Key Takeaways
- Ned has been a comedic sidekick in MCU films, but it’s time for his character to evolve emotionally.
- With Spider-Man 4, the pivotal movie for Ned, he needs to be given more depth and significance.
- Ned could transform into the Hobgoblin, offering a potential for a significant character arc in future MCU projects.
After appearing in all three of Marvel’s Spider-Man movies, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Ned is a firmly established character in the MCU. However, until this point, he’s been treated as Peter Parker’s comedic sidekick, with actor Jacob Batalon not being given much to sink his teeth into from an emotional standpoint.
With Spider-Man 4 on the horizon, that will hopefully change as audiences are ready for Ned to provide even more to this franchise. Fans are invested in the character, so this movie is the time to strike and give people a reason to care about him more than on the surface level.
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Why Ned Is Starting To Become Stale
Every Marvel film has supporting characters who help to build up the overall story and the world that is being created, and within the Spider-Man trilogy, Ned has played a big part in that. As Peter’s loyal best friend, he has been by his side throughout the journey for some of Spider-Man’s most thrilling moments.
However, the character has mainly been used to provide comedic relief to help lighten the films from the more serious, action-packed moments. It’s a role that has significantly added to each movie, so Marvel continues to bring the character back as he hooks audiences. The on-screen chemistry between Batalon and Tom Holland is also very strong, which has made their friendship even easier to connect with. However, after so much screen time, the character is starting to feel a little stale, as there has been a lack of development with him.
Of course, the bulk of the focus must be placed on Spider-Man, whoever the villain is, and the romantic connection with Mary Jane. But considering how significant of a supporting role Ned is, the fact he’s not developed outside of being the happy-go-lucky friend who is desperate to help Peter as much as possible is a shame. Audiences know what to expect from Ned in the Spider-Man movies at this point, and that’s why it’s time for a change.
Spider-Man 4 Is A Crucial Movie For This Character
Ned will be in an intriguing position heading into Spider-Man 4, considering the major twist at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange casts a spell that leads the world to forget who he is, which means Ned no longer has a clue about his friend and the connection that they have shared for so many years.
The same can be said for MJ and all the other characters Spider-Man knows, such as his fellow Avengers. That effectively stops Ned from feeling repetitive because he can’t be the happy sidekick if he has no best friend to connect with in the first place.
While Peter will likely spend the movie trying to make them remember their history, Ned will be uniquely positioned. If the Marvel creative team decides not to mend that friendship, it will lead to question marks over whether or not the character is needed in future movies. That’s why Spider-Man 4 will be crucial for Ned and why it’s time for him to be used differently.
Ned Could Step Up And Do More
Spider-Man 4 places the titular hero in an interesting situation because he has forgotten who Peter is and how he’s helped Spider-Man so many times. Marvel could pull a big twist and place him in a romantic relationship with MJ, which could be an exciting avenue.However, it’s more likely that Peter will work hard to make Ned remember him, and they will become friends again. Only, this time, Ned should be used more seriously to contribute more to the overall plot rather than just delivering great jokes and funny pop culture references.
However, the big way he could do more would be by transforming into the Hobgoblin, which happens in the comic books. Turning him into a villain would provide a significant tone change for the character and create an interesting storyline between two characters who now have so much history. Ned’s intelligence would make him a brilliant match for Spider-Man, as he’s been seen as an equal in that sense up until this point. It would also mean there is a villain with multiple movies of backstory created around him, meaning audiences would be invested in that storyline and an evil version of him and that would force Marvel to showcase a change in the popular webslinger too.
Whether Ned would take on the Hobgoblin role to become the main villain of Spider-Man 4 or if that is just teased would remain to be seen. It feels like a more intelligent move for this to be something that can be stretched out in the MCU, possibly by having Ned become Hobgoblin here, only to be the main villain in a future Spider-Man project. This would help the franchise moving forward because some stories must remain routed in the Spider-Man universe rather than consistently impacting the entire MCU.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is one of the biggest names in entertainment today. The superhero first appeared in the Marvel comic Amazing Fantasy #15 before becoming a leading figure in the Marvel comic-book universe.
Spider-Man has also featured in numerous films and a plethora of video games, most notably Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.