Two years after Sony and Marvel Studios signed the deal that brought back Spider-Man for at least one last MCU dance, No Way Home’s fantastic trailer reminds fans of just how fragile the link between the two really is by granting Peter Parker a way out of the Multiverse.
This has been an ever-present issue for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, who was considered key for both parties to come to terms with the current agreement that encompasses No Way Home and a future MCU crossover. The actor himself has spoken about the matter before, although limiting his words to say that they “had a really, really wonderful idea how we could sort of transition into a Spider-Man without the MCU”, but what if No Way Home were to be exactly that idea or at least part of it?
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It’s clear Sony wants to make something special out of the newly branded “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” as Venom: Let There Be Carnage is joined in the coming years by Morbius and Kraven the Hunter, as well as whatever plans the studio has for Peter Parker within the next five years in order to honor the contract that allows it to keep Spider-Man safe from Marvel and Disney’s reach. Obviously, it’s only a matter of time until Spider-Man joins all those familiar faces from the comics, and No Way Home’s reboot of many Sinister Six villains does a lot to push that narrative.
While it’s impossible to draw any conclusions from No Way Home’s first trailer, Loki did establish the idea that messing with the Multiverse can leave nasty and irreversible consequences. If Alfred Molina’s return as Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin’s cameo mean anything is that Doctor Strange’s mysterious spell definitely sent a shockwave to Tobey Maguire’s old Spider-Man world, and then there’s Jamie Foxx’s Electro possibly having a similar effect on The Amazing Spider-Man’s New York.
Even if the heavy rumors pointing to Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their Spider-Men roles turn out to be false, No Way Home already has all the necessary ingredients to cook that transition recipe Holland was referring to over a year ago. Suffice to say, anything said or written at this point is nothing but speculation about the movie’s plot, yet Spider-Man: No Way Home’s title itself hints at something that could be the closing chapter for Spidey’s MCU days.
Yes, this could be a case of the title merely referring to Peter finding himself dissatisfied with the outcome of Doctor Strange’s spell, but there’s also a slight chance this Tom Holland Spider-Man fans have grown to love ends up stuck in another dimension, that being Sony’s Spider-Verse. Such a plot twist would perfectly fit within the scope of Sony movies, as Into the Spider-Verse already featured an older Peter Parker lost in time and space working alongside Miles Morales.
Although both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home were huge hits, creative screenplay writing must follow orders from the corporate boardrooms and Sony has a lot of reasons to believe that it’s in a far better position than it’s ever been to cut Peter Parker from the MCU, as the character no longer needs to piggyback off the Avengers’ own success now that his own rogue’s gallery is starting to blossom. If Captain America: Civil War rebooted Spider-Man, then No Way Home’s goal could be doing the same for Sinister Six.
After all, a Sinister Six movie has been on Sony’s radar for years and No Way Home could prove to be the best way to generate interest in that with its Spider-Verse infused plot also making for the perfect excuse to introduce other characters like Madame Web later on. Others are already doing their part as Venom will possibly feature J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson, who looks to be primed for a crucial role in No Way Home; and the same goes for Morbius by potentially bringing in Michael Keaton and Tom Hardy, respectively playing Venom and the Vulture.
It’s also not just about the bad guys since Sony also has other projects in development for characters like the beloved Black Cat and Silver Sable (Silver & Black), Silk, and Nightwatch. Sure, on their own any of those would probably fail to ever build as much hype as any of the Avengers can, but throw in a fully committed Spider-Man and things start to look different.
For the past decade, and even further back in time, Spider-Man has consistently polled as the world’s most famous superhero whether it’s Marvel or DC, a feat that isn’t that surprising considering Spidey was always Stan Lee’s favorite child and how great Spider-Man games are on the PlayStation. It’s that kind of mass appeal (and antitrust regulations) that makes it almost impossible Sony will ever let Disney have Spider-Man in their almost complete Marvel collection.
Tom Holland will be making there’s still at least one more MCU appearance as Spider-Man, however, fans should see No Way Home as an entertaining opportunity to see the web-swinger save the world -whichever one it may be- alongside his friends from Marvel Studios, just in case that the home Peter can’t find is actually the one that belongs to Disney.