After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the end of the movie saw Peter make the ultimate sacrifice and get Doctor Strange to do a spell that makes the entire universe of Earth-616 forget that Peter is Spider-Man, from all people, records, digital data, etc. It makes them forget Peter as a person, though they still remember Spider-Man’s existence.
Now, with this being an Earth-616 spell, from set photos and announcements, we know that Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher will be in the movie, as well as Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/The Hulk will be in the movie as well.
So, if they stick with those two characters, they still do not remember who Peter actually is; he is one person who NEEDS to remember who Peter Parker actually is and needs to have this scene ripped from the comic panel to the movie, line for line.
This character is The Hulk.
Emotional Connection
This moment would show that even though the world has forgotten Peter, the heroes he’s fought alongside have all forgotten him as well, but the bond he created with those heroes isn’t entirely gone. Having a character like The Hulk, someone who has battled inner monsters and prefers to be lonely, be the one who still remembers Peter will give him validation and emotional grounding after the identity loss. This also reinforces that true connections go beyond magic or memory within the MCU.
Thematic Resonance
The scene fits perfectly in Brand New Days’ core idea: that Peter will have to carry his burden alone, but not completely in isolation. Having someone like The Hulk remembering him emphasizes the idea that while Peter’s secret might vanish, the overall impact of Spider-Man does not.
This is a metaphor for Legacy. The people whom Peter helped will always carry a part of him, even if they do not know his name.
Unique and Unexpected Dynamic
We know how The Hulk has changed over the course of the years, becoming more talkative and funny, so having the dynamic of Hulk remembering Peter would be fresh, especially from a cinematic perspective. This would provide the comic relief in the movie, deepen the MCU’s Spider-Man and The Hulk’s relationship, which hasn’t actually been explored yet, and it would tie into the scientific side. Hulk/Banner could plausibly resist the spell due to gamma mutation, making it feel earned and not random.
