‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Reopens the Question of Who Still Remembers Peter Parker

Four years after ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ ended with the world forgetting Peter Parker ever existed, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has pulled fans right back into one of the franchise’s most persistent debates. Does the Hulk still know who is under the mask.

The question has bounced around Marvel fandom since the credits rolled on ‘No Way Home’, and it has resurfaced now that ‘Brand New Day’ is finally in theaters and forcing audiences to reckon with a hero nobody recognizes.

Hulk’s Comic Book History With Peter Parker’s Secret

The theory did not appear out of nowhere. It has real precedent in the source material, specifically in ‘Immortal Hulk Great Power’ number one, which followed the aftermath of Peter Parker’s deal with Mephisto to erase his unmasking from public memory. That issue reveals that Hulk still remembers Peter Parker’s identity even though Bruce Banner does not.

That distinction between Hulk and Banner matters a great deal to fans building out this theory. The comics establish that Hulk remembers things the world at large, and Banner specifically, does not, which would make it easier for Banner to bring Spider-Man back into the fold if he could appeal to the person behind the mask.

There is also a second piece of comic book evidence fans point to. Hulk is established as the only character who also remembers Sentry after Doctor Strange erased public memory of him at Sentry’s own request, giving Hulk a track record of dodging exactly this kind of memory wipe. That pattern is a big part of why so many people expected the same loophole to carry over into the movies.

There is a wrinkle worth noting too. In the comics, Spider-Man puts a hand on Banner’s shoulder as he is on the verge of transforming, and when Hulk emerges he asks Peter what he is doing rather than addressing Spider-Man, catching the web slinger off guard because he had assumed his identity was a secret from everyone.

How Doctor Strange’s Memory Spell Reshaped the MCU

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ borrowed its central conceit from a similar comic arc. The film ends with Doctor Strange casting a spell that makes everyone on Earth forget Peter Parker, unraveling a wave of multiverse chaos once villains from other Spider-Man universes start appearing.

Peter ultimately asks Strange to erase him from everyone’s memory entirely, a bittersweet ending that Marvel has treated as a genuine rite of passage for the character. That single choice is what set up everything ‘Brand New Day’ now has to deal with.

Fans did not take long to start picking apart who might be exempt from the spell. One popular theory, drawn from Reddit discussion, suggested Hulk and Wong might still remember Peter because of how the comics handled a nearly identical situation, where Banner forgot but Hulk was immune. Other fans have floated heroes who were off planet during the spell, including Thor, Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, theorizing they may have avoided its effects entirely.

One outlet also pointed out that Star Lord knew Peter Parker’s identity but was off world when Strange cast the spell, meaning he too could plausibly still remember the Web Slinger’s real name and face. None of this is confirmed on screen, but it shows how much thought fans have put into finding a loophole.

What Tom Holland Has Said About Who Remembers

The theory got real fuel when Tom Holland weighed in directly. Speaking with IGN Benelux, Holland was asked whether even the Avengers remember him, and he responded that no one remembers Spider-Man is Peter Parker except for one single person.

That comment set off a wave of speculation about exactly who that person is. Of the theories circulating, Hulk remains the most prevalent candidate, and the idea gained further traction once it was confirmed that the film brings back Savage Hulk rather than the previously merged Smart Hulk, making it more plausible that the two identities of Banner and Hulk are separate again.

There is a real complication with the theory, though. Hulk was off world for much of the period Spider-Man worked alongside the Avengers, and by the time Banner returned to Earth after his encounter with Thanos, Hulk had not reappeared, meaning Hulk technically never met Spider-Man or Peter Parker in a way that would confirm he even knows the identity.

‘Brand New Day’ has not resolved the mystery on screen as of its opening, but the setup gives it plenty of runway. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film picks up four years after ‘No Way Home’, with a forgotten Peter Parker protecting New York on his own as the isolation begins to wear on him.

Brand New Day’s Box Office and Critical Reception

The film’s rollout has been enormous by any measure. Domestic estimates for its opening weekend ranged from 260 million to 280 million dollars from around 4,300 North American theaters, putting it in contention for one of the biggest opening weekends in box office history. Worldwide estimates pointed to a debut somewhere between 425 million and 465 million dollars, which would make it Sony’s second biggest global opening ever behind only ‘No Way Home’.

China played a major role in that total. The country received the earliest release date of any market, two days ahead of North America, along with an exclusive Imax rollout, and local trackers projected a full run total as high as 255 to 265 million dollars.

Critics have responded warmly overall. The film holds a 90 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it in similar territory to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ at 93 percent, and Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney praised what he called a never better Tom Holland performance. USA Today called it Holland’s most emotionally gripping work yet, while IndieWire was less impressed, describing it as a dull and downbeat Marvel sequel.

Whether Hulk turns out to be the one character who never forgot Peter Parker, or the answer lies somewhere else entirely, the film has clearly tapped into something audiences were desperate to see addressed, and it feels worth asking which corner of the Marvel universe you would want to be the one holding onto Peter’s secret.