The MCU's Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, slated for a December release. As one of the few standalone series to fulfill the mark as a trilogy, stakes are high for Spider-Man, as the final moments of Far From Home left him in a pickle, with his secret identity exposed.
Given the news of possible casting and hilarious Spider-Man title teasers , fans could not be more excited to see what is next for the adventures of Spider-Man and how the trilogy will potentially wrap up his story. However, a few things do bring some concerns about the final installment.
Updated by Colin McCormick on August 17, 2021: With each new day, anticipation for Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to increase. Fans eagerly await news of the first trailer while rumors keep mounting from casting to storylines to the bigger implications for the MCU. Some of these elements continue to excite fans about the possibilities of the MCU's latest Spider-Man adventure. Yet there are still those uncertain elements that have fans a little more skeptical about how Spider-Man: No Way Home will turn out.
Excited: Several Actors Returning (Including Some Surprising Ones)
Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon are confirmed to reprise their roles. Benedict Cumberbatch will also join the cast as Doctor Strange, with surprising and exciting confirmation that Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx will reprise their villainous roles as Electro and Doctor Octopus.
The cast features several star-studded names that fans are very excited about and only adds to the curiosity of what the film is setting up. Also, rumors are spreading that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield could reprise their Spider-Man versions, leading to further speculations of a possible multiverse. Also, there are rumors that Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Daredevil and likely act as the lawyer representing Peter Parker.
Worried: Possible Oversaturation Of Superheroes
With news circulating that No Way Home could feature other Spider-Man renditions with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, fans could not be more excited about a wish coming true. However, with Doctor Strange also confirmed to appear and rumors of Daredevil in the film, it could be oversaturated with superheroes.
The MCU has always been good at making their large ensembles work, but at what point do all these heroes start taking away Spider-Man's movie? Also, as exciting as some of these rumored characters are, they would likely have very limited screen time with all these other heroes crammed in as well.
Excited: Possible Game-Changer For The MCU
Many fans have wondered how the MCU will ever be able to top an event movie like Avengers: Endgame. However, the finale of Loki and the introduction of the multiverse suggests just how many possibilities are out there.
While Loki made a good tease for this, Spider-Man: No Way Home looks to be the first MCU movie to really explore what this multiverse will mean for the future of the cinematic universe. The possibilities are limitless, and this will be the movie that will deliver some of the biggest changes for the MCU going forward.
Worried: Taking Tom Holland's Spotlight
Though he was mostly an unknown when he landed the role of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man in the MCU, Tom Holland quickly proved himself to be the best person for the job. He has become one of the standout players in the MCU and has made the role his own.
With the possibility of this being his last MCU movie as Spider-Man, it feels like a bit of a disservice to have him sharing the spotlight. Bringing in past Spider-Man actors will really take away from this being Holland's movie and rob him of a proper farewell.
Excited: New York Setting
There are many aspects to the MCU's take on Spider-Man that fans see as an improvement over previous movies. For instance, the high school setting was largely ignored in the other movie yet is central to this version. However, fans are not as happy with how little New York City has played a role in these movies.
Spider-Man has always felt like New York's hero, but the MCU has never taken full advantage of the city setting, even taking him to Europe in Spider-Man: Far From Home. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home looks to be correcting that and it will be interesting to see how the MCU uses this iconic setting.
Worried: A Lot Of Rumors, Little Confirmation
MCU fans have always loved to speculate about the possibilities of certain projects, but this excitement can sometimes turn against them. Many fans were left disappointed when many WandaVision theories didn't pan out.
In the case of Spider-Man: No Way Home, there has been a lot of rumors but very little actual confirmation. While some of the reporting has been convincing and there are interesting clues, it does feel a little like fans are being set up for a big letdown if Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield don't show up.
Excited: A Live-Action Spider-Verse/Multiverse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the best movies of its time and one of the best superhero movies ever, given its beautiful visuals, story, and character development. Considering the multiverse is popular among fans, the concept may finally come to light in a live-action Spider-Man film.
There is speculation that a multiverse or Spider-Verse will become the focal plot of the film. It was hinted in Far From Home that the multiverse exists, although that idea was only to throw off Peter from learning about Mysterio's true motives. However, after what happened in WandaVision and what could occur in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the multiverse may finally become a thing and explain some of the possible casting rumors.
Worried: Possibly The Final Spider-Man Movie To Be In The MCU
There has been no confirmation if there would be a fourth Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland, whose contract ends with the third film. Also, following the negotiation problems between Sony and Disney before reaching a deal in 2019, this could be the final Spider-Man film that is a part of the MCU.
Unfortunately, this issue could be disheartening, considering the impact Spider-Man has on the universe. With the death of Tony Stark in Endgame, it seemed that Spider-Man would take the mantle as the new Iron Man type figure and take on more responsibilities, possibly becoming a crucial leader in future Avengers movies. However, given the situation, No Way Home may wrap up Spider-Man's story that would no longer influence the MCU and create his exit that will break the fans' hearts.
Excited: Will Likely Take Place At Christmas
Everyone loves watching movies during the holidays — especially Christmas movies. Based on some leaked photos, No Way Home is likely a Christmas movie or has elements of Christmas joy. The only other MCU movie that took place during Christmas was ironically Iron Man 3.
No Way Home as a potential Christmas movie is perfect. It will release on December 17, which is just a week before the holiday. People will be in a holiday spirit, and families will be spending time together. Also, considering how popular Spider-Man is in general, families and friends will have something worth watching in theaters.
Worried: Marvel's Villain Problem
Unfortunately, MCU films tend to have a villain problem, with only a few that managed to do their antagonists justice. Spider-Man also has a long history of movies where they overcomplicated the villains, showed little development and became a jumbled mess. This was noticeable in Spider-Man 3 and in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where both featured numerous villains and had problems with the plot and execution.
While Homecoming set up a surprise twist for Vulture and Far From Home fared well with its only villain, Mysterio, No Way Home will feature at least two villains, Electro and Doctor Octopus. However, it does raise some concerns that two villains may be overwhelming for plot development and replicate the problems from Spider-Man 3.
Excited: A Possible Sinister Six Team-Up
Only two villains are confirmed to appear in No Way Home, but this may only be the tip of the iceberg. Since Molina and Foxx appeared in the previous Spider-Man series, it raises speculations if a live-action multidimensional Sinister Six could happen on-screen.
Both Mac Gargan and Vulture were alive in Homecoming, and the rumor is that Mysterio may still be alive. All of this together implies that a possible Sinister Six team-up could occur. The idea was proposed for many live-action Spider-Man movies with little success, but it may finally become a reality in No Way Home.
Worried: Spider-Man Becoming Too Reliant On Other MCU Characters
Unfortunately, this issue seems like a common problem already seen in both Homecoming and Far From Home. Peter looked up to Tony Stark as a mentor in Homecoming with hopes of becoming an official Avenger. Nick Fury, a Skrull version, appeared in Far From Home to convince Peter to continue what Tony had started.
Supposedly in No Way Home, Doctor Strange will act as a new mentor to Peter Parker. As much as fans love seeing famous characters, it would also be preferable that Peter tries to grow on his own without becoming heavily reliant on other people. Although Peter is young and still has a lot to learn, previous Spider-Man films managed to highlight his self-growth without relying too much on other people to help him reach that moment.
Excited: The High Stakes Following Far From Home's Bombshell
One of the most shocking mid-credit scenes occurred in Far From Home as the villainous Quentin Beck left one last message before his death in London. Not only does Beck lie that Spider-Man caused the drone attacks, but he revealed his identity to everyone. This scene became quite a jaw-dropping moment, leaving fans with a lot of questions.
Therefore, No Way Home will address this situation. Will Peter become a fugitive? How can he earn back the public's trust? Regardless, everything from the post-credit scene sets up the motion for the third film and its premise.
Worried: Possibly Covering Too Much Material For A 2-Hour Movie
Everything sounds pretty epic when several superheroes are teaming up together against a group of villains. This concept adds to Peter's problems with the law and his identity exposed to the world. However, No Way Home is a movie that may not exceed the two-hour or at best two and half-hour mark. Therefore, given how much material and characters the film needs to cover, it seems quite a risky move to do all that within its restricted time frame.
Although unlikely to be slow-paced, the more dire concern is the film becoming too fast-paced, taking away the time to develop characters. Furthermore, the audience will feel rushed to digest all the information provided from the movie. It leaves a question if the third film could somehow succeed in covering everything in a well-timed manner or it may become a complete disaster for trying to do too much in so little time.