In Spider-Man: No Way Home Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) plays a vital role in the plot, but what is his fate in the movie? Should fans prepare themselves for a Spider-Man: No Way Home Ned death scene? Or perhaps worse, does the movie finally offer some hint or move to Ned’s comics turn as the major Spider-Man villain Hobgoblin? Is Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home in addition to Green Goblin/Norman Osborn? What happens to Ned in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home follow!
Does Ned Leeds die in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
Ned Leeds does not die during the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home although the epic conclusion leaves him with no memory of his best friend Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and there is also finally a reference made to Ned’s villainous comics turn as the Hobgoblin earlier in the movie.
The finale of Spider-Man: No Way Home makes it very clear that both Ned Leeds and MJ Watson (Zendaya) have no memory of Peter Parker, thanks to Peter’s choice to save the multiverse by getting Doctor Strange to cast a spell that makes everyone forget who he is. Peter chooses to leave both MJ and Ned alone to stop them from getting hurt due to them being close to Spider-Man. While Ned doesn’t die in this movie, it is possible that the character will not return in the next Spider-Man movie as he is no longer Peter Parker’s best friend.
In other media, the character of Ned Leeds is the third person to hold the mantle of the villain Hobgoblin — the heir to the Green Goblin legacy. This is referenced earlier in the movie, as Ned finds out about Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker having a best friend who ultimately tried to kill him — Harry Osborn becoming the Green Goblin in Spider-Man 3, of course. Ned then promises Tom Holland’s Peter that he won’t turn evil and try to kill him, earning him a pat on the shoulder from Andrew Garfield’s Peter. Whether he will keep that promise is a question that’ll be answered in the next Spider-Man movie, although that will most likely focus on Venom instead.
