know Tony went to the premiere, so did he know it was coming?<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think so. I actually invited Tony to the premiere in L.A., and he definitely laughed his ass off when that came up. Those two were the funniest options because they\u2019re just so completely the opposite of who we think Spider-Man could be. It\u2019s hilarious how off the scent Ned was.<\/p>\n

\n\tLastly, for a movie that\u2019s largely about memory, what random memory will stick with you for years to come?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPersonally, I\u2019d say putting the wig on again. It was a new wig that they styled very nicely and very differently than my old one. It was just really cool to genuinely feel like a grown-up Ned.<\/p>\n

\n\t***
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in movie theaters everywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.] With their concluding dap in Spider-Man: Brand New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":843787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,134,387538,344,34361,256036],"class_list":["post-843786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-jacob-batalon","tag-movies","tag-spider-man-brand-new-day","tag-spider-man-no-way-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}