You could argue that Spider-Man: No Way Home is the most memorable installment of the Home trilogy, as it brings back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parkers. And it also marks the returns of some iconic Spidey villains. Additionally, the threequel packed a serious punch with a lot of heartbreaking moments, with one being the death of Aunt May. Jacob Batalon, who played Peter’s best friend Ned, recently revealed that one particular day of filming was "so fucking sad" for him, and it didn't involve the bittersweet donut shop scene, believe it or not.
The ending of No Way Home had Tom Holland’s Peter and Doctor Strange see the multiversal portal they created early in the film further open, allowing more villains who know Spider-Man's identity to break through. To prevent this from happening, Peter decides to have Doctor Strange cast a spell so the world forgets who he is, including Ned and his girlfriend, M.J. Jacob Batalon opened up to THR about what it was like filming Peter's conversation with his two loved ones before their memories were wiped:
That day actually wasn’t too sad. The real sad days were the last two days. It was the scene where we’re all hugging, and Peter is explaining to [Ned and MJ] that they’re going to forget him. That was actually our last day or second-to-last day, and it was so fucking sad. (Laughs.) It was actually really sad, but also beautiful at the same time. There were just too many tears in my eyes, and I couldn’t think straight that day.
I can understand why Jacob Batalon doesn’t see filming the donut shop mom as heartbreaking to film as it was for audiences watching. In that epilogue, Ned meets M.J. while she’s at work there, and they talk about what their lives at MIT will be like all while mostly ignoring Peter since they don’t remember him. It's a tough moment to watch, as Peter no longer has his best friends though they now have normal lives because of his heroic decision.
That goodbye moment between the trio of friends is on another level, though, as it essentially closed the book on Peter and Ned's awesome bromance. In hindsight, what's even sadder is that Peter promised Ned he’d find him and M.J. and help the two remember him. While in tears, they do their special handshake and hug one last time. While one can't deny the undeniable chemistry Tom Holland shares with Zendaya, the finale moment also perfectly summed up the powerful friendship between Peter and Ned.
What may be even sadder, from a fan perspective now, is that Ned's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unclear. Jacob Batalon told THR that Sony hasn’t reached out to him about being in Spider-Man 4. Batalon knows that his potential return for a fourth movie is up to the studios at the end of the day. At the same time, hopeful Batalon's hopeful for the future of his character in the MCU. One can only hope that we'll get to see more of the "guy in the chair" as time goes on.
Also, there's still a question to be pondered: if Ned does come back, will he be Peter Parker’s friend or foe? There’s one rumor going around that claims Ned could transform into Hobgoblin since that’s the path his character takes in the comics. That would certainly be an interesting creative direction for the character, though it's hard to say whether the producers would actually opt to go that route with this iteration of Ned.
Regardless of whether, Jacob Batalon returns to the MCU or not, it sounds like he has some strong memories from working on the Home trilogy. I'd imagine that even as time swings (no pun intended) on, he'll never forget filming that emotional goodbye scene with Tom Holland and Zendaya. While you wait for updates on that front, read up on upcoming Marvel movies, and keep your eyes peeled for Spider-Man 4 updates.
