There are plenty of highly anticipated movies on Marvel’s upcoming slate, from Thor: Love and Thunder to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but the one that fans are most excited about is arguably Spider-Man: No Way Home, the conclusion of Tom Holland’s solo Spidey trilogy.
The last time audiences got excited about a Spider-Man 3, it didn’t turn out so well – and Andrew Garfield never even got a third movie – but with Kevin Feige at the helm and Jon Watts back in the director’s chair, fans are optimistic about this one. With actors from previous incarnations of the Marvel universe returning to supervillain roles sparking rumors of a live-action Spider-Verse, No Way Home could drastically change the MCU.
Live-Action Spider-Verse
The most prominent rumor about Spider-Man: No Way Home is that it’ll bring in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men from alternate universes for a live-action Spider-Verse team-up with Tom Holland’s Spidey.
This would be a tricky concept to pull off – and it could distract from the current Peter’s MCU arc – but if Feige figured out a way to make it work, it could be great.
Spidey’s Secret Identity Is Public Knowledge
The third MCU Spider-Man movie is telling a Spidey story that’s never been told on-screen before. Following the bombshell twist in Far From Home’s mid-credits scene, Peter Parker’s secret identity is no longer a secret.
The Daily Bugle has outed him as Spider-Man and framed him for Mysterio’s London attack. No Way Home is poised to be a Spidey movie like no other based on that premise alone.
Introducing She-Hulk
She-Hulk is one of the many beloved Marvel characters getting their own series on Disney+, along with Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Ironheart. Jen Walters is a lawyer who becomes the She-Hulk when she’s injured in a shooting and receives a blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner.
Unlike Bruce, Jen enjoys Hulk-ifying and spends most of her time in the She-Hulk form. She represents superheroes in legal trouble. Marvel never misses an opportunity for a crossover, so No Way Home might introduce Jen as she represents Peter Parker in court ahead of her Disney+ series filling in her origin story.
Peter & MJ Could Be The MCU’s Next “It” Couple
Since 2008’s Iron Man, the MCU’s “it” couple has been Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Their complicated romantic arc culminated in Pepper telling a dying Tony, “You can rest now.” After that explosive emotional climax, there’s an opening for the franchise’s next “it” couple.
WandaVision turned Wanda and Vision into a more interesting couple, but they sadly don’t have much of a future. Tom Holland and Zendaya share terrific chemistry, and their characters finally got together in Far From Home. Peter Parker and MJ – already an iconic couple from the comics – could easily become the MCU’s new romantic focal point.
Assembling The Sinister Six
Despite the fact that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 teased the Sinister Six coming together and a Sinister Six movie has actually been in development at Sony for a few years, the Sinister Six have yet to appear on the big screen.
In No Way Home, as Peter Parker’s identity is revealed to the world, the anti-Spider-Man team of supervillains might finally assemble on-screen. Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx’s Electro are appearing, and Homecoming smartly left the Vulture alive (and Mysterio is an illusionist, so he could still be alive, too). The stage is set for the Sinister Six to assemble in the threequel.
Bringing Netflix Characters Into The Movies
Since Marvel canceled all its Netflix series in one fell swoop and started making streaming series with direct links to the movies for Disney’s own competing streaming service, the beloved characters from the Netflix shows have unfortunately fallen by the wayside. The rights to those characters are back in Marvel’s hands, and hopefully, they’ll keep all the perfectly cast actors on board.
The New York-wide conflict set up for No Way Home is the perfect way to introduce all the Hell’s Kitchen-area vigilantes from the Defenders universe. Charlie Cox’s Daredevil could defend Spidey in court, or Jon Bernthal’s Punisher could protect him when New York’s criminal underbelly inevitably comes looking for him, Parabellum-style.
A Direct Reference To Uncle Ben
So far, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has yet to directly reference Uncle Ben. There was a hint that Aunt May was grieving in Homecoming and a “B.F.P.” inscription on a suitcase in Far From Home, but No Way Home needs to step up its Ben Parker references.
Ben is the closest thing Peter had to the father. In the MCU, Tony Stark has filled that role, but after spending a whole movie mourning Tony’s death, No Way Home should finally acknowledge Uncle Ben. The threequel needs more than an Easter egg; Uncle Ben’s sage advice from the past needs to affect Peter’s stressful present.
Doctor Strange Becomes Peter Parker’s New Tony Stark
Part of Sony’s agreement with Marvel to produce Spider-Man solo movies for the MCU is that another renowned hero has to appear to mentor him. In Homecoming, this role was filled by Tony Stark. In Far From Home, it was Nick Fury, who didn’t really count because he turned out to be a Skrull in disguise the whole time.
In No Way Home, Doctor Strange will fill that role. Given Strange’s very Stark-esque characterization in the MCU, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Strange takes over where Stark left off as Peter’s father figure.
Introducing The Fantastic Four
It seems unlikely that the Fantastic Four will make their MCU introduction in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it’s not impossible. The movie will take place in New York, where the Fantastic Four live, and its story seems like it’ll rip open the multiverse to incorporate previous franchises, which would allow a fully formed Fantastic Four team from the ‘60s to seamlessly enter the MCU.
Plus, No Way Home is being directed by Jon Watts, who is also directing the Fantastic Four reboot. And in the comics, Spidey has teamed up with Marvel’s first family a bunch of times.
Making Pre-MCU Movies Canon
In the original version of Nick Fury’s speech from Iron Man’s mid-credits scene, he acknowledged the existing Spider-Man and X-Men movies as MCU canon, but this was changed because it was unclear where the rights to each franchise would end up.
Now, it seems that Feige and co. are slowly incorporating pre-MCU franchises into MCU canon. If Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx’s Electro make Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man movies canon, then the sky’s the limit.