Every MCU Character Who Knows Peter Parker's Identity After Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Aug 09, 2026 - 19:20

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Published Aug 9, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Brand New Day!Peter Parker's identity was forgotten by the world in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but many people now know him and are aware of his superhero activities after Spider-Man: Brand New Day. From the very beginning of his MCU journey, there have been people who have known that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Tony Stark figured it out quickly, looping Happy Hogan into his secret identity before Ned Leeds and Aunt May discovered it too.

While MJ figured it out on her own, Mysterio let the whole world know Peter is Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits. That left No Way Home with the responsibility of restoring Spider-Man's secret identity, with Doctor Strange casting a spell that made everyone forget Peter even existed. It reset his ability to act as an anonymous superhero, even if it meant losing every relationship he had.

Brand New Day largely sees Peter operating in a world where no one knows who he is, let alone who is under Spider-Man's mask. But as the plot unfolds, different characters learn the truth through a variety of avenues. It leaves the MCU in a place where only a small group of people know Peter's identity, with him still largely maintaining some anonymity as Spider-Man.

More people are sure to discover the man under the mask as Spider-Man's MCU future unfolds, but this is every character confirmed to know that Peter Parker is Spidey after Brand New Day.

5 Jean Grey

Credit: Faye's Vision/Cover Images

Jean Grey and Peter Parker are at odds for much of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Peter wants to stop her from mind-controlling and hurting people and attacking more Damage Control facilities to keep the city safe. But his personal stakes are raised when she uses a mind-controlled civilian to confirm to Peter that she knows who he is. In fact, she even knows where he lives and about how much he cares for MJ.

Brand New Day doesn't explicitly explain how Jean knows who Peter is. There is a suggestion that she pieces this together after keeping a close eye on Spider-Man and following him. She may have only come to realize that Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker once she gets to his apartment.

Jean might also know who Peter is after attempting to enter his mind. While Spider-Man resisted her mind control overall, the attempt may have been enough to gather information like who he is, where he lived, etc. Brand New Day implies that Jean almost immediately gains an understanding of who her new host is when she starts mind-controlling someone by acknowledging Punisher's trauma, so this would track.

It could also be true that Jean never forgot about Peter's identity given her telepathic powers. Holland told IGN that "No one remembers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, apart from one person." There is one other possibility for who he could be referring to later on in this list, but Jean could work, too.

4 MJ

Of all the people Peter wants to remember him, MJ is at the top of that list. He planned to read her a letter at the end of No Way Home to hopefully jog her memory before deciding against it. Four years later, he still has the letter but never read it to her, thinking that she would be safer not knowing. This letter does wind up being how MJ learns about Peter Parker's identity, but not in the way he envisioned.

When he goes to fight Hulk and Jean at Damage Control, Peter accidentally leaves the letter on the kitchen table at Punisher's residence. He comes back afterward to discover MJ saw it and read it. Rather than her figuring out that Peter is Spider-Man like before, she learns the truth by accident and without any memories of him flooding back.

This leaves MJ with the knowledge that Peter is Spider-Man but without a firm understanding of who Peter is as a person. She confirms she doesn't love him because she doesn't know him. But that could change. They are friends from that point on, so she could fall in love all over again. Her memories may still return, too, as MJ is last seen clutching the necklace Peter gave her in Far From Home while sitting on their high school roof.

3 Punisher

While Punisher and Spider-Man have a strong working relationship throughout the movie (dating back to what happened on Staten Island), Frank Castle is not aware of who Peter is for most of the movie. Peter even keeps his mask on while drinking coffee in Frank's house, which Frank mocks him for. But Punisher comes to know Spider-Man's secret identity after rushing him to the hospital.

Frank sees Spider-Man unmasked in the hospital room, confirming that he knows what Peter looks like now. It is unclear if Frank knows that Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker by the time Spider-Man: Brand New Day ends, though. Even if he doesn't, he knows more about who Spider-Man is than most others. He'll now be able to easily identify Peter if they ever cross paths outside of vigilante activities.

2 Ned Leeds

Ned Leeds spends much of Brand New Day having no clue who Peter is or that he used to be best friends with Spider-Man. But no matter how you interpret the meaning of Ned and Peter's handshake at the end, it is clear that, to some degree, Ned does realize that he's shaking hands with Spider-Man.

If the muscle memory of the handshake is enough to help Ned's memories return, then he fully understands who Peter is and what he's been through. If that wasn't enough to break the spell, Ned still pieces together that this is Spider-Man. He heard MJ call Spidey by that name when he left their apartment, and Peter uses his real name when reintroducing himself to Ned here. Ned is smart enough to figure out how Spider-Man's web-shooters work, so he can easily piece together that this Peter is the web-slinging hero.

1 Hulk May Know Too

There is a chance that Bruce Banner/Hulk knows Peter is Spider-Man to some degree. Once the Savage Hulk persona takes full control, he starts walloping on Spider-Man. As he's pinned beneath Hulk's mighty hand, Peter pleads with any part of Hulk and Bruce's mind to let him go. This includes saying that he is Peter. Notably, it's not too long after this that Hulk relaxes after Bruce seemingly regains control and plummets to the ground.

Hulk could be the character Holland alluded to in the earlier interview as someone who remembers Peter is Spider-Man. His mind might not have been affected by Doctor Strange's spell if Bruce was in full control. After all, Peter says his name is Ned Leeds when talking to Bruce earlier in the movie, so if using his real name played any factor in Hulk letting him go in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it has to be because he never forgot.