The Marvel Cinematic Universe took the Spider-Man franchise in its own direction, which saw Tom Holland headline in the title role. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the final entry in the “Home” trilogy, with potential sequels to be considered part of a different series.
As the last film in the original chronology, No Way Home did a great job in putting an end to several debates and speculations surrounding Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and the supporting characters. The multiversal storyline also brought in answers to questions about the other Spider-Men, along with the likes of Venom and Doctor Strange that have now finally been answered.
Can MCU's Spider-Man Meet The Other Live-Action Spider-Men?
It was a debate before the MCU Spider-Man had even debuted over if the other Spider-Men were canonical to him. The possibility didn’t seem to be there for the majority of the MCU Spider-Man series until the reveal that villains from separate universes would be arriving.
No Way Home definitively answered this question when both Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men entered the MCU, confirming that all of the Spider-Man movies are within the multiverse. Theoretically, they can still meet if another way to open up the universes can be found.
Is MJ A Mary Jane Variant?
MJ was initially just known by her initials, which led many to speculate between considering her a version of Mary Jane Watson or a different character. The opinion shifted toward MJ being someone new since her name was revealed to Michelle Janes.
However, Spider-Man: No Way Home answered the long-running debate in full when it turned out the MJ’s full name is Michelle Jones Watson, confirming her as a variant of Mary Jane. Like Mary Jane, Michelle Jones also has a strained relationship with her father, leading to the omission of his surname. Moreover, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker confirmed his MJ was another version.
Did Uncle Ben Relay His Wisdom About Responsibility To Peter?
It didn’t seem right for the Spider-Man movies to show Peter as the superhero without mentioning Uncle Ben. While the MCU version still didn’t say his name out loud, he acknowledged Uncle Ben when the other two Peter Parkers confirmed he had said the famous quote about responsibility to them.
In addition, it turned out that MCU’s Peter Parker never actually did get to hear Uncle Ben say those words, as it was Aunt May who relayed this wisdom to him in one of the most tear-inducing scenes in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was the reason why Peter seemed relatively less mature than his counterparts since he hadn’t been taught his most valuable lesson yet.
Will Green Goblin Be Spider-Man's Archnemesis?
The Green Goblin is considered the archenemy of Spider-Man, with the role sometimes switched between Doctor Octopus and Venom. The Goblin’s absence was notorious in the MCU and even the return of Willem Dafoe’s Goblin left many wondering if he and MCU’s Spider-Man would have the same personal conflict as his variants did.
The answer was provided when the Green Goblin took Aunt May’s life, which was a tragedy befallen on Peter like none he’d experienced before. It established the Goblin as his archnemesis, with Peter intending to outright kill a villain for the first time, and having his life destroyed through the Goblin’s actions.
Can MCU's Spider-Man Defeat Powerful Enemies?
While many could gauge MCU Spider-Man’s personality with just his quotes, not many could understand what his power levels were supposed to be. After all, his two villains in earlier movies were normal men who used technology to fight him.
No Way Home delivered on this question in ways not many would have pegged possible, as Spider-Man ended up defeating Doctor Strange himself. He also overpowered Green Goblin, who had similar levels of durability to Spider-Man, whereas the likes of Lizard and Sandman were also enhanced beings that MCU’s Peter overcame.
Is There A Dark Side To MCU's Spider-Man?
Tom Holland gave arguably the best performance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, portraying Peter in a fully layered manner. Fans had questioned if this version of Peter was supposed to be lighthearted all the time, as even losing Tony Stark didn’t illicit much anger or change in personality.
His dark side came out in No Way Home, with the reveal that this Peter has the tendency to overlook his morals more than his counterparts. Peter became unhinged after the loss of Aunt May and had no qualms with killing Green Goblin until one of his variants stopped him.
Did Mysterio Really Out Peter's Identity?
It was unclear if the post-credits scene from the previous movie was genuinely happening or if Peter was trapped in some sort of illusion of Mysterio’s. There was ongoing debate whether Doctor Strange was also an imposter, both of which queries were answered in No Way Home.
As it happened, Mysterio really did die and his actions had the desired impact of outing Peter’s identity as Spider-Man. Doctor Strange also turned out to be the man himself, meaning Mysterio’s illusions perished along with him.
Is There A Chance For The Venom Symbiote To Meet Spider-Man?
The ending of Venom: Let There Be Carnage implied that Tom Hardy’s Venom would return to hunt down Peter Parker. This tied into the long-running question if MCU’s Spider-Man movies would present the symbiote as well, with the answer a creative one.
Venom didn’t meet Spider-Man after all, but the movie left the distinct possibility of the symbiote coming into contact with him. Tom Hardy’s Venom left a speck of himself when he was transported back, which brings the possibility that it will seek out Spider-Man.
Can MCU's Spider-Man Function Without Stark Technology?
This was the biggest question for many who doubted the quality of MCU’s Spider-Man, with quite a few terming him as “Iron Boy Jr,” as a slight toward his reliance on Stark Technology. No Way Home specifically addressed this issue by the film’s conclusion to end all speculation.
Spider-Man didn’t need Stark Technology to defeat the villains, having come up with cures for them on his own. More significantly, the conclusion showed Peter without any means of using technology as Spider-Man, with his final suit stitched by himself and for him to now truly become a superhero in his own right.