No Way Home Is Setting Up Spider-Man 3's Hated Emo Peter Parker Again

One of the most infamous moments in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy was “Emo Peter Parker” in Spider-Man 3, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be on its way to having its own version of it thanks to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The MCU is currently on its long-awaited Phase 4, and the main concept to explore in this new wave of TV shows and movies is the multiverse. Loki gave viewers a taste of the dangers of the multiverse, but it was explored a bit deeper in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the events in it will have major repercussions in the rest of the MCU.

Spider-Man: No Way Home picked up minutes after the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, following the reveal of Spider-Man’s real identity and him being framed for Mysterio’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) murder by Mysterio himself. In an effort to keep those he loves safe, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asked Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell that would make everyone forget he’s Spider-Man, but he kept messing with the spell and it didn’t go as planned. Instead, the spell opened the gates to the multiverse, allowing villains from past Spider-Man movies (the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, and Electro) to cross over to the MCU, as well as the past versions of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield).

During the final third of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Strange’s contained spell was released, pulling more enemies from other universes into the MCU. After curing each villain so they could be sent back to their respective timelines, Holland’s Spider-Man realized that the only way to protect the multiverse was to make everyone forget about him, and requested that Strange perform that spell. By the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter was all alone as no one knows who he is, not even MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), and with Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) gone, Peter is starting a new life by himself – but this, along with the post-credits scene showing a piece of the Venom symbiote being left in the MCU, could hint at the return of Emo Peter Parker.

Spider-Man 3 saw Maguire’s Spider-Man temporarily bonding with Venom, which brought out Peter’s darker personality. Peter’s “bully” side alienated Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and even led him to change his physical appearance, making way for “Emo Peter Parker” and giving the audience one of the most unforgettable scenes in all the trilogy: Emo Peter Parker dancing in the streets. Now, with an isolated and heavy-hearted Peter in the MCU and a piece of the Venom symbiote now living in this universe, this could lead to a new version of “Emo Peter Parker”, with the symbiote bonding with a lonely Peter and bringing out his darker side – though, hopefully, this time he won’t be given a fringe and a cringy (but memorable) dancing scene in the streets.

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is expected to return in the MCU with more solo movies, and it’s unknown if he will appear in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe soon, even though these two universes have officially been connected, but there’s a chance for viewers to see a darker Peter Parker thanks to the symbiote. If it happens, it’s going to be interesting to see if the MCU learned from Spider-Man 3’s mistakes or if it will go with its own version of Emo Peter Parker that will hopefully be better received than that of Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s movie.

Next: Why Peter Didn't Keep His Promise To MJ In No Way Home's Ending