*Note: Several MCU spoilers exist throughout this article.
After “Avengers: Endgame” broke the record for highest grossing movie ever, many doubted any other Marvel movie would beat that level of height. But after rumors of previous Spider-Men and villains returning in Tom Holland’s newest outing, the fanticipation went through the roof. The possibility of a live action Spider-Verse featuring Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Holland put everyone into a frenzy. People began begging for a trailer. For months and months, insiders have speculated when the trailer would release, and each time, they were wrong. With the release date inching closer, the lack of footage was worrisome, pointing to a possible delay of the film. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, for during this year’s CinemaCon presentation, the first “Spider-Man: No Way Home” teaser was released. And it was quite a doozy.
A New Spider-Man World
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” ended with Jake Gylenhaal’s Mysterio revealing Spider-Man’s identity to the world. The trailer opens right after that, showing Spider-Man escaping from the police and the media. His face is present throughout New York, calling him Public Enemy #1 (courtesy of J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson). It later seems that he’s actually apprehended, as he’s seen being interrogated by a police officer, accusing him of being the one that murdered Mysterio.
Eagle-eyed fans may have found some evidence pointing to the return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in this scene. Marvel’s “Daredevil” aired on Netflix from 2015-2018, to raving reviews. Some would say it’s the most beloved superhero show of all time. Still, Netflix inexplicably cancelled it, leaving the story unfinished. Now, there have been rumors that Daredevil’s alter-ego, Matt Murdock, would represent Peter in court, as he’s one of the finest lawyers in New York. With Peter on trial for murder, the theory becomes much more likely.
After getting convicted, Peter gets the idea to go to Doctor Strange and have him cast a spell to make everyone forget his identity. I immediately knew that this drew from the “One More Day” storyline, in which Peter goes to the devil Mephisto after Aunt May dies. The reason she died was because Peter revealed his identity in the Civil War event, leading to his family being targeted. He asks Mephisto to make everyone forget about his identity. Mephisto agrees, but there’s a catch: he will also erase his marriage with Mary Jane. The storyline is one of the most hated amongst the comics world, which shows that Marvel is really taking a risk with having such a similar plot. But in “No Way Home,” instead of MJ and Peter’s relationship being erased, it’s something far worse.
A Spider-Man Multiverse?
At the end of the “Loki” series, Sylvie, a female Loki variant kills the man responsible for the world’s timeline. This creates the multiverse, which is the main thing that sparks the possibility of all three Spider-men interacting. But the problem was, although the multiverse was created, there was no explanation as to how they would converge. It seems “No Way Home” will solve this problem, as Peter talks too much during Doctor Strange’s spell, causing him to accidentally merge the multiverse. We’re still not totally sure about the actual logistics of the mishap; that seems to be the jist of it.
From there, the trailer erupts into chaos. We see Strange and Spidey diving into a trippy, “Inception”-like sequence, probably following the multiverse collapse. Next, we see a glimpse of The Lizard from the “Amazing Spider-Man” movies. We also see a chaotic storm of lighting and sand, leading to the return of Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman. Then, we see a pumpkin bomb and a menacing laugh, which could only come from Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. And finally, we see a digitally de-aged Doc Ock, which is the final shot of the trailer. The presence of the old villains practically confirms the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, as Strange’s mistake causes the multiverse to implode.
How does Dr. Strange fit in to all of this?
Some fans have a theory that Doctor Strange is not who he says he is. He seems very callous about performing this spell, even when his right hand man Wong warned him not to. He was very ‘by the book’ in the last two “Avengers” films, making sure not to break any rules about the Time Stone. So this sudden change in attitude has people thinking that he’s an imposter. The latest “What If” episode has Doctor Strange turning evil. With the multiverse opened, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that an evil Doctor Strange took the place of ours to stir chaos. I’m not so convinced, however; Doctor Strange’s entire personality is based on being reckless. Hell, the reason he has his powers is because he was texting while driving. This egotistical callousness aligns with his character perfectly.
The presence of the old villains practically confirms the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, as Strange’s mistake causes the multiverse to implode.”
There’s still little we know about the actual plot of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” And while the trailer did give us a few insights, we barely know what’s going to happen in the final product. I was relieved about this fact, as I was worried the trailer would give too much away. The vagueness of the teaser allows for all sorts of speculation, which heightens the viewing experience, at least for me. Sure, there’s theories and rumors, and the Spider-Verse is most likely to be the central theme, but the ‘whos’ and ‘hows’ are where it gets tricky. Either way, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is sure to be a must-see superhero event.
Spider-Man: No Way Home releases on December 17th.
