Spider-Man: No Way Home has the potential to be the longest MCU Spider-Man movie to date – and it really should be. The film’s run-time was recently printed on a UK theater’s ticket listing as 150 minutes, which would make it the longest MCU Spider-Man movie to date (Spider-Man: Homecoming clocks in at 133 minutes, and Spider-Man: Far From Home at 129 minutes). Even if the printing is just a generic placeholder, No Way Home has a lot of ground to cover, making it likely that it will have to be longer than its predecessors.

Fans were shocked by the cliffhanger in Far From Home, in which Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) gets in one last blow and reveals Spider-Man’s true identity to the world via J. Jonah Jameson's (J.K. Simmons) broadcast. In the recently released trailer for No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) goes to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help in erasing this knowledge from the world. Though warned of the dangerous nature of the spell, Doctor Strange performs it anyway and accidentally creates a rift in the multiverse. The trailer teases many facets of what this third installment in Jon Watts’ iteration of Spider-Man attempts to undertake.

Related: Doctor Strange 2 Must Address Mysterio's Multiverse Plot-Hole

No Way Home’s ambitious narrative will have to address Peter’s identity crisis, a vital appearance by Doctor Strange, the development of the multiverse in the MCU following the events of Loki, and a Spider-Man franchise crossover event that has been the source of fan speculation for years. With all of this content to cover, No Way Home has to be the longest MCU Spider-Man film. It simply cannot do justice to Peter’s personal character growth while also addressing these game-changing multiversal events in less than 150 minutes.

Spider-Man No Way Home Iron Spider costume

With villains from past Spider-Man franchise films such as Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, Willem DaFoe as the Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx as Electro, reprising their roles, all signs point to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield making appearances as their respective Peter Parkers as well, though they have not been officially confirmed in cast listings. Fans have been vying for an MCU Spider-Verse ensemble film for years, and even if Garfield and Maguire do not make an appearance, the introduction of Spider-Man villains from other universes is enough in and of itself to warrant a film-length rivaling that of any Avengers film, all of which (except Avengers: Endgame) tend to run between 140 to 150 minutes each.

On top of the daunting nature of introducing the Spider-Verse to the MCU, No Way Home could offer insight into the nature of the universe after the events of Loki. Since Doctor Strange’s decision to help Peter appears to be the catalyst that unleashes the multiverse on Earth, it is likely that audiences will get their first clues as to how Doctor Strange will be a leading hero moving forward. No Way Home will also likely set the stage for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The heart of any Spider-Man film is Peter’s personal journey. The balance of maintaining a social life and the life of a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is one that fans have resonated with no matter which actor wore the suit. In addition to all of its vital multiversal content, No Way Home will also have to do justice to Peter’s identity and character development, especially since Doctor Strange hints that Peter’s identity crisis is causing the multiverse to become more unstable. Considering the scope of what it plans to achieve, Spider-Man: No Way Home could prove to be the most important MCU film since Avengers: Endgame and fans will gladly accept a longer than average runtime if it means seeing their most sought after Spider-Verse fantasies finally brought to the silver screen.

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