Two years after Sony and Marvel Studios signed the deal that brought backSpider-Manfor at least one last MCU dance,No Way Home’sfantastic 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 encompassesNo Way Homeand 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 ifNo Way Homewere to be exactly that idea or at least part of it?
RELATED:Spider-Man 2 on PS5 Could Be Sony’s Trump Card in 2022
It’s clear Sony wants to make something special out of thenewly branded “Sony’s Spider-Man Universe”asVenom: Let There Be Carnageis 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 keepSpider-Mansafe 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, andNo Way Home’sreboot of many Sinister Six villains does a lot to push that narrative.
While it’s impossible to draw any conclusions fromNo Way Home’sfirst trailer,Lokidid establish the idea that messing with theMultiverse can leave nasty and irreversible consequences. IfAlfred Molina’s return as Doctor Octopusand theGreen Goblin’s cameomean anything is that Doctor Strange’s mysterious spell definitely sent a shockwave to Tobey Maguire’s oldSpider-Manworld, and then there’s Jamie Foxx’s Electro possibly having a similar effect onThe Amazing Spider-Man’sNew York.
Even if the heavy rumors pointing to Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their Spider-Men roles turn out to be false,No Way Homealready 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, yetSpider-Man: No Way Home’stitle 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 withthe 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, asInto the Spider-Versealready featured an older Peter Parker lost in time and space working alongside Miles Morales.
Although bothSpider-Man: HomecomingandFar From Homewere 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 theAvengers’own success now that his own rogue’s gallery is starting to blossom. IfCaptain America: Civil Warrebooted Spider-Man, thenNo Way Home’sgoal could be doing the same for Sinister Six.
After all, a Sinister Six movie has been on Sony’s radar for years andNo Way Homecould 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 asVenomwill possibly feature J.K. Simmons’J. Jonah Jameson, who looks to be primed for a crucial role inNo Way Home; and the same goes forMorbiusby 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 forcharacters like the beloved Black Catand 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 committedSpider-Manand things start to look different.
For the past decade, and even further back in time,Spider-Manhas 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 andhow greatSpider-Mangames are on the PlayStation. It’s that kind of mass appeal (and antitrust regulations) that makes it almostimpossible Sony will ever let Disney haveSpider-Manin 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 seeNo Way Homeas 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.
