It has been a painfully long wait for the release of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. Smashing the 24 hour viewing record previously held by the trailer for Avengers: Endgame (2019), the teaser has only created more excitement and speculation about what, and who, to expect in the new film.
“The multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little.” These are the wise words spoken by Doctor Strange in the trailer, and fans are holding their breath in anticipation of how the multiverse will impact the films set for release in phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). So what can we expect from No Way Home?
“Public Enemy No.1“
Immediately, the post-credits scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home is addressed. The trailer picks up where it left off with Jonah Jameson revealing that Spider-Man is Peter Parker to the entire world, and blaming him for the death of presumed hero Mysterio. Next, we see Peter fleeing Times Square, away from digital billboards plastered with a photo of his face half covered by the spider-man mask. The text “public enemy number 1” appears over the top.
It is clear from this footage, and the shot of Peter walking into Midtown High School surrounded by angry crowds, that he wishes nothing more than to be able to go back to being a friendly neighbourhood spider-man. Interestingly, a protester holds up a sign with the writing “devil in disguise,” possibly a hint towards the appearance of comic book villain Mephisto.
Doctor Strange, AKA Stephen
The people closest to Peter (MJ, Aunt May, and Ned, among others) have all been drawn into the chaos that has ensued since Spider-Man’s identity was revealed. This is perhaps the main reason he turns to Doctor Strange for help.
Peter asks Strange to make the world forget who Spider-Man’s real identity is, an apparent nod to to the comic Spider-Man: One More Day which left readers reeling when the whole world forgot who Spider-Man is. Despite a very deliberate warning from Wong to not cast the spell, Strange predictably ignores him and agrees to help Peter anyway. Does Strange feel that he has a duty to Tony Stark (or to Peter himself) to look after the young hero?
Familiar Foes
Whilst Strange casts the spell, Peter enters its circle which is marked by three giant floating rings that could be representative of the three earths that will crossover in the movie. Peter is seen panicking, realising that he doesn’t want everyone to forget he’s Spider-Man. His anxious rambling tampers with the spell, which becomes unstable and causes an explosion that leads to a tear in space and time. This is signified by a familiar flash of rainbow colours which have been used to represent travelling through the multiverse in the movie Doctor Strange (2016). It may also be the exact moment villains are yanked from other worlds into this one.
From this point the world is seen contorting and folding in on itself. Then a number of classic Spider-Man foes are hinted at, the most obvious being Alfred Molina reprising his role as Doctor Octopus. He is the only villain officially introduced in the trailer, whose one line is enough to send fans of Spider-Man 2 (2004) into a frenzy.
Fans may also remember that Jamie Foxx took to Instagram back in October last year to announce being casted for a role in Marvel’s Spider-Man threequel, but then swiftly deleted the post. The trailer now all but confirms that Foxx will be stepping back into the role as the villain Electro, who he played in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).
How Does No Way Home Tie Into Loki?
The scene where the spell goes horribly wrong, and for a moment during the explosion appears as Strange and Peter are floating in space, looks extremely similar to the sky surrounding the citadel at the End of Time in Loki, when the timeline is broken and branches off in countless different directions.
So, another theory is that Strange may have sensed something happened to the timeline, corresponding with the events that unfolded in the Loki finale, and sees the path where he helps Peter as the one with the best possible outcome in the future.
Does this imply that the events that unfold in the movie are the result of a new timeline and the villains are variants that can no longer be stopped by the TVA?
Will The Sinister Six Be In This Movie?
Major hints dropped in the trailer has teased the appearance of the Sinister Six, a team of villains from Spider-Man comics who team up and dedicate their lives to defeating Peter.
Apart from the appearances of Electro and Doctor Octopus in the movie, a scene where Peter dodges out of the way from a creature in the shadows is thought to be introducing the Lizard. Additionally, footage of what appears to be sand in the air may be a hint at the arrival of The Sandman. Both have appeared in previous Spider-Man films outside of the MCU.
Finally, the most obvious clue left for fans was a pumpkin bomb dropped on the George Washington Bridge, followed by the famously evil laugh of The Green Goblin who is almost certain to make an appearance. Hopefully he will be played once again by Willem Dafoe, who took on the role in Spider-Man (2002).
Will Previous Spider-Men Also Appear?
The biggest question on everyone’s mind is “will Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield be reprising their roles as Spider-Man in No Way Home and help Peter number three fend off the Sinister Six?”
Many claims of finding leaked photos with all three actors donning the Spider-Man suit have been made, although it’s likely that these are forgeries. If two other versions of Peter Parker are due to appear in the movie, Marvel are staying very tight lipped about it. Whether they do or do not however, Marvel audiences are likely to be talking about the events of No Way Home adventure for a very long time.
Words by Jasmine Edge
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