The Marvel Cinematic Universe returned to form in 2021 with the release of a whopping five Disney+ series and four feature films. Capping off the year was the highly anticipated third installment to Tom Holland‘s web-slinger trilogy in the MCU—Spider-Man: No Way Home—which quickly became the bestselling movie of the year in a matter of days.
Featuring characters and references to all eras of Spidey’s storied history, No Way Home picks up after Mysterio outs Peter Parker‘s identity as Spider-Man, turning his world upside down. Seeking the aid of Doctor Strange to fix his problems, the young Parker unwittingly tears open the fabric of reality with Strange’s spell, changing the future of the MCU forever.
10 Retconning Who Peter Parker Is In The MCU
When Marvel Studios first announced the recasting of Spider-Man in 2015, many fans were understandably trepidatious about seeing yet another rebooted version of the character. To try and compensate for this, the MCU intentionally avoided recapitulating the web head’s origins. Instead, they introduced him as Tony Stark‘s ward in the ambitious Captain America: Civil War.
Since then, Holland’s Peter Parker has been closely tied to the legacy of Iron Man. However, this drastically changes in No Way Home when Peter is cut off from his support system after the film’s climax. With no one remembering who Peter Parker is, the identity (and story) of Spider-Man has effectively been reset, allowing him to restart his journey anew.
9 Ned Leeds’ Pursuit Of His Magic Prowess
Despite being a stacked movie, No Way Home still managed to surprise audiences in some unexpected ways, including a twist revealing that Ned Leeds has an innate aptitude for magic in the MCU. While some have chalked this unexpected turn up to plot convenience, it does transform Peter’s friend into a powerful ally that he desperately needs in the final battle.
Though Doctor Strange initially scoffs at Ned’s musings about his magic potential, he gives the young man a brief moment of respect after Leeds portals the sorcerer back to New York City from the Grand Canyon. Could Ned’s future in the MCU take a turn towards the magical? It’d certainly be quite the deviation from his comic arc as the villainous Hobgoblin.
8 Doctor Strange Has A Need To Prove Himself
One of the many bombshells dropped by No Way Home was the shocking reveal that Doctor Strange no longer held the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. As Strange explains to a confused Peter, his “temporary” death during the events of 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War prompted Wong to step in as his replacement — a title the sorcerer seems to have retained since then.
Consequently, despite being at the height of his power, the former neurosurgeon seems to have a need to prove himself as the MCU’s most powerful wizard. But with Wanda Maximoff embracing her role as the Scarlet Witch and the looming threat of the multiverse, it may be Strange’s hubris that unravels the MCU reality as fans know it.
7 The Multiverse Promises Madness And Chaos
With Sylvie breaking the Sacred Timeline in Loki, Infinity Ultron threatening the multiverse in What If…?, and Spider-Man exposing the MCU’s main reality to alternate dimensions, the multiverse is shaping up to be a significant part of the MCU’s future. In addition, 2022’s upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks to explore the concept even further.
However, if the teasers fans have gotten thus far suggest anything, it’s that the multiverse promises much madness and chaos. Likewise, if No Way Home brought back both iconic villains and heroes from Sony‘s legacy Spider-Man films, then anything’s on the table for the Doctor Strange sequel the film sets up.
6 Peter Parker’s Life As A College Student
The release of 2021’s No Way Home signals the end of another era for the live-action Spider-Man, with Holland’s Peter Parker concluding his high school journey with one of the most ambitious Spider-Man stories ever told. Without the technology of Stark Industries or the support of his friends and family, Peter Parker is truly on his own now in the MCU.
However, Sony executive Amy Pascal has hinted that Peter’s story in the MCU is not yet over and that fans will see the web-head return in some capacity. Should Holland choose to sign on for another trilogy, it will likely detail the wall crawler’s life as he struggles through college and possibly even take on a side gig with the controversial Daily Bugle.
5 The Promise Of Introducing Miles Morales
The wild success of 2018’s animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has brought the biracial Miles Morales to the forefront in the world of Spider-Man, with fans eagerly awaiting his live-action debut. Fans aren’t without hope, as the MCU has now teased the future debut of the Afro-Latino teenager twice in Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy.
In 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter finds himself interrogating Donald Glover‘s Aaron Davis, who happens to be Miles’ uncle. No Way Home, however, takes this a step further when Jamie Foxx’s Electro inquires about the existence of a black Spider-Man somewhere out in the multiverse, which is perhaps a nod to Shameik Moore’s Miles from the 2018 feature.
4 Peter Eventually Reunites With His Friends
Fans were taken aback when No Way Home made the choice to kill off Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May halfway through the movie, revealing that the MCU had been telling an extended version of Spidey’s origin story across a trilogy as Tomei’s May urges Holland’s character to take up the mantle of great responsibility in the fight against his greatest enemies.
Like all Spidey origin stories, Peter finds himself making a big sacrifice at the film’s climax. In this case, Peter asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell to make everyone — including his best friends Ned and MJ — forget him. Although Peter chooses not to re-reveal his identity to them at the movie’s end, fans are hoping that the three will reunite as friends again one day.
3 The Rise Of The MCU’s Actual Sinister Six
After 2014’s messy Amazing Spider-Man 2, fans were wondering if a successful iteration of a live-action Sinister Six team-up could actually be pulled off. Into the Spider-Verse certainly proved that making a good Spider-Man film featuring multiple villains was possible, yet the featuring of five villains in 2021’s No Way Home had some fans skeptical.
Fortunately, No Way Home couldn’t have been in better hands with Marvel Studios, giving fans a stellar ensemble piece and compelling story, even if it doesn’t *quite* deliver on the promise of a Sinister Six team-up. However, with the likes of Vulture and Scorpion still poking around in the MCU, the possibility of the sinister team forming in the future is still very real.
2 The Man Without Fear Returns To The MCU
Though rumors had circulated that Charlie Cox would return as Matt Murdock in No Way Home, many remained skeptical given how stacked the cast of Holland’s third Spidey outing was. However, Cox does make a brief cameo as Murdock to assure Peter and his friends that the legal charges from Mysterio’s doctored footage would be dropped.
Given Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Kingpin tangentially returned as New York’s King of Crime in Disney+’s Hawkeye a few days prior, it’s safe to say that much of Daredevil‘s world will be making its return to the official MCU canon sometime in the near future. This will likey only be further incorporated in Alaqua Cox’s upcoming Echo series on Disney+.
1 Setting Up The MCU’s Own Symbiote Saga
Since Tom Hardy debuted as Eddie Brock in 2018’s Venom — the inaugural feature to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe — fans have been petitioning for Hardy’s Venom and Holland’s Spider-Man face off in a live-action film. Despite not sharing any screen time (yet), No Way Home‘s post-credits scene does tease the symbiote’s future in the MCU.
Though 2021’s Let There Be Carnage teleports Hardy’s Brock to the MCU, he winds up not playing a significant role in No Way Home before Strange’s final spell teleports him back to his original reality. However, the symbiote left behind seems to indicate that Holland’s next MCU adventure will be related to the alien Klyntar.
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