No Way Home's Spider-Man Trick Is Impossible To Copy (Even For Batman)

The cinematic experience that was Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the highlights of recent years in terms of entertainment, but it cannot be easily copied. While the multiverse concept has long been used by both Marvel and DC, the exact set of circumstances that led to No Way Home cannot be replicated by any other superhero franchise. Perhaps the most likely to generate a film like No Way Home would be Batman thanks to his long cinematic history, but not even the caped crusader would have all the ingredients needed to pull off No Way Home’s Multiverse trick.

Originality is not an easy thing to ask of major blockbuster franchises, especially at a time when it is so difficult to draw audiences back to the movie theaters. Years after setting the tone for the industry with the idea of a shared universe, the MCU once again indicates a successful path with the concept of the Multiverse. In addition to No Way Home, the Disney+ series Loki and What If...? as well as the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness prove that the Multiverse may be the next big trend.

In the same way that many franchises have tried to replicate MCU's shared universe, many superhero movies will now try to find their own "No Way Home." The multiverse is not unique to Spider-Man — in fact, alternate realities are a relatively recent concept to the mythos of the friendly neighborhood — and it can be found in the stories of many other superheroes. In the movies, however, pulling the concept of the Multiverse is much more difficult. Whether for creative or even legal reasons, bringing together elements from different franchises into a single film is an arduous task and one that maybe not even the Batman movies are up to.

How No Way Home Pulled Off The Spider-Verse Trick

Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland Spider-Man

Even though superhero films, especially those from Marvel, were at a stage in which even the most absurd comic book concepts could easily be adapted for the big screen, it still seemed too far fetched to imagine that characters and actors from franchises produced in completely different studios and at different times could one day interact. Sony and the MCU proved that wrong by managing to bring together three generations of Spider-Man films in one film. According to Kevin Feige, the writers' original idea for No Way Home was just to have the villains from the old movies appear in a post-credits scene, something that quickly evolved into one of the most ambitious crossovers in movie history.

With villains such as Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus on the table, it had become impossible for Sony and Marvel to continue developing No Way Home without the presence of Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men. Fortunately, both actors were open to returning and the ambitious idea became a reality. Still, both Garfield and Maguire had their reservations. The former wanted to ensure that his appearances weren't just about smiling and waving to the camera, while the latter preferred not to dive into what had happened to his Peter almost two decades after Raimi's Spider-Man 3.

Why No Way Home’s Spider-Men Team-up Couldn’t Have Happened Earlier

MCU spiderman movies still need to pay off far from homes best set up j jonah jameson jk simmons

The idea of a crossover between different Spider-Men in live-action traces back to the days of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when Sony first considered bringing Tobey Maguire back for a team-up with Andrew Garfield. The idea obviously didn't go forward, and Sony would months later pull the plug on Garfield's franchise to make way for a new Spider-Man developed in collaboration with Marvel Studios. All of the studio's plans for the future of Spider-Man in theaters such as the Sinister Six movie and even an Aunt May movie were shelved, and it seemed like the crossover idea would meet the same fate.

The same idea would be brought up again seven years later thanks to a very specific context regarding MCU's Spider-Man. No Way Home as it is wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the clash between Marvel Studios and Sony following the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. After a successful four-year collaboration, neither Sony nor Marvel seemed to be happy at the terms of their deal regarding Spider-Man and were close to removing the hero from the MCU. Before the terms of the deal were renegotiated, the third movie was being discussed as a much simpler story about Peter on the run and Kraven being the main villain. After all the fuss of the negotiations, however, both Sony and Marvel realized that it was possible to aim much higher when it comes to Spider-Man.

Why Batman Can’t Have Its “No Way Home” Movie

If it was already so difficult for Spider-Man to pull off the Multiverse trick, it would be almost impossible for any other superhero franchise to have their “No Way Home”. The only other character who had a cinematic journey as successful as Spider-Man’s is Batman, and even still the status of the caped crusader franchise is much different from what it was to the Marvel hero. Michael Keaton is already returning in some capacity through multiverse shenanigans, Ben Affleck has stated he's not interested in doing IPs anymore, Christian Bale always said he would do Batman as long as Nolan was involved, Val Kilmer doesn't act as often and no money in the world would convince George Clooney to put the suit back on. Lastly, Robert Pattinson’s Batman has just debuted and it looks like he won’t interact with other DCEU heroes for now.

Granted, The Flash will deal with the Multiverse and will feature two different iterations of Batman. Even still, the movie seems like it will be much more of a passage of torch from Ben Affleck's version to Michael Keaton's version, who will now be the DCEU's main Batman for productions like Batgirl, than a multiversal team-up like No Way Home was. It's not even certain that Affleck's Batman and Keaton's Batman will interact or if it will be something closer to the Flashpoint comic, in which Bruce Wayne and Thomas Wayne never met in person.

The phenomenon that was Spider-Man: No Way Home should indeed be celebrated and serve as an inspiration for other franchises, but it will not be easy to try to replicate what the reunion of the three Spider-Men and their villains has achieved. The real lesson for other franchises is that there is no such thing as a too ambitious idea, and that comic book adaptations can always dream bigger. When Multiverse of Madness and The Flash debut, it will be possible to assess how other productions have handled the concept of the Multiverse.

Next: Doctor Strange 2 Means The MCU Risks Forgetting Its Best Multiverse Story