Warning: This post contains Spider-Man: No Way Home spoilers

Spider-Man: No Way Home has finally hit cinemas, and Kevin Feige has drawn comparisons between the film and The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King. After Mysterio revealed Peter Parker's identity at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, audiences were left wondering how the MCU was going to handle the third entry in the series. Now with Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters, critics and fans alike are praising Marvel Studios and Sony for pulling off a successful third MCU Spider-Man film.

Spider-Man: No Way Home finds Tom Holland's Peter Parker initially on the run for the death of Mysterio before the charges are dropped against him. After seeking out Dr. Strange, played once again by Benedict Cumberbatch, Parker must stop a slew of multiverse variant villains who have entered the MCU from a botched spell. By the end of the film, Holland's Spider-Man has had to give up certain parts of his life to protect the ones he loves. Spider-Man: No Way Home is a story of sacrifice, but it is also a story of doing the right thing while facing what feels like insurmountable odds.

Related: Can Spider-Man's Sinister Six Movie Still Happen After No Way Home?

For many critics and fans, the story itself draws parallels to other third entry films that have found success both at the box office and with the Academy. For Feige, Spider-Man: No Way Home is “a celebration of moviegoing in the theater.” While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Feige notes the comparison of Spider-Man: No Way Home to that of The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King both films having success in completing a trilogy of stories. Read the full quote below:

“In the way The Return of the King [the third and final installment, which swept the Oscars] was sort of a celebration and culmination of all of that amazing work that had been done on that trilogy, this is a celebration both of our Homecoming trilogy [the three most recent installments] and of the five other incarnations of Spider-Man that had happened before.”

Aragorn and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings Return of the King

Peter Jackson's successful trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy series, was a rare blockbuster film that saw box office success and gained traction on the awards circuit. Though it wasn't the first big film to earn prestige nominations, The Return of the King winning 11 Oscars changed how the Academy began to view "popcorn" movies. Superhero titles like The Dark Knight and Black Panther, would also receive critical acclaim and become Oscar winners. For Feige, Spider-Man: No Way Home encompasses all the Spider-Man films that came before the MCU, as well as celebrating the journey of Holland's Spider-Man. Much like The Lord of the Rings, the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy, managed to capture that same magic in interweaving a compelling story alongside iconic characters.

While Feige is likely to push for the Academy to consider Spider-Man: No Way Home as an Oscar contender, the film itself seems to mark the end of an era for the MCU Spider-Man. Even with talks about a fourth entry for Holland's Spider-Man, Spider-Man: No Way Home does end with Holland closing the chapter on one journey and beginning another. Still, Feige's comparison between Jackson's film and Spider-Man: No Way Home does evoke the wonder and excitement that seeing a large scale story finally told on the big screen can do.

Next: Every Spider-Man Movie Releasing After No Way Home

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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