Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home and Morbius!

Sony has accidentally highlighted why hiding the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reveals in Spider-Man: No Way Home was so important. Although some leaks did occur, the appearance of the other two Spider-Men was one of Marvel's best-kept secrets, and their appearance alone blew the minds of many viewers. The importance of having these characters not appear in No Way Home's marketing has become even more apparent through Sony fumbling the advertisements for Morbius.

For years, having Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield appear in the MCU had been a dream, and just the thought of it was one of the most hype-inducing prospects in the lead up to No Way Home. While the trailers did show off some of No Way Home's returning Spider-Man villains, it never actually confirmed whether or not Maguire and Garfield would be in the movie. They did end up appearing in the film, and scenes of the three Spider-Men working together have since become instant Marvel classics.

Related: Morbius Easter Egg Sets Up Another Spider-Man Villain For Kraven

Sony once again attempted teasing wider Spider-Verse connections with the trailers for Morbius, a plan which didn't go over well. The trailers showed off references to Venom, graffiti of Spider-Man, and even featured Michael Keaton returning as the Vulture. These hints at connections to the MCU were key reasons that many wanted to see the film, as the trailer made it seem like Vulture would play a significant role and that Spider-Man would exist in this universe. However, many of these potentially exciting moments weren't actually in the movie, and the MCU's Vulture cameo was ultimately confined to two after-credits scenes. Basically, every instance of connections to the MCU was shown in the trailer, making Morbius a massive disappointment on that front. Comparing and contrasting No Way Home with Morbius shows the reason that one is satisfactory and the other isn't: No Way Home's marketing knew how to manage expectations.

By featuring Vulture so prominently in Morbius's trailers, the surprise of Michael Keaton's appearance was pulled out from under the movie. Audiences knew he would appear and needed him to play a significant role in order to be impressed. No Way Home, on the other hand, handled this much better. By not confirming that they appear in the movie, simply introducing Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Men was enough of a surprise to satisfy audiences. If the duo would have been shown off in the trailers, No Way Home would have to have been hiding something bigger to surprise audiences. By showing off the villains but not the heroes, No Way Home's marketing found the perfect balance between teasing Maguire and Garfield while not making it too obvious.

Maybe Morbius would be better if it didn't set such high expectations for itself. Luckily, No Way Home doesn't have this problem. Hiding Maguire and Garfield's appearance in the marketing was a great choice, making Spider-Man: No Way Home work where Morbius doesn't.

More: Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man 3 Is The Only Way To Save Sony's Universe

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