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Spider-Man: No Way Home used three different versions of Spider-Man at the same time, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe showed that it understood how to balance them in what was a difficult task. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is one of the most popular heroes in the franchise. As such, the Spider-Man MCU movies are all box office hits with good reviews.
That said, Spider-Man: No Way Home stands as the hero’s highest-grossing movie by a wide margin, nearly breaking the $2 billion mark. This makes the Spider-Man movie not only unique when compared to the rest of the live-action Spider-Man movie franchise, but superhero solo movies as a whole. Now, four years later, Marvel is filming Spider-Man’s next MCU chapter.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s cast includes other MCU heroes, with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk reportedly joining Tom Holland’s Spider-Man for the movie’s secretive plot. While the Marvel film will feature other heroes, no matter who they add, it will not be the same as what Spider-Man: No Way Home accomplished. The movie is a generational event that worked.
Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men Returning Felt Like A Dream Come True
One of my earliest memories of going to the movie theater was seeing Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man back in 2002 when I was only a kid. It is safe to say that my world changed from that moment on, with superheroes becoming a pᴀssion, and Spider-Man in particular always being at the forefront of my mind. The Sam Raimi trilogy was spectacular.
After Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 was cancelled, I was heartbroken. However, in the chemistry between Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy in the two The Amazing Spider-Man movies, I found my favorite live-action Marvel couple. When Tom Holland’s Spider-Man took over as the MCU version, it finally felt like Peter was home. However, something was missing.
Spider-Man: No Way Home took care of that. It united the three live-action movie versions of Spider-Man, and, as the actors have put it, revealed that they were pretty much brothers despite coming from different universes. While the MCU has had many epic moments over the years, few have made me tear up like seeing Garfield and Maguire’s Spider-Men coming through the portals.
Before superhero movies and TV shows started using the multiverse, it felt like the three Spider-Men joining forces was something that would never happen. Even after Marvel announced the Multiverse Saga, I was still unsure about whether Marvel and Sony could pull it off. Thankfully, they did, creating a unique movie in the MCU’s extensive library. A dream come true.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Understood That Tom Holland Should Be The Focus
While I wanted to see the three Spider-Men together, I was worried that having Garfield and Maguire come back would lead to them outshining Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Even though I have a bigger emotional attachment to the older Spider-Men, Holland is the MCU’s Spider-Man, and he has done an incredible job as the character’s face for many years.
Marvel understood that, making Spider-Man: No Way Home work just like it should. The excitement of seeing the three Spider-Men together was there, with Maguire and Garfield being key to the film. However, their roles were not as big as I initially thought they would be, with Holland having most of the movie to himself, shining alongside the returning villains.
Sure, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a multiverse movie, but it mainly works because of how Marvel managed to make it the most important movie in the MCU Spider-Man trilogy for the development of Holland’s Peter Parker. He deals with his idenтιтy being out there, sees his Aunt May die, and must sacrifice his happiness to save the world. Spider-Man matures.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Was Right To Cut More Multiverse Content
Spider-Man: No Way Home featured Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men and multiple villains from their Marvel movies. That led to many multiverse elements. However, the film’s development process could have resulted in an even bigger use of the multiverse. At one point, Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, Sally Field’s Aunt May, and Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson were part of the film.
That happened in early drafts of the script. To that same end, Spider-Man: No Way Home concept art revealed that Marvel considered having Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange fight in key locations from Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Man movies. While the idea is exciting at first, I believe it would have taken the focus off the MCU Spider-Man too much.
The Multiverse Saga Needs To Understand The MCU Spider-Man’s Role If The Others Return
With the MCU’s Multiverse Saga having three projects in which Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s versions of Spider-Man could return — Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars — I hope and believe that Marvel will bring them back. That said, a return of the multiverse Spider-Men would have to be handled with the same care No Way Home did.
While I can’t wait to see team-ups like Maguire’s Spider-Man with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine or Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man finally fighting an alien, the MCU needs to understand that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has to come first. If the MCU Spider-Man has a key role in the Multiverse Saga’s final movies, then please, Marvel, repeat Spider-Man: No Way Home and use the multiverse Spideys.
