Ned Leeds (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Edward "Ned" Leeds is the tritagonist of the Spider-Man trilogy of the and a minor character in both and .
He is a former student at Midtown School of Science and Technology and the former best friend of Peter Parker. Once learning of Peter's secret identity as the vigilante Spider-Man, Ned started to assist Parker in stopping the Vulture from selling weapons, and later become one of the many victims of the decimation by Thanos. Once resurrected in 2023, Leeds began to date Betty Brant while going on a school trip to Europe, but would assist Peter in trying to keep his alter-ego a secret. 
Following Mysterio exposing Peter's identity, Ned was called in by Doctor Strange to help them return the visitors that came from their realities after botching his spell. Though successful in returning them and the alternate versions of Spider-Man, Ned, alongside with the rest of the wrong, had their memories erased of Peter and his secret identity. 
Ned is portrayed by , who also portrays James in Every Day and Krill in Blood Fest.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
Edward "Ned" Leeds was presumably born in New York, and became Peter Parker's best friend while attending Midtown School of Science and Technology.
=== Spider-Man: Homecoming ===
Upon discovering Peter was Spider-Man, Ned focused on assisting his friend's adventures as they attempted to find and defeat the Vulture before he could sell high-tech hybrid weapons to the criminal underworld, while also hoping to use Spider-Man to improve their own social standing at their school.
=== Avengers: Infinity War ===
When Thanos and his forces decided to invade New York to collect the Time Stone, Peter asked Ned to cause a distraction while they were on a field trip to MOMA. Ned did so, allowing Peter to get dressed into his costume and help Iron Man fight Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw. However, the Mad Titan Thanos succeeded in his goal of collecting the Infinity Stones and causing the decimation, which resulted in the deaths of Ned and countless millions across the universe.
=== Avengers: Endgame ===
Ned and the countless millions decimated were restored to life by Hulk in 2023, and was reunited with Peter after he and the heroes stop Thanos and his army.
=== Spider-Man: Far From Home ===
The following year, Ned goes on a school field trip to Europe with his classmates, including Peter. When their trip was interrupted due to the Elementals crisis caused by Mysterio, Ned would do his best to cover for Peter so that his identity as Spider-Man would not be revealed.
===Spider-Man: No Way Home===
Ned would once more work with Peter as his "guy in the chair" when, due to Doctor Strange's botched spell, visitors from alternate universes crossed over into theirs, Ned would assist Parker in capturing the visitors, but would then help free them from Strange after discovering his plan involved sending the visitors to their deaths.
Using Strange's Sling Ring, Ned accidentally summoned alternate versions of Spider-Man, who assisted Ned, MCU Peter, and his girlfriend Michelle "MJ" Jones in taking down the visitors, who had betrayed them. Tragically, though, instabilities in Strange's spell could only be solved by having the entire world forget Peter's identity. Ned exchanged a tearful goodbye with his best friend before his memories of Peter were erased.
After his memories of Peter had been erased, Ned visited MJ at the bakery she worked at and talked about attending at MIT as they both had been accepted there. Peter attempted to reintroduce to them, but upon remembering how much danger Ned and MJ's lives were in, decided not to let them be a part of his life in order to keep them safe.
==Gallery==
Spiderman-homecoming-movie-screencaps.com-1435.jpg|Ned and Peter watching Liz Toomes in awe.
Spiderman-homecoming-movie-screencaps.com-1449.jpg|"Why do you sit with us?"-Ned to his classmate, Michelle Jones.
Peter-Ned-Reunite-2023.png
Ned Leeds as the Hobgoblin.png|Ned Leeds with the cape of levitation
==Trivia==
*In the comics, Edward "Ned" Leeds was a veteran field reporter who worked at The Daily Bugle. He was eventually brainwashed into becoming the Hobgoblin by Ben Kingsley (the original Hobgoblin) until his conditioning was undone by the efforts of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.
*It's theorized by many fans that Ned might become the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home, since his character becomes such in the comics. This theory is further hinted by a brief story on Instagram made by Tony Revelori (the actor of Flash) used to market Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which Ned is seen alongside Betty in a poll on who's a worse person and the iconic orange hood of Hobgoblin is seen painted on Ned's head.
** Further more, Jacob Batalon, Ned's actor, admits that while he enjoys having Ned as a good person, he would very much enjoy the prospect of getting to play as Hobgoblin should Ned ever become such.
**Despite not becoming the Hobgoblin he does still wear a gold and blue jacket which resembles his comic version while instead of pumpkin bombs and glider he has Doctor Strange's Sling Ring and Cape of levitation temporarily abilities. 
**Ned is the first person in the role of Spider-Man’s best friend who is not a version of Harry Osborn. Notably, unlike the Raimiverse and Webbverse Harry Osborns, he neither causes harm to his friendship with Peter (promising not to turn into a supervillain and betray him after learning about the former’s case) nor spitefully disrupts his relationship.
**Ned's ability to open magic portals with the Sling Ring in the film is presumably a reference to how his comic counterpart was able to use magic as the Hobgoblin.
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