Summary

  • Spider-Man: No Way Home introduces the multiverse in a unique way, paving the way for future storylines and crossovers in the MCU.
  • The film's ending sees Peter sacrifice his identity to save the world, setting up a fresh start for the character and altering the timeline of the MCU.
  • The movie's multiverse explorations and developments shed light on the future of the MCU.

Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending provided the MCU the perfect conclusion to its biggest crossover to date, and helped set up an exciting future for the superhero franchise. The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced the multiverse concept in the Disney+ series Loki, but No Way Home pushed the envelope regarding what this meant for Peter and the MCU timeline at large. The third solo outing for Tom Holland’s web-slinging superhero not only opened the gateway for the multiverse, but also changed how fans saw the MCU’s previous movies, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, and elements of The Amazing Spider-Man films.

Spider-Man: No Way Home ushers in the multiverse in a unique way, and sees Peter rising above the obstacles in his way to save his friends and family, while also growing into the superhero he was always meant to be. The film's ending closes out Peter's story by showing him make arguably one of the biggest MCU hero sacrifices to date — all while also leaving the door open for the future. Here's what happened at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, how it set up the plot of Spider-Man 4 and Doctor Strange 2, and how his spell rewrites a lot of events in the MCU, paving a path for upcoming MCU releases.

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What Happens At The End Of Spider-Man: No Way Home

All three versions of Spider-Man — Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield — work together to find cures for each of their villains, who are clamoring to fight with the web-slingers and obtain more power than before. In a bid to clear his name, Peter lets the public decide whether or not he’s worth their support after everything. After battling the villains, Spider-Man and his allies successfully cure Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro, and the Lizard, turning them back into the non-altered humans they were before.

While it’s certainly a major win, Peter realizes the only way to save the world from multiversal havoc (and send the villains and the other two Spider-Men back) is to complete Doctor Strange’s spell, which erases Peter’s identity from the world. Doctor Strange succeeds and Peter goes back to square one as a superhero, with no help from anyone, alone in the world completely — for now.

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What Happens To The Villains When They Return To Their Universes?

Doc Ock with his robot arms covered in Spider-Man armor in Spider-Man No Way Home

Spider-Man — with the help of Maguire and Garfield’s iterations of Peter Parker — opted to help cure the antagonists instead. Fully restored to their pre-experimental states, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Lizard, Electro, and Sandman all returned to their universes with a clean slate. It’s possible they’ll pick up where they left off, and potentially go down different paths than before. Not only were they cured, but a few were given a second chance at life after dying in their respective movies.

Dr. Otto Octavius could go back to his research, Norman Osborn could return to Oscorp and change things around, and Electro could finally embrace the fact he’s not a nobody at all, but someone with a lot of potential. Meanwhile, Sandman will hopefully be able to return to his daughter and Dr. Connors could continue his research to help people without experimenting on himself. Considering it’s been years since the previous Spider-Man movies, the villains being cured and going back to their worlds alive continues their stories in a way that feels hopeful.

What Happens To Maguire & Garfield?

Split image of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man

Maguire and Garfield’s versions of Spider-Man aided Peter in curing their nemeses, learning to work together as a team while understanding one another’s emotional pain. After the battle’s over, however, they (like all the villains who came from alternate universes) go back to their own worlds to continue their lives before the multiverse cracked open.

Spider-Man: No Way Home gives Garfield’s Spider-Man a major and meaningful redemptive moment when he saves MJ, making up for the fact he couldn’t save Gwen in his world. The Amazing Spider-Man’s Peter goes back to his universe a bit more hopeful than before considering his current state. Maguire’s Peter isn’t given as much, though it’s assumed that he will be reunited with his MJ when he returns. His reunion with Doc Ock, who is no longer trying to kill him, could also mean they’ll reconcile and work together when they go back to their world.

Who Was Coming Through? All Spider-Villains Teased

Aleksei climbing out of a truck in The Amazing Spider-Man 2

As the multiverse cracks open further, several shadowy figures appear, ready to step through to likely fight Peter (Peter-2 and Peter-3). Considering the multiverse fracture is connected to Spider-Man’s identity, the distant figures seen in the sky appear to be all the people who know — and have ever known — who Spider-Man's is. None of the figures’ faces are actually shown, however, with only their silhouettes appearing as they step forward.

However, two of the more distinct characters that seem to be coming through are Rhino — who was portrayed by Paul Giamatti in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 — and Kraven the Hunter, who is getting his own movie with Sony. Their brief appearances could set up their eventual arrival in the MCU, which is especially interesting for Kraven, who was reportedly initially planned as the villain of Spider-Man: No Way Home before the multiverse storyline took hold.

What Doctor Strange's Peter Parker Spell Does To The MCU Timeline

Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange discussing a magic spell in Spider-Man No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending rewrites the history of the villains in their respective films, which means an alternate timeline could have branched off from the original one to adjust to the changes. Moreover, No Way Home also alters the MCU’s past and future. Now that no one remembers Peter Parker at all, it reshapes the Avengers’ history with the superhero - as while Doctor Strange 2 confirms Spider-Man is still remembered as a hero, any moments with Peter in his civilian form or information about his secret identity will be erased.

Peter Parker is basically erased from the timeline, which forces him to begin anew and changes how every other superhero will remember past events, including Avengers: Endgame. The spell, to some extent, also rewrites Peter’s origin story as Spider-Man; cut off from Tony Stark’s money and gadgets, Spider-Man’s timeline gets a fresh start. Crucially, the spell affects Peter's role in the MCU's future, likely altering all future events and creating various timelines thanks to the multiverse. To be sure, nothing will be the same again.

Does Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man Die?

Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man stopping a train with his body

Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man is stabbed in the side by Green Goblin, but he thankfully doesn’t die. The moment was likely there to shock the audience into thinking the hero was going to die after convincing Holland’s Spider-Man not to kill Green Goblin for murdering his version of Aunt May.

Maguire’s Spider-Man jokes he’s been stabbed before, and he goes back to his universe with some blood to clean up, but he will more than likely heal and be up and about shortly after. Ultimately, having Maguire’s Spider-Man be stabbed makes most sense for the film in terms of emotional weight. After all, he is the Spider-Man who has been around the longest, and thus the mere suggestion that he could die is enough to elicit a few gasps. Luckily, Maguire’s web-slinger is resilient; he’s been through worse, so he’ll be able to bounce back.

Why Peter Doesn't Tell MJ The Truth

Spider-Man and MJ on a crane in Spider-Man No Way Home

Peter doesn’t take it well when MJ and Ned don’t get into MIT because of their connection to him and his then-revealed secret identity meant their futures were affected. While MJ made Peter promise to come find her, he decides not to tell her the truth about who he is or what happened after he hears she and Ned made it into MIT. What’s more, Peter stopped in his tracks when he realized MJ still had a scar from the fight at the Statue of Liberty.

It’s likely this moment plays an important role in Spider-Man's decision, as he ultimately appears to have made it because he didn’t want MJ or Ned to be caught in the middle of the danger that came with being a superhero. It’s possible Peter will eventually tell them the truth (or they’ll figure it out), but he has peace of mind for now, knowing MJ and Ned can live out their dreams and go to the university they wanted simply because she doesn’t know who he is.

Peter Parker's Homemade MCU Spider-Man Suit Explained

Spider-Man balancing on a lamp post in No Way Home

For the majority of his time in the MCU, Peter has worn the upgraded Spider-Man costumes provided to him by Tony Stark. All of the nanotechnology and security systems built into the suit aided Spider-Man in his superhero activities. But at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter goes the old-fashioned route and makes his own homemade suit because he no longer has access to any of the suits and gadgets.

The new suit, sewn together, is a far cry from his previous suits, but it harkens back to his grounded origins that the MCU changed. No one remembering him means he is cut off from Stark’s money and the privileges he has as an Avenger. In short, Peter was well and truly broke now, and so he had to improvise with his suit, explaining its less flashy nature (though it is still in his signature blue and red). Ultimately, Peter’s new suit takes him back to the start so that he can build himself up again on his own terms.

What The Ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home Really Means (Tom's Journey)

Tom Holland as Peter Parker in the final battle of Spider-Man No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home’s finale sees Spider-Man finally stepping out of the shadows of Tony Stark and other adult mentors to finally take responsibility for his actions and choices. MCU Spider-Man has long been a reactionary figure, relying on others to aid him in the messes he creates. Peter takes a lot of steps to change that in No Way Home, now understanding what his title as a superhero means. He can’t overlook situations if he’s involved or leave it to others to fix — no matter what the personal cost.

With a more grown-up Peter, Spider-Man: No Way Home closes one chapter and opens another by bringing Peter back to his superhero roots and starting over new. It’s less of an ending and more of a new beginning, and it’s also reflective of Tom Holland’s journey as Spider-Man. The actor has grown so much in the role as the web-slinging hero and, like his onscreen counterpart, might feel like it’s time to say goodbye (though with the hope of returning to the role one day).

Venom Leaves The MCU... But Leaves Some Symbiote Behind

Venom and Spider-Man In Let There Be Carnage post-credits scene showing Venom watching TV

Venom is never one to be left out, but his arrival in the MCU doesn’t occur until the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Before he has a chance to explore the alternate world and seek out Spider-Man, he’s zapped back to his own by way of Doctor Strange’s spell that erased Peter’s identity from everyone’s minds.

However, Venom leaves behind a drop of the symbiote. This posits Venom could be the next major Spider-Man villain in the MCU, though it’s unclear when the MCU will make another solo film about the superhero. Considering Venom is specifically a Spider-Man villain, leaving the symbiote behind teases the alien creature will eventually find a new host in the MCU — be it the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man or maybe the waiter trying to explain to Eddie Brock about Thanos and the Blip.

The two most popular candidates for the villain of Spider-Man 4 are Venom and Kingpin, after Vincent D'Onofrio's return as the character in the MCU.

Doctor Strange 2 Trailer Explained

An image of Doctor Strange looking serious in Spider-Man: Homecoming 3

Rather than a traditional post-credits scene, Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The trailer offered a glimpse into what the sorcerer would be facing in the next MCU movie, providing a glimpse into the franchise's future. This included teasing Sinister Strange - an evil variant of the main MCU hero - and providing the first glimpse of America Chavez, who has the power to move through the multiverse.

As Spider-Man: No Way Home offered a glimpse into how volatile and dangerous the multiverse can be, it makes sense that it would then go on to tease Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which went into more detail about how alternate realities work, the dangers they hold, and how it affects the MCU's heroes — both now and in the future.

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