This weird insistence some ppl have about getting rid of Ned and Mj is so strange to me.
The explanations are always ātheir stories are overā āpeter needs to move onā āthey arenāt important anymoreā etc. etc.
I do understand the want to see new characters but to want Peter to throw away his best friend and the love of his life is like kinda insane.
Mj and Ned are Peterās entire world. He loves them both so dearly and so much. They give him a light in his life he hasnāt had since he erased himself from their memories.
Theyāve been with us, been with Peter, since day one.
In the beginning it was just Peter and Ned. Their nerdy lil friendship and their handshake. Then Mj came around, the awkward and blunt girly that she was and she just clicked with them. Mj and ned became the foundation that kept Peter grounded.
They were essential to Peter Parker.
Trying to keep his distance from them, essentially lying to them for 4 years, is what lead to Peterās entire internal conflict for Brand New Day.
Erasing Peter Parker and wanting to only be Spider-Man was so damaging to his well being. It was self-less and it was selfish.
When Mj finds the letter, her reaction says it all. Her lack of feelings towards Peter because of the spell and his decision to never find her and tell her or Ned the truth is the natural consequence of Peter trying to protect them and trying to live behind the mask.
She doesnāt know him. She doesnāt remember him. She canāt love him without all the memories that were taken from her. She canāt love him because he never found her to tell her like he promised.
She isnāt the same Mj he wrote that letter to. Sheās grown for 4 years without him, she has another boyfriend, lived out her college years, sheās looking for a career.
But that doesnāt mean there isnāt something there.
Both Ned and Mj feel it. Even if they donāt know it. Something is missing. They feel like theyāre waiting for something but they donāt know what it is.
Ned creates the Spidey-Tracker for exactly that. To figure out why Spider-Man is always around them. Thereās something about Spider-Man.
When Spider-Man sits in their apartment and is nerding out with Ned over legos, stars wars, and lord of the rings, thatās the something Nedās been missing. Itās what Peterās been missing.
And deep down, something in Ned does too.
Whether itās muscle memory, Jean breaking something within his mind from the spell, Ned remembers his and Peterās handshake. Thereās this connection between them that, while forgotten, hasnāt been lost.
Nedās been chasing, tracking, Spider-Man to understand this feeling. Like he knows the man behind the mask. Because he does. He used to. That was his best friend.
And like Mj said they look like best friends despite all the time has passed. She can see it. She draws it.
Mj might not have her memories, she might not remember what she and Peter had, but she can still see through him. Just like she always has.
Where Peter sees a monster, she sees a good guy whoās just changing.
And thatās the important thing for Peter to remember.
Being with Mj and Ned is the biggest reminder of his heart and who he is.
They are the two most important people in Peterās life even if they donāt remember him.
So to say they arenāt needed or that their stories are done or that Peter doesnāt need them and needs to move on couldnāt be further from the truth.