If you went into Spider-Man: Brand New Day hoping for a lot of Ned, your viewing experience was probably a mixed bag. On the one hand, Ned is less plot-relevant to the new movie than arguably any of the others. So, he’s just around a lot less, at least in key moments. On the other hand, because he’s less plot-relevant, Brand New Day lets him get back to being the change-of-pace comedic relief we saw in the first movie, which is a big win for the character.
It’s also a big win for me. I’ve been screaming into all five boroughs since the second movie that Marvel would get more out of Ned if they showed him less. MCU superfans have looked at me like I’ve been some mean-spirited hater, but Brand New Day has me feeling vindicated. Ned is at his best as soon as you start missing him and he suddenly pops in with some dumb, lovable comment. He’s not at his best when he’s in half the scenes or pretending to be the Sorcerer Supreme.
The conventional wisdom ahead of any franchise sequel is to figure out a way to give the standout side characters more screen time. After all, if they were one of the best parts of the first movie, the audience must want more, right? Well, the harsh truth is some characters work way better in small doses. They’re meant to serve as a contrast to the A-plot, not get bolted onto the A-plot.
For Ned, I think it’s a problem of screentime and narrative focus more than anything else. The creative forces behind these movies are not going to give anyone in the universe except Peter Parker enough time to go through a proper emotional arc, with a minor exception for the villains (especially when launching new franchises). As great as the supporting characters are, they are all ultimately there to quite specifically impact Peter Parker’s emotional journey. They are there to help him evolve, not the other way around.
Jacob Batalon is a skilled enough actor. He’s succeeded whenever he’s been called on to do more in the Ned role, but the way he serves the franchise best isn’t by having powers or supporting fight scenes. It’s by being Spider-Man’s hapless and loyal friend. It’s by easing the tension with a well-timed joke or being part of a goofy sequence to let the audience exhale from more serious drama.
We’re going to get more Spider-Man movies after this. The positive word of mouth, the insane box office, and all the euphoric buzz around this movie are clear indicators that we’re just getting started. I have no idea what story the team is going to adapt next, but it should start with everyone involved asking where they want to take Peter Parker next. They should figure out the path they want to put him on, and then once they map that out, they can ask how Ned and MJ and others in the universe fit in, or if they even fit in at all.
Ned is one of the funniest MCU supporting characters we’ve ever gotten, right up there with Luis, Darcy Lewis and Korg. He makes me smile whenever he’s on the screen, but that doesn’t mean we should see him more often. It means we should save him for the moments that feel right. Brand New Day gets that, and I hope the next movie does too.
