The following article contains spoilers forSpider-Man: No Way HomeSince the release ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, fans have noticed that the movie appears to be alluding to Ned Leeds becoming the infamous Hobgoblin from Marvel Comics. Thanks to the third Spider-Man film, it’s now been confirmed that Ned has some sort of magic, which is why he was able to wield Doctor Strange’s sling ring. Ned also made a promise to Peter that he would never “turn into a supervillain and attempt to kill him,” after all three Spideys united and shared stories of their past.
There currently seems to be a divide between Marvel fans about the future of Ned, having taken to social media to share their opinions on the matter. Although some fans don’t believe that Ned will return as Hobgoblin in the future, other fans found the small bits of information fromNo Way Homeas foreshadowing, indicating that there will be a face-off between Ned and Holland’s Peter Parker inSpider-Man 4.
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In theMarvel Comics, Ned was essentially brainwashed into becoming a villain, after the real Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, tricked him through mind control. Ned began to believe that he was Hobgoblin all along, eventually committing crimes while under Kingsley’s influence and using the Hobgoblin alias.
Ned would frequently pretend to be Hobgoblin in place of Kingsley, which Kingsley then used to form an alliance with Richard Fisk. Richard Fisk is the son of Wilson Fisk, bestknown as Kingpin, as seen in Disney Plus’sHawkeyeand Netflix’sDaredevil.While believing himself to be Hobgoblin, Ned also briefly teamed up with Mordo in the comics, who has been depicted as the major “big bad” in theDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesstrailer.
Based on the fact that Ned’s comic book history, the hints dropped duringNo Way Home, the confirmation of Kingpin as an official MCU character, and resurgence of Mordo, becoming Hobgoblin doesn’t appear to be off the table for him. AReddit fan theorytook this idea a bit further and proposed that perhaps Ned will become Hobgoblin because of a messy love triangle between him, MJ, and Peter.
As of right now, Ned and MJ have no memory of Peter Parker, or their relationship to him. However, Ned and MJ seem to be going strong, maintaining a close friendship as illustrated in the final scene ofNo Way Home,where it’s revealed they’re about to start school together.
The fan theory proposes that perhaps Ned will begin to develop a romantic attraction to MJ, since neither of them can recall their connection toPeter Parkeror Spider-Man. The Theory then goes on to say that if (or when) the pair get their memories back, MJ and Peter will pick up their romance right where they left off, leaving Ned in a difficult conundrum that puts him as runner-up to his best friend.
Assuming this to be true, now that Ned is suffering from unrequited love, the Reddit user speculates he’ll attempt to tap into his own magic and make use of the remnants of theGreen Goblintech to transform himself into something akin to a superhero. When this doesn’t work, the theory says, Ned will eventually turn on Peter and go full Hobgoblin.
Whether Ned turns into a supervillain out of revenge, jealousy, or maybe even psychological manipulation at the hands of the Green Goblin technology, it isn’t totally unreasonable to assume that Ned will take a trip down villainy lane at some point in the series. PreviousSpider-Man filmshave proven that romantic relationships often carry major consequences for the Peter Parkers of the Spider-Verse, and fans have already seen how possible it is for Spider-Man’s best friend to suddenly turn on him.
Despite Ned’s promise to never become a supervillain, fans know thatMarvel charactersdon’t always hold up their end of the bargain. If Steve Rogers can promise to stay with Bucky until the end of the line, then abandon him whenever Bucky is most in need of friendship and guidance, who’s to say that Ned can’t become a supervillain and turn on his closest ally?
Marvel certainly won’t end Holland’s journey as Peter Parker by taking away everyone he loves, both literally or metaphorically. It’s actually quite a strong argument to say thatNo Way Homewas only the beginning ofHolland’s Spider-Man journey, not the end. Peter has lost his aunt, his home, and his mentor over the years, but only now does he understand that heroes need to make big sacrifices when they want to do the right thing.
Having just gone through some pretty life-changing events and finally seeing what exactly it takes to be a superhero, Holland’s Peter Parker is just getting started. Now that Ned and MJ are (kind of) all Peter has left, his relationship with the two of them can easily serve as a major point of conflict in future projects.
