Fans are impatiently waiting for Spider-Man: No Way Home as the countdown keeps ticking. The film will develop the most ambitious content of the multiverse, with villains from alternate universes returning and causing chaos. Of course, the multiverse storyline is only the beginning.
There is a lot to unpack for this cinematic event, which will require watching all Spider-Man film adaptations to refresh on the content before the release on December 17. It entails a lot of dedicated time to revisit all the stories. Many fans may not have the time, so a summary of the most important things will suffice.
Peter Parker's Secret Identity As Spider-Man Is Exposed
The mid-credit scene from Far From Home revealed that not only was J.K. Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson, but Peter Parker was framed for Mysterio's death. However, the worst didn't end there. Jameson disclosed that Peter Parker was behind the Spider-Man mask, which exposed his secret identity.
No Way Home starts right from this moment to develop the exposition, in which Peter suffers the consequences. Furthermore, it will also motivate Peter to inevitably seek Doctor Strange's help and pave the way for the multiverse to unleash.
Peter Parker & MJ Are A Couple
Another crucial thing to remember from Far From Home is that Peter and MJ are now a couple. Despite the grand-scale publicity of his identity as Spider-Man, it seems that their romantic relationship has flourished.
As seen in the trailers, his love for MJ also serves as an incentive to restore his secret identity. However, a common theme in any Spider-Man movie is that Peter's loved ones, especially their love interests, will always be in danger because of his identity as Spider-Man. Like Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy, MJ's life will be at risk, and the No Way Home trailers reveal the high stakes.
The Multiverse Has Been Unfolding For A While
No Way Home will tackle the multiverse storyline, but the plot has been unleashing for a while due to subtle hints in earlier MCU projects. WandaVision highlighted the aspects of alternate realities and Wanda's incredible powers while Loki delved into the explanation of the multiverse and started the stages of timeline ramifications.
Therefore, No Way Home will showcase the effects of the multiverse. These projects are building up to the narrative of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022. The multiverse will be a crucial plot point, and Wanda Maximoff will appear in the film, which only speaks to the calamity of what is to come.
In Their Original Universes, Some Villains Died
In No Way Home, five villains from alternate universes are returning. However, their endings from the original universe raise intriguing speculations about their story arc since three of the five villains died in their movies.
The Green Goblin (impaled by his glider), Doc Ock (sacrificed himself), and Electro (overpowered to death) died in their movies. So, it is surprising that these three characters (portrayed by the same actors) are alive in the No Way Home trailers. Sandman (escaped freely) and the Lizard (ended up in prison) survived, but there is a chance that their story arc may also be different from the original movies.
Peter Parker & Doctor Strange First Met In Avengers: Infinity War
Peter Parker and Doctor Strange are New Yorkers, yet they first met under dire circumstances due to Thanos's diabolical threat in Avengers: Infinity War. Peter rescued him after being abducted by Ebony Maw, and they teamed up to fight Thanos on Titan. Both characters were victims of The Snap.
In the trailers, it seems that their work relationship has evolved to a more amiable level, but it is also short-lived with the multiverse unleashing. Their friendship is already starting on the wrong foot due to their dispute about handling the villainous intruders who are determined to kill Spider-Man.
Doctor Strange Is The Sorcerer Supreme, & Ironically, A Pacifist
Fans should have a general sense of Doctor Strange and his capabilities as the Sorcerer Supreme. There is no denying that he is one of the most powerful MCU characters due to his knowledge of the mystic arts. He also had one of the most epic fight scenes against Thanos.
Another significant piece of information is that he is a pacifist. It makes sense because he dedicated his whole life as a neurosurgeon to saving people. Even though he did kill someone in Doctor Strange, he ultimately made a different call when he encountered Dormammu and negotiated a bargain instead of trying to kill him. His pacifist ideology is ironic in the No Way Home trailers. He seems adamant that the only way to fix the situation is to kill the villains, leading to a dispute with Peter, who believes it is unjustified.
MCU Aunt May Is The Only Version Who Knows About Peter Parker's Identity As Spider-Man
Many fans did not anticipate that Aunt May would accidentally learn Peter's identity as Spider-Man. This has never happened before in any previous renditions. Far From Home revealed that not only was she accepting of Peter as Spider-Man, but she further encouraged him to use his powers to do good.
Although Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse presents a similar relationship between a version of Peter Parker and Aunt May, it does not have connections with the MCU. Between the three versions of Aunt May, it appears that the MCU Aunt May is more active with Spider-Man's endeavors. The second trailer hints at Aunt May's activity, which suggests that she will also be serving as a helping hand for her nephew.
Fugitives Venom & Eddie Brock Are Involved In The Multiverse
No Way Home looks to have connections with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series and The Amazing Spider-Man series. But, it does not stop there. A few months ago, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was released in theaters and revealed a shocking moment in the mid-credit scene.
Venom and Eddie Brock were also transported into a different multiverse and saw the coverage of Spider-Man's true identity. Although there has been no confirmation if the scene will have any impact in No Way Home, it would be odd that there was a mid-credit scene indicating the grand scale of things only for Venom to not appear in the film.
Tom Holland's Peter Parker Has Not Killed Any Supervillains
Up to this point, Tom Holland's Peter Parker has a track record of not killing supervillains outside of using instant kill out of desperation during the final battle in Endgame. Therefore, his experiences should only reflect on actual Spider-Man supervillains.
He saved Vulture's life in Homecoming, while Quentin Beck died from his mortal wounds when the bots shot him. This demonstrates his morality that killing is wrong, even for the most heinous enemies. In the second trailer, he seems to ponder Doctor Strange's plan to kill the supervillains, which Peter finds morally wrong and tries to stop him. However, even his "no killing" rule might come back to bite him.
Three Peter Parkers, But The MCU One Is The Most Contrasting
In 20 years, fans have been introduced to three iterations of Spider-Man. Each version has lived through similar stories, such as their powers emerging from a spider bite and the absolute point of Uncle Ben's death. Yet, their story arcs could not be any more different, especially with Tom Holland's Peter Parker.
Unlike Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's, Holland's Spider-Man is the only one who became an Avenger. Furthermore, almost all his recent suits were created using Stark tech, and he is the only one who has died. These differences are intriguing since Holland's Peter interacts with Spider-Man's supervillains from an alternate universe. They know that Holland's version is different, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the film. Many fans have speculated that Maguire and Garfield will reprise their roles as Spider-Men. However, Garfield has consistently denied that he is in the movie. Of course, fans would have to wait and see if those are true.