A clearer picture of who is confirmed to appear in Spider-Man No Way Home was painted following the release of the first official trailer. At this point, several characters have been revealed to be in the third solo outing for Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jon Watts, who helmed both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far from Home, returned to direct Spider-Man’s third MCU film, a movie which nearly didn’t happen at Marvel due to contract disputes with Sony and Disney that have since been resolved. Originally scheduled to be sixth in line in Marvel’s Phase 4 slate, production delays related to the coronavirus pandemic reshuffled the release dates for the next several movies, and Spider-Man: No Way Home was pushed back from a July 2021 release to December 17, 2021. The current plan, is for No Way Home to follow Eternals and precede 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder.
The last Spider-Man movie set up Peter Parker’s next adventure by putting him in a massive bind. A post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far from Home delivered a game-changing new dilemma for Peter Parker by having J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy appear on a TV screen and publicly reveal Spider-Man’s true identity. In the same scene, Parker was blamed for the death of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), and it would seem that the next Spider-Man movie will pick up with the main character on the run and nowhere to go, now that everyone knows his secret. Here’s every character confirmed to play a part in the story that Marvel has planned for Spider-Man 3.
Spider-Man
Tom Holland will be suiting up as Spider-Man once again. This will mark his sixth big-screen appearance in the MCU. So far, both Marvel and Holland himself have been tight-lipped about what the next movie has in store for the web-slinger, but the trailer for Far From Home did reveal that Spider-Man's wish to no longer have his identity be known to the public is what essentially opens the doors to the multiverse (with Doctor Strange's help, of course). Whatever else the plot will consist of, the film is first and foremost addressing the cliffhanger from Far From Home. Due to Mysterio’s machinations, Peter Parker is a fugitive, and for the first time in any movie, he will have to deal with the world knowing who he really is. The comics went in this direction for a few years, but for the most part, it’s standard practice in Marvel Comics for Spider-Man’s identity to remain a secret to nearly all the people around him.
Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Electro
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Jamie Foxx played Max Dillon, a Marvel Comics character who gets transformed into Electro, a powerful supervillain with the ability to manipulate electrical energy and omit it from his body. Instead of simply using its own version of Electro in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel will be bringing back Foxx’s take on the character, despite the fact that The Amazing Spider-Man movies aren’t in-canon with the MCU. By sharing a post on social media about the casting, Foxx confirmed the report about his return. As for how it will work, it would seem that Marvel will bring Electro to the MCU through the concept of the multiverse. It could be that the world depicted in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is a separate dimension in Marvel’s multiverse.
Ned Leeds
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far from Home, Jacob Batalon played the role of Ned Leeds, who is very loosely based on the comic book character of the same name in Marvel Comics. In the MCU, Ned is Peter Parker’s best friend and high school classmate. It's been confirmed Ned will be in the movie, likely providing support of some kind to Parker, especially considering he knows his identity as Spider-Man.
Aunt May
Marisa Tomei, who plays Aunt May in the MCU, has already discussed her character’s arc in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is confirmation that she will be involved in the story. This isn’t a surprise, given that she’s one of the most important supporting characters both in Spider-Man’s comics and the movies. Peter Parker’s new situation may complicate his relationship with her, but he’ll be sure to interact with her throughout the film. Characters interested in finding Spider-Man could even use Aunt May against him.
Happy Hogan
Aunt May will be joined by Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), who was in a romantic relationship with her in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Though it's unclear if he and Peter's aunt are still together, Happy appeared in the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home, so he'll at least have a small role to play in the film.
MJ
Tom Holland initially confirmed that Zendaya will be back as MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home. MJ, the MCU’s interpretation of Mary Jane Watson, is Parker’s primary love interest. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, she figured out his secret identity and was present when it was exposed by J. Jonah Jameson in the post-credits scene. In the trailer for No Way Home, MJ is also pulled into the spotlight after Peter's identity is revealed.
Flash Thompson
A news report confirmed that Tony Revolori’s Flash Thompson will have a presence in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was officially revealed in the trailer for the film. Flash has a reputation for being a bully at Parker’s high school. Ironically though, he considers himself to be a big fan of Spider-Man. With Parker’s activities as Spider-Man now being public knowledge, No Way Home is sure to explore Flash’s thoughts on the big reveal that the student he mocks at school and his hero are one and the same.
Doctor Strange
One of the biggest surprises to come out of Spider-Man: No Way Home was the announcement that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange would be joining in the action. He’ll serve as a mentor to Parker, a role previously filled by Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) in the MCU. So far, both MCU movies have featured a key MCU hero from outside the world of Spider-Man. In Far from Home, this person was Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – or more accurately, a Skrull posing as him. So there was naturally an expectation from some fans that Spider-Man: No Way Home would repeat this trend. This time around, the character working alongside Spider-Man will be the Sorcerer Supreme, with whom he shared a few interactions in Avengers: Infinity War. The third Spider-Man film will see Doctor Strange assisting Peter in wiping his identity from everyone's memories, only to seemingly mess up the spell and open the gateway to the multiverse.
MCU Spider-Man's High School Characters
At least three of the minor characters tied to Peter Parker's high school life in the MCU Spider-Man movies will be showing up once again in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), Coach Andre Wilson (Hannibal Buress), and Julius Dell (J.B. Smoove) will all be back, which indicates that even though Spider-Man's secret is out, the high school portion of his story isn't over yet.
Doctor Octopus
Initial rumors about Alfred Molina reprising his role as Spider-Man 2's Doctor Octopus in No Way Home were confirmed by both the actor himself and Marvel Studios. Similar to the case with Electro, it appears that the timeline of Raimi's trilogy will exist as its own world of Spider-Man characters in the MCU's multiverse. So far Doc Ock is the only one whose presence is no longer in no doubt as he appeared in the official trailer for the film. What his role will be remains to be seen, but comments from Molina about him being de-aged also reveal that No Way Home will pick up where Spider-Man 2 left off with his character.
Wong
With Doctor Strange being in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it seems only sensible that his biggest ally wouldn't be far behind. Wong's inclusion in No Way Home was confirmed after he also appeared in the trailer for the film, warning Doctor Strange not to do mess with anything. The film will be one of at least three MCU appearances Wong is making in the MCU Phase 4, with the other two being Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Green Goblin
Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, who originally appeared in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, is returning for Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the first official trailer for the film, the villain's sinister laugh is heard and his pumpkin bombs make an appearance while Spider-Man is embroiled in a fight on a bridge. Even if Dafoe is never actually seen onscreen, it's clear Green Goblin (otherwise known as Norman Osbourne) will have a role to play in No Way Home.
Sandman
Sandman was the main villain in Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and it's possible he may also appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home following certain clues in the MCU film's trailer. During a scene where Spidey is fighting Electro, the sand surrounding the superhero is rising off of the ground. Of course, Thomas Hayden Church has not confirmed he will reprise his role for the film, but the trailer seems to be heavily implying Sandman will show up at some point.
The Lizard
First appearing in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man, The Lizard (aka, Curt Connors and played by Rhys Ifans) participating in Spider-Man: No Way Home isn't confirmed, but the trailer for the film certainly hints at his arrival. In one of the scenes in the trailer, a silhouette that looks a lot like the form of The Lizard, who transformed after his experiment to regrow tissue went awry, is seen approaching Spider-Man. Whether or not The Lizard does actually show up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and if Ifans will return to play him, remains to be seen, but it's certainly possible considering the massive multiversal crossover the film is expected to be.
Key Release Dates
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Eternals
Release Date:2021-11-05 -
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date:2022-05-06 -
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date:2022-07-08 -
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
captain marvel 2
Release Date:2023-07-28 -
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17 -
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date:2023-05-05
