How Jean Grey’s Powers Impacted MJ in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ has left fans buzzing with a pressing question unrelated to web-slinging: how did Jean Grey’s psychic abilities affect MJ, and what implications does this have for Peter Parker’s erased identity moving forward?

Now playing in theaters, the film features Sadie Sink as a live-action version of the iconic X-Men telepath. Her powers serve as the emotional core of the movie’s biggest twist, as the ‘Stranger Things’ star brings the original X-Men member to life. Audiences are divided on what her mental influence truly accomplished.

In ‘Brand New Day’, Jean’s primary ability resembles a sophisticated form of possession rather than straightforward telepathy. She can enter almost anyone’s mind, perceive their thoughts, and take complete control of their actions. Throughout much of the film, she operates as a hidden menace, manipulating those she has possessed.

While inside a host, Jean can see through their eyes, speak through them, and compel them to act as she wishes. Once she exits their mind, the host has no recollection of the events. This unsettling mechanic makes her early scenes particularly tense, as viewers initially remain unaware of the teenage mutant orchestrating the chaos.

However, her control has limitations. As a teenager still mastering her powers, she must be relatively close to her target for possession to succeed. This range expands dramatically as her emotions intensify later in the narrative.

As the film progresses, the scope of her abilities also expands. Under extreme emotional and physical strain, Jean accesses deeper comic-accurate powers, culminating in a massive psychic bubble that engulfs a significant portion of Manhattan, immobilizing thousands of bystanders.

The moment generating the most online discussion involves MJ, portrayed by Zendaya, becoming ensnared in Jean’s widening telepathic wave. While caught in the psychic grip, a visible tear rolls down MJ’s cheek, and she is later seen wearing the broken Black Dahlia necklace gifted to her by Peter.

This detail has fueled a theory suggesting that Jean did more than just physically freeze MJ; she may have unlocked memories that were thought to be erased. The theory posits that Stephen Strange’s spell merely concealed Peter Parker’s memories rather than obliterating them, leaving them accessible to a powerful telepath.

Bruce Banner’s brief appearance in the same scene is considered a strong piece of supporting evidence. When Jean enters Banner’s mind, it’s not the calm, therapy-trained persona the MCU has depicted since ‘Endgame’, but rather the old Savage Hulk, who still remembers Peter Parker.

This detail is significant as it implies that Jean is not merely controlling a person’s current state of mind, but is capable of unearthing buried personalities and memories that had been hidden away. This same ability may apply to MJ and Ned, creating an intriguing theory, even though the film does not confirm it explicitly.

Sink’s casting as Jean Grey had been rumored since she quietly joined the production in March 2025, although Sony kept her character under wraps for months. She gained fame for her role as Max Mayfield in ‘Stranger Things’, and speculation about her portrayal of Jean Grey persisted throughout the press tour.

For a significant portion of the film, Jean is framed as the antagonist. She possesses unsuspecting individuals to attack the Department of Damage Control, and her unclear motives compel Peter to collaborate with the police and DODC director Bill Metzger, played by Tramell Tillman, to try and stop her.

The revelation of her motivations reframes everything that precedes it. Metzger has a personal agenda of containing superpowered individuals and stripping them of their abilities, leading him to kidnap Jean’s telepathic sister Sarah for experimentation. Jean arrives too late to save her, which drives her powers to their breaking point.

Upon discovering what happened to Sarah, Jean’s emotional dam breaks. Learning of her sister’s death inside the very facility where she herself was held causes Jean to unlock a new level of her abilities, expanding her telepathic range and freezing everyone within a one-kilometer radius, which is when MJ becomes ensnared in the wave.

Ultimately, Peter is the one who manages to calm Jean, not through force but through connection. He allows her into his mind, where a memory of Aunt May provides comfort. Shortly after, Frank Castle nearly kills her with a high-caliber round that Spider-Man takes in her place.

Jean immediately reciprocates that sacrifice. She uses her powers to keep Peter alive long enough for doctors to operate before boarding a bus and vanishing to parts unknown, setting her up as a mysterious figure for future installments.

As for whether MJ truly remembers Peter by the credits, the film leaves things deliberately ambiguous. The official stance is that Michelle Jones Watson has genuinely forgotten Peter, as she states plainly in the movie, even as visual cues like the necklace and her tears suggest something deeper may be stirring beneath the surface.

With the loaded final moments of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, it’s hard not to wonder if MJ’s forgotten memories are genuinely lost or merely waiting for Jean Grey to complete what she started. What do you think really happened behind those tears on the rooftop?