Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Not many would have placed bets on Spider-Man: No Way Home being the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to shake things to the core of the franchise. As it was, it did just, with Tom Holland’s third outing as the main protagonist bringing in major moments that would have had fans in utter disbelief.
It’s interesting how the fact that the presence of Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, and Lizard were all revealed beforehand, yet the movie still managed to pack in a boatload of surprises. All in all, it’s worth recapping the wildest moments and events that happened as a way to appreciate the film’s entertainment value.
The Arrival Of Peter Parkers Into The MCU
This was widely hoped and even expected by fans for years, but it still didn’t take away the surprise from the moment. The scene played out as if MJ and Ned had summoned their version of Peter through the Sling Ring, only for Andrew Garfield’s version to show up.
It was even more unexpected to see Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker appear only a couple of minutes after Garfield arrived, as most would have thought their roles would have been spread out. Watching the two Peters engage in a short face-off using their web powers was a fan service few would have seen coming.
Appearance Of Matt Murdock
Matt Murdock’s appearance was leaked earlier on, although many were still under the impression that it was a photoshopped image. It’s why it was surprising to see him show up early on, with Murdock acting as Peter’s council against the murder charges laid on him.
Perhaps the truly shocking aspect about Murdock’s role was the fact that the movie acknowledged his status as Daredevil, as Murdock caught a brick that was thrown into the apartment from behind him with absolutely no problems.
The Rehabilitation Of The Villains
It’s expected for villains to be killed off in superhero movies as a way to acknowledge their status as antagonists and complete the hero’s journey. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home took a different route where Peter chose to cure the villains.
Moreover, it was surprising to see that Peter’s plan actually worked in the end, as each one of the bad guys was rehabilitated. Many would have expected for at least someone such as Green Goblin to perish, yet the movie stuck to its premise to send off all the villains to their redemptions.
Revelation That Doctor Strange Isn't The Sorcerer Supreme Anymore
Doctor Strange has been established as the Sorcerer Supreme ever since the ending of his solo movie, which made fans think he had reclaimed the role after returning from the Blip. However, this film confirmed that Doctor Strange was now working under Wong, who was the Sorcerer Supreme.
It was a shock to realize that Strange was no longer the main guy running the Masters of the Mystic Arts, which shakes things up for what his role will be for his second movie outing. It also brought in a different context to Strange’s absence in Shang-Chi, as it meant he just wasn’t important enough to investigate the Ten Rings.
The Acknowledgement Of Internet Memes
There has been a bevy of memes related to Spider-Man across the various media the character has appeared in. However, certain fan-running gags like “Bully Maguire” have been the most rampant. No Way Home went so far into its fan service that memes were outright acknowledged in ways fans would never have expected.
The most overt one was Norman Osborn repeating his line “I’m something of a scientist myself,” while Tobey Maguire’s Peter repeated the famous quote about the pain in his back. Even Tom Holland’s internet tag of “Iron Man Jr” showed up in a Time magazine cover during the film.
Peter Parker 3's Confession That He Let Go Of His Morals
Andrew Garfield’s version was dubbed as “Peter Parker 3” in the movie, who revealed he wasn’t the “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” anymore. In one of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s most tear-inducing scenes, Peter Parker 3 confirmed he was still grieving Gwen’s demise and had resorted to seemingly taking lives as Spider-Man.
Fans had considered the ending of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to show that Peter had moved on from Gwen and learned to be a hero, so hearing his confession that he had let go of his morals was a shock to those who didn’t see this dark turn coming.
Green Goblin Stabbing Peter Parker 2
Willem Dafoe quite possibly gave the best performance in Spider-Man: No Way Home as the Green Goblin, inflicting the most damage like taking Aunt May’s life and stabbing Peter Parker 2. The scene played out as if Maguire’s version might end up perishing due to the injury.
While it was revealed his healing factor was too good for the stab to be lethal, there was a definite moment where it seemed as if Peter Parker 2’s time had come to an end and the ending of the first Spider-Man movie had come to pass as the Goblin had wanted.
Everyone's Loss Of Memory Over Peter's Identity
The majority of viewers wouldn’t have thought that Doctor Strange’s spell to make everyone forget Peter would stick, yet the movie went even further. Peter ended up becoming even less than a memory because no one in his life knew who he was anymore.
It was shocking to see the movie come to a close with such a downer ending, as Peter was now all alone with nothing to suggest how he would function without his loved ones or an overall identity. It’s easily one of the boldest moves made by the MCU so far for the hero to sign off on such an ambiguous note.
Spider-Man's Defeat Of Doctor Strange
Just about everyone would have placed Doctor Strange at the top amongst the characters in Spider-Man: No Way Home, according to fighting ability. And yet, the movie showed even his ace move of placing Peter in his astral form failing, with the latter managing to return to his body.
Peter ended up defeating Strange outright in the mirror realm, which was typically a win for Strange prior to this movie. It was completely unexpected for Spider-Man to be portrayed in such a powerful way, which also shakes up how fans consider the power levels of magical characters overall.
The Death Of Aunt May
The Spider-Man movies in the MCU were very light compared to the majority of others, with no main character ever perishing. There were implications that MJ would be in peril, yet those were also suggestions that fans didn’t take seriously.
It’s why the death of Aunt May came out of nowhere, with May meeting her demise at the hands of Green Goblin. The fanbase is used to the death of Uncle Ben, so Aunt May’s passing was a shocking turn of events that basically no one would have considered before it ended up happening.