Recent industry rumors suggest that Jacob Batalon‘s Ned, the best friend of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, might have a significantly reduced role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Batalon has portrayed the character in the previous three MCU Spider-Man movies and other entries in the franchise.
Jacob Batalon’s Ned might just have a cameo in Spider-Man 4
Industry scooper @MyTimeToShineH took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that Jacob Batalon’s involvement as Ned in Spider-Man 4 might not be more than a cameo. “In the most recent draft, Jacob Batalon’s Ned only makes a cameo,” @MyTimeToShineH shared. The scoopers have also claimed that Zendaya could have a small role as MJ in Brand New Day. Notably, neither Batalon nor Zendaya has been officially confirmed to be part of the Brand New Day cast.
Batalon has been part of the main cast of the Spider-Man section of the MCU franchise for a long time. Ned Leeds first appeared in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Batalon made cameo appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. He then continued to portray the character in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
In the last few years, Batalon has spoken multiple times about the prospects of appearing in Spider-Man 4. “I mean, I would hope so,” the actor told The Direct in April 2024. “I think just with anyone who’s worked for Marvel knows that you kind of just like wait for a call. Maybe it does [happen], maybe it doesn’t. But it’s something that you definitely can’t hope and wait for. You just like, you will wake up one day to a call at like 4:30 in the morning for no reason. You know, so maybe.”
In a June 2024 interview with CineMovie, Batalon expressed hope that he would get to explore Ned’s superpowers in Spider-Man 4. Ned discovers that he has magical abilities in No Way Home. However, he seemingly forgets about them when Peter erases himself from everyone’s memory.
At the time of this article’s composition, Holland, Sadie Sink, and Liza Colón-Zayas have been announced as part of the Brand New Day cast. The movie premieres in U.S. theaters on July 31, 2026.
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.
