The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding at an exponential rate. We finally jumped into the multiverse with Disney+’s new What If…? series and will soon dive even deeper with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Yet, we’ll have a brief interlude into the Spider-Verse with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The first trailer broke many records as we witness Spidey and Doctor Strange face a familiar threat when Spider-Man 2‘s Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina, makes his first on-screen appearance since 2004.
With all the rumors circling this project, it’s hard to grasp just how large it may end up being once it premieres this December. In an interview with Variety, Benedict Cumberbatch teases just how crazy this project may end up being.
There’ll be a lot of debate about it [Spidey 3] I’m sure. It’s a daring, brilliant concept. Seriously, it has got great ambition. I haven’t seen it, but by all accounts, it has achieved it. Even on paper, the audacity of it is like.. how the hell is that gonna.. [expletive].
He does also praises director Jon Watts for his work on the project and teases that the Doctor Strange sequel will also challenge the ambition of this project. Countless rumors are surrounding this project with the first trailer already teasing a multiversal team of six sinister villains. It even adds more to the potential of other Spider-Men returning to the roles in the threequel.
Who knows what other concepts and ideas will get introduced in the film that Marvel Studios managed to keep behind closed doors, as we still don’t know what it means for the future of Tom Holland‘s version of the character as Sony expands their own franchise. A lot is riding on this and with Shang-Chi‘s recent success adding hope to pandemic numbers, the film may become the highest-grossing 2021 release.
If you’ve been living above a rock for the past few months, you would know there are few things the internet wanted more than a teaser trailer for Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home. To the delight of the insatiable, the trailer finally made its grand debut earlier this week and was met with uproarious approval by fans. From a major identity crisis to multiversal shenanigans, the sneak peek was chock-full of things that even the most die-hard Spidey enthusiasts never thought would make it to the big screen. However, that doesn’t mean these events have no basis in the pages of Marvel’s vast comic universe.
Most of what we were shown in the trailer’s nearly three-minute runtime can be traced back to a collection of moments from famous comic arcs. While not all of the source material is universally loved, it does make for a rather intriguing mass of inspiration. As such, I’ve taken the time to break it all down and present you with a guide to the origins of the trailer’s biggest moments, in case anyone should want to do a little reading before No Way Home drops in December.
The War at Home
That’s right, it looks like Marvel Studios isn’t done pulling from Mark Millar’s Civil War comic just yet. The big, unforgettable surprise at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home was the worldwide revelation that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. While there had been concerns from fans that No Way Home might brush this plotline aside, the trailer made sure to highlight that it would actually be a major driving aspect of the third film’s story.
Peter Parker has had his identity outed more than once in the comics, but the occasion with the most staying power was undoubtedly the one from 2006’s popular event series. The major difference between page and screen is that comic Peter took the mask off himself, while MCU Peter was mortified when Mysterio dropped his big secret from beyond the grave. A more comic-accurate depiction from the teaser was the shots of Peter being hounded by the media and law enforcement, which bring to mind the events of the Civil War tie-in arc, The War at Home.
Taking place in The Amazing Spider-Man #532-538, written by J. Michael Straczynski, the arc deals with the fallout of Peter’s identity going public and the way it affects the life of those around him. The story also features Peter revolting against the Registration Act, which places him on the wrong side of the law and in the sights of multiple government-sponsored supervillains.
One More Day & One Moment in Time
Maybe the most controversial Spider-Man arc ever written, the influence of J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada‘s One More Day is ever-present in the first half of No Way Home‘s trailer. It may need no introduction for most, but for the few who missed that particular boat, One More Day is the infamous story in which Peter Parker makes a deal with the devil. To save a dying Aunt May, Peter makes an agreement with Mephisto that trades away his entire history with Mary Jane Watson. It’s a bold, rash move, and its spirit can be felt in the trailer moment when Peter asks Doctor Strange to hide his identity from the world without realizing what that means for his time with Zendaya‘s MJ.
Alongside One More Day came a companion piece from Quesada titled One Moment in Time. This short arc detailed the exact changes made by Mephisto in erasing Peter’s marriage to MJ. The most surprising retcon comes when it’s revealed that Mephisto did not restore Peter’s secret identity as previously believed. Instead, it’s shown that Parker had gone to Doctor Strange to fix his identity crisis, and even had a moment of weakness during the spell casting where he begged for Mary Jane to still remember his identity. This additional storytelling helped reset the Spider-Man status quo going forward in the comics, albeit with some forewarned dire consequences.
Happy Birthday
Of all the trailer inspiration, the one fans may have least expected to see was a loose adaptation of Straczynski‘s centennial Happy Birthday arc. Beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #57 and concluding in the re-numbered #500 issue, the surprisingly emotional plot concerns Spider-Man teaming up with Doctor Strange, and a few other heroes, to stop Dormammu and the Mindless Ones from taking over the world. Unfortunately for Spidey and that ‘ole Parker luck, his attempts to aid Strange actually interfere with the complicated spell being cast.
As a result, Peter is sent flying outside of time and reality, forced to confront a multitude of enemies from his past and witness a tragic potential future for himself. As previously mentioned, the No Way Home teaser makes a concerted effort to hint at Peter’s involvement with Strange’s spell bringing in more than a couple of villains from (a version of) his past. And who knows, the movie may even give him that glimpse at an older Parker by the time the credits roll.
His design in this merchandise is quite different from the Funko that got released earlier last month. In it, he was wearing snow boots and a shovel alongside his classic cape. It was believed he had a minor role, but it seems he could be a strong force throughout the movie after all. They certainly want to highlight that he is indeed in the film, while also playing around with some iconic Spider-Man visuals. Spidey and Strange’s faces combined pays tribute to an iconic visual from the comics that we briefly saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
It would be curious if he takes on a more antagonistic role. Spidey is a hot-headed teenager who has the world trying to hunt him down. Perhaps he believes that his magic could help him solve the issue at hand. Once he gets his hands on a magical item, he might end up getting chased by Strange throughout the film. At this point, anything is possible, as we still anxiously wait for any trailer to tease what the film has in store for us. Either way, it looks like we’ll get a lot more of Doctor Strange before he heads into the Multiverse of Madness.
The hype surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home is surreal, as we are still waiting for a trailer almost weekly at this point. Sony postponing the upcoming release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage in New Zealand has some red flags. Still, it looks like the film is not wasting any time getting merchandise, as we got a closer look at Spidey’s black-gold suit with magic webbing. That’s not all, as some more merch on Amazon offers a look at some familiar designs featuring Mysterio’s legacy that’ll carry on after the finale of Far From Home.
The new merchandise features drawings of the iconic villain with a question mark and the bold statement: “We Believe Mysterio.” So, it looks like the Daily Bugle’s work has influenced the masses way more than we thought, and Spidey won’t have an easy time. It’s still uncertain how much of the film will follow his story facing the public’s belief in him as a murderer before magic gets involved.
We’re still anxiously waiting for any sign of life from Spider-Man: No Way Home. At this point, we know more about the film through merchandise than anything else. It’s been a month since we got our first look at a suit that seemed inspired by the Spider-Man game. The golden-black design stood out from the rest, and it looks like the suit will give our favorite wall-crawler some new magical abilities. Hot Topic has released a new shirt that holds the name”Magic Web.” It confirms that Peter is getting quite the upgrade in the upcoming film.
Interestingly enough, there’s a second shirt that is called the Gold Web Shot with a red variant of his costume, but it’s very likely just a recolor for the shirt. Still, the high-quality look at his magical webs makes you realize that his high-tech suit’s Funko Pop also includes a blue magical circle. So, these two suit designs might be more connected than we think. It’s also interesting that this might be the second version of Spidey to utilize magic in the MCU, as Zombie Hunter Spider-Man wields Strange’s cape in the upcoming What If series.
If we look at other shirts featuring the black-gold costume, it seems that the red lining on his fingertips isn’t always included. It only seems to be available when he uses magic. Perhaps the black suit is connected to these abilities, and his original costume pops out while using it. As more merchandise is finding its way online, it hopefully means we’ll finally get a trailer to see if all these rumors surrounding the film are true.
It seems that we can add Loki‘s Michael Waldron to the list of people hinting at the multiverse storyline. In an interview with The Playlist Podcast, he confirmed that he actively communicated with No Way Home writers Chris McKenna and Eric Summers. In the podcast, he states the following:
Your producing teams are constantly communicating with those producing teams to make sure that you’re not screwing each other up. I had the benefit on Spider-Man: No Way Home, Chris McKenna and Eric Summers wrote that, I was their writer’s PA on Season 5 of Community, so I can call McKenna and get bullied by him whenever I want, but also say ‘Hey, what the hell are you guys doing? Let me make sure I’m not ruining it.’ So there’s communication to the extent that the creative teams themselves, the filmmakers, the writers, whoever, can become friendly, it certainly benefits the projects.
Of course, the multiverse would be the connective tissue they would discuss. Loki‘s final episode unleashed the multiverse, with every possible branch coming into existence. With all the rumors surrounding No Way Home, it makes sense they’ll try to keep it consistent. Plus, Waldron is the writer of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will probably build upon the Spider-Man threequel. The collaborative approach makes a lot of sense to keep the world’s rules in line, especially if the multiverse becomes a bigger element moving forward in the current Phase of the MCU.
Spider-Man is a very polarizing character with countless interpretations across multiple forms of media. So, as the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home grows closer, fans have started to become more vocal regarding multiple aspects of this film. With the rumors of the upcoming sequel potentially bringing in the previous iterations of the character, fans have started to point out the differences between the three live-action versions. The debate has begun on how one counterpart is better than the other. What stands out is that the harshest of criticisms definitely focusing in on the MCU’s interpretation of Spider-Man. Many believe that Tom Holland’s version of the character lacks many qualities about what would normally characterize the web-slinging hero. All of these critiques however can be neatly wrapped up into one singular question: Who is Spider-Man in the MCU really?
Identity Crisis
For the MCU Version of Spider-Man, you could argue that he is often opaqued by his connection to Tony Stark. In a way, making his character an extension of the MCU founder. The reasoning behind this train of thought is because when compared to the rest of the characters in the MCU, whose history always was part of an extended universe, Spider-Man had no connection. He was the only one to protect NYC in his past films. In most forms of media, he’s been perceived as this individual that understands what it’s like to be someone on opposite sides of the spectrum.
An individual who knows what it’s like to be powerless to do anything and someone who has superhuman powers, but also understands the responsibilities that must come along with them. In a way, it’s what makes Spider-Man relatable and appealing to many audiences. When it comes to the MCU version of the character, some vocal Spider-Man fans have argued that this iteration of Peter Parker has a sense of dependence and reliance on others, rather than assuming responsibility wholeheartedly.
The Solution
Ironically enough, in a film that is rumored to be so jampacked and filled with characters, references, and nostalgia, Spider-Man: No Way Home may very well be the perfect film to make up for that past perception. Given what we already know about the film, Peter Parker’s secret identity has been ousted to the world. As he stands trial for Mysterio’s murder, he’ll have to step up and defend himself. That is a lot of responsibility to carry for a kid of his age.
And with the worst kept secret being that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are set to reprise their respective roles in this film, then we are putting the MCU Peter Parker where he’ll learn what it means to hold that mantle from his true counterparts, or at least a Variant of himself. He’ll have the opportunity to learn what exactly inspired or motivated each Peter Parker to gain that sense of responsibility. It would give him the chance to re-evaluate his own perception of the responsibility he mentioned in Captain America: Civil War. As his character moves forward, we might get a clearer picture of what makes Tom Holland’s Spider-Man truly Spider-Man.
That didn’t take long. Just yesterday, we found a listing for the upcoming Funko Pops inspired by Spider-Man: No Way Home. Well, it looks like the Funko Pops already found their way online via Marvel. What stands out is that it includes Doctor Strange holding a shovel, which is a rather curious detail. It also confirms which suits are given the respective title and it seems I was off by quite a bit. Check out the Funko Pops right here:
The Iron Spider combo is the Integrated Suit that was listed. It seems the Gold Suit wasn’t just a gold-covered figurine but the black and gold mesh teased through the LEGO set. It’s interesting to note they connected the hat costume to a set that was inspired by Spider-Man: Homecoming and it’ll be interesting to see why Peter creates this suit. In Far From Home, it was made through Stark technology. So, perhaps he gets back to Happy to build it after his previous suit didn’t work. What makes this design stand out is that it seems strongly inspired by the 2018 Insomniac game’s Anti-Ock suit. Perhaps he might upgrade his arsenal to take on the confirmed return of Alfred Molina in the iconic role. The additionally leaked Legends figurines showcase red fingertips for the design, which are absent with the Funko Pops.
It’s also noticeable that the pops focus primarily on Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Even as many other classic characters are rumored to appear, it seems very unlikely they’ll reveal everything so early. The film is set to release this December and there is enough time to tease the overarching plot of the film. Doctor Strange seems to have a more prominent role in the promotion and might be. the dominant figure in the film’s first trailer. All we can do now is just wait for it to finally release.
It’s been a busy day for toy leaks, as we got our first look at the What If Funko Pops and the first Spider-Man: No Way Home LEGO sets found their way online. It looks like we might have gotten more information, as Reddit user BubblesBorn shared a Funko listing. What stands out is that the listing hints at an August release, which could potentially hint at a trailer release in the current month. They would commonly make Funkos available after the designs got revealed. It also includes three different suits, which include the upgraded, integrated, and gold suit. So, the recently leaked suit that combined Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s design with the Iron Spider suit from Avengers: Infinity Wars could be the upgraded version.
There is also the listing of Doctor Strange, MJ, and Ned. It’s interesting how much focus Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Strange is getting in the toy leaks, which hints at him getting the focus in the upcoming trailer. Of course, the main focus will be his suits. It does seem strange to include three unique suit designs so early on. There is a chance that the “Gold Suit” isn’t actually part of the film but Funko’s usually complete golden version of a character.
The previously mentioned suit on the LEGO packaging might be the upgraded one, but the “integrated” design is a rather curious naming. The name is used by the military for Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology, or JSLIST, which serves to protect soldiers from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards. So, he might face a villain specialized in that kind of weaponry. whatever he might face, the August release might hint at the No Way Home trailer is just around the corner and it’s going to be an exciting next few weeks.
The next film in the Spider-Man franchise is undoubtedly the most anticipated MCU film since Endgame with so much mystery shrouding the film and rumors flying high about just what exactly the movie is about. For a while now it’s been speculated that the film would feature a multiversal outbreak that would cause villains of franchise-past and their Spider-Men to all come together in one big film that could change the MCU forever. With no clue as to when the marketing may start for the film, it seems Lego’s gotten a bit of a jumpstart, giving us a bit of a clearer look at the film.
The first set is one “Inspired by Spider-Man: Homecoming” and features Spider-Man facing off against the Vulture in an Anti-Ock-inspired suit from the Spider-Man PS4 Game, along with a giant yellow drone. The second set looks to actually be from Spider-Man: No Way Home, featuring Spidey and MJ in the Sanctum Sanctorum workshop alongside Wong and Dr. Strange as they face off against a monster bug. While the promo art is very real, it’s always worth noting that Lego sets are very unreliable so we shouldn’t necessarily expect action scenes in the film to play out the way they do in these toy sets.
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