Not showing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parkers returning to their respective universes at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home was a wise decision. The appearance of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield is definitely one of the best highlights of Spider-Man: No Way Home, as not only did they please scores of fans who have been with Spidey since the start, but also contributed to the MCU journey of Tom Holland's Peter Parker and concluded their own stories on a high note. Logically, fans can't get enough of them, but keeping their roles short and sweet is for the better.

After the multiversal events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, one can deduce that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man was welcomed in his home universe by Mary Jane, with whom he retained a long-standing relationship despite some bumps in the road. Tobey's Peter Parker may continue to fight crime for a while before retiring despite his age, as he still can keep up with other powerful heroes and supervillains. Andrew Garfield, on the other hand, has a long journey ahead of him, as he's yet to fully come out of the darkness he was submerged in after Gwen Stacy's death.

Related: Why Maguire & Garfield’s Spider-Man Universes Never Had Avengers

If Spider-Man: No Way Home teased a hopeful future for both multiversal Spider-Men, why didn't it show them returning home? Besides underlining the themes of the movie, this could have been an opportunity to provide a perfect bookend to all three big-screen Spider-Man franchises: Tobey, Andrew, and Tom's Spider-Men performing one final swing in their respective universes, similar to how Sam Raimi's Spider-ManSpider-Man 2, and The Amazing Spider-Man ended. To put it shortly, this ending would have been too ambitious for its own good, as it would have teased audiences with the possibility of sequels that may never see the light of day.

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man Endings After No Way Home

Nevertheless, Spider-Man: No Way Home left the door open for sequels to Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Regardless of how likely they are, each Spider-Man was shown eager to be a better hero despite the difficulties they may face. Seeing Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker reunite with Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane and seeing Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man meet a possible villain would have been a final gift to fans, but perhaps it would have been too much for the end of the movie. After all, No Way Home needed to highlight how independent — and lonely — Tom Holland's Spider-Man became, so his final swing was all the more powerful after the reveal that he's now left to his won devices.

Any detail about Maguire and Garfield’s continued stories, no matter how small, would have made fans obsess over possible sequels. Andrew Garfield had to lie very blatantly in order to keep his surprise appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home a secret, but the truth was going to come out eventually. Fortunately, his return was only officially confirmed with the release of the movie. On the other hand, fans could have obsessed over the possible release of Spider-Man 4 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which may or may not be materialized soon, if ever.

More: MCU Theory: No Way Home Prevented Maguire & Garfield's Spider-Man Deaths

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