***SPOILER ALERT!***
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the movie many Marvel fans – no, SCRATCH THAT – movie fans have been looking forward to all year, as this epic action flick is more than just a superhero movie – it’s a legacy movie that honours the past, rewrites the present and paves the way for a stronger future. With this movie directly connecting to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and possibly Morbius too, Sony’s No Way Home is opening up Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it to bigger and better things.
If you have’t seen it, be sure to stay for two post-credits scenes, which we help you decipher here, and if you have seen it, we’re sure you have questions because amongst all the mind-blowing multiverse action, we can’t help but wonder what’s going on, and there are some questions that we would love to have answered.
If you have not seen Spider-Man: No Way Home, please leave. But if you have seen it, and have questions about the movie, read on.
This is your last spoiler warning!
1) How can the universe forget Peter Parker?
Peter first strikes up a deal with Doctor Strange that the whole world forgets that he is Spider-Man, but towards the end of the movie the condition of the spell changes to the whole world forgetting Peter Parker. Peter got his wish, and at the end of the movie, we see him at May’s grave with Happy. Happy asks Peter how he knows her, and Peter said via Spider-Man.
We know, this was addressed in the comic books, and at the end of the movie, no one remembers Peter, but how does it work?
If the world forgets Peter Parker, is he in the government system? Does he have birth records and digital records? Is he identified as Aunt May’s nephew, and if he is, why didn’t he inherit her estate? And if computers acknowledge his existence, would Stark’s AI Friday or Karen aka Suit Lady remember him?
And if Peter is truly forgotten, then how has he lived his life thus far, because not having digital records means not having a bank account. Does this mean he doesn’t have birth records? That everyone in his family forgot that May was the guardian of a young kid, or that the Parkers even had a son to begin with?
Sure, sometimes we do things that we would like people to forget, but forgetting your whole identity is extreme.
Peter was also seen with an assessment book that hints he’s retaking college-admissions exams, so is there a high school record of him somewhere? You most definitely need it to apply for college.
2) Who has ownership of EDITH?
Following up from the previous question, if Peter Parker is forgotten by everyone on the planet and has to start over in his relationships with those alive, how does this affect those who are already dead? Particularly the decisions that were already made by the dearly departed Tony Stark?
Tony had given EDITH (Even in Death, I’m The Hero) to Peter after he died, so if computer systems can also forget Peter, we’re assuming he cannot claim ownership of the defence system. So what happened to all these cool tech? Would Tony have given them to someone else, and if he did, who has control of EDITH? And if Tony did give it to Peter, and the systems no longer remember Peter, who’s in control of EDITH?
This sounds like a What If…? episode.
3) Is there a Uncle Ben in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Uncle Ben, we love him. Fans of Spider-Man are aware of the close relationship Peter has with his Uncle Ben, and his pivotal role in the genesis of Spider-Man. Just like how you can’t think of Captain America without his shield, you can’t think of Peter without his Uncle Ben.
In one of the scenes, all three Peters say that defining line that Peter is all too familiar with – With great power, comes great responsibility. Tom Holland’s Peter was confused as to how the other two knew of the line, since it was just said to him by his Aunt May, right before she passed.
Both Maguire and Garfield’s Peter said their Uncle Ben said it to them, and as the camera cut back to Holland, this Peter had no reaction to the name whatsoever. Which means he does not know the name.
Now, we can’t help but wonder if a Uncle Ben, or a ‘Ben’ who exists in the MCU. Was there a Ben that Aunt May had been with years ago, who died?
In the comics, Ben and May Parker are Peter’s aunt and uncle, but Benjamin Franklin Parker is the husband of May, and the paternal uncle of Peter. May was born May Reilly, which means she does not have a blood connection to Peter. Did the MCU rewrite the rules?
With Peter effectively guardianless, does he then later meet an ‘Uncle Ben’ who will assume a parental role with him in future Spider-Man films? Who knows. But it would be nice for Peter to have an Uncle Ben now that Aunt May is gone.
4) The other two Spider-Man are not aware of the Avengers. Are they the lone hero in their universe?
No Way Home obviously exists in the same world as the MCU, where all the events of Endgame are canon, and acknowledges the existence of the Avengers. However, it seems like other Spider-Mans and SonyVerse characters, like Venom and Eddie Brock for example, are unaware of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Holland’s Peter had to teach the other two Spider-Mans how to work as a team, and both were not familair with the Avengers. In the post-credit scene, even Eddie Brock aka Venom was asking a bartender about Thanos and Hulk.
What does this mean? Well, it implies that Maguire’s and Garfield’s Spider-Man operate as lone heroes in their world, and Tom Hardy’s Venom operates in a world without Spider-Man. One man vs the world – that seems like a lot for a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man to deal with.
5) How powerful is Doctor Strange?
After the events of Endgame, Doctor Strange finds himself without the Eye of Agamotto (thanks to the Battle on Titan). Strange is rendered less powerful now without the Eye, but has enough powers to conjure a simple forgetting spell to help Peter.
But seeing how a little interruption from a chatty teen has led to Strange accidentally ripping open the multiverse, can you imagine the mess made if Strange actually had the Eye on him? We’re curious to see how much powerful Strange actually is when he returns in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
6) So the villains return to their universe cured, but did they die?
The whole plot of No Way Home was to cure the villains of their evil, whether that’s to turn a Lizard back to a man or give a quick fix to their now-ancient tech. The idea of “fixing” these villains comes from Peter and Aunt May’s belief that everyone deserves second chances.
But what is deemed a second chance once these villains return back to their universe? Peter was insistent to not send the villains back because it would mean returning them back to their deaths in their final battle against Spider-Man. Now that they’re “cured”, would they be sent back to the same final moment? Would the battles even happen in the first place?
There’s too many plot holes here. Plus, if Peter were to send them back to their death, why cure them in the first place? Just sounds like Peter has a crazy saviour complex here.
7) So part of the Venom symbiote is now a part of the MCU. Does this mean Marvel Studios has freedom to use Venom, or does Venom still belong to Sony?
The post-credits to both No Way Home and Venom: Let There Be Carnage tease a strong Spidey-Venom meet cute. However, how that’ll happen has always been a big question mark since Venom in the SonyVerse was completely unaware of Spider-Man up till recently.
The post credit sees Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock seemingly returns to his universe, but not before leaving a small portion of the alien symbiote in the MCU. If we are to infer that this remnant can become Venom (or one of 12,099 other symbiote hosts from the comics), does it mean that Marvel Studios can now introduce a Venom into the MCU? And who owns the rights to this MCU Venom?
8) Charlie Cox returns as Matt Murdock, but is he Daredevil?
The first big reveal comes about 10 minutes into the movie, and it’s that Charlie Cox is reprising his role as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, the one he played for three seasons and one additional series on Netflix. We know Marvel Studios acts like the Marvel-Netflix shows don’t exist but with Cox moving on to the big screen as Daredevil, does this mean we’ll get to see the rest of the Defenders make their big MCU debut, with the same talents attached to the characters?
It is unlikely that Marvel Studios will reference the Netflix shows, but it’s great that Cox is back but is he also Daredevil, or will Marvel Studios tell another origin story? What about Ritter, Bernthal and Colten as Jessica Jones, Frank Castle aka The Punisher and Luke Cage? Can we assume they know each other and are the Defenders, or is Sony/Marvel introducing a variant as per Loki , with the same actor, but with a clean slate? The less said about Jones, the better.
Or will Marvel Studios also cast new actors in some of these roles, and conveniently label them as variants as well? With Loki making it completely possible for multiple different variants of one character, fans might finally be able to get the Iron Fist/Finn Jones we deserve. Call us Marvel, because we have some names in mind.
9) What’s up with Ned Leeds?
In No Way Home, Ned Leeds casually mentions that his family deals with a little bit of magic too. Displaying no other skills in the previous films aside from hacking, Ned’s sudden ability to open and close portals with the Doctor Strange’s sling ring so easily is all too convenient. Strange himself took quite a while to master the sling ring and open portals, and is deemed one of the most powerful sorcerers, so how did a high-schooler with no experience and no training do it so effortlessly?
That’s not the only thing suspicious about Ned. In the science lab, Ned asked Maguire’s Peter if he had a best friend, only to learn that Maguire’s Peter had a best friend who tried to kill him. Ned later assures his best friend that he won’t attempt to kill him, and all this can be one massive foreshadowing (or fan service) for the character, as in the comics, Edward ‘Ned’ Leeds was a reporter at the Daily Bugle and Peter’s best friend who was later brainwashed and turned into the Hobgoblin.
Although that’s the origin story most comic fans are familiar with, the Hobgoblin has been the alias of many other villains, so maybe this small and short moment is meant to foreshadow Ned’s turn? Who knows.
10) How weak is Doctor Strange?
There are plenty of flaws present in Strange’s characterisation in No Way Home – like how did he lose control of a simple spell? And why he, as one of the most sensible Avengers, didn’t think further before helping Peter with this spell? That aside, Peter managed to trap Strange in the mirror dimension for a whole 12 hours, spinning about in a never-ending abyss.
As shocking as it is that Strange has found himself in this predicament, it’s even more shocking that none of the other mystics noticed that he was gone. Sure, Wong may be busy doing whatever he’s doing (probably some Shang-Chi stuff as seen in the post-credits), but still, why didn’t anyone notice? Sorcerer Supreme can’t even leave the mirror dimension without his sling ring. Pfft.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Natalie
