Over the past few months, Spider-Man has been a constant topic on all of our Twitter, Instagram, and TikToks. Marvel fans are equally confused as they are excited. With so many leaks, theories, and awkward interviews with Andrew Garfield, we are left wondering what the hell is really happening with Spider-Man???
Let’s start from the beginning. Back in February of this year, three different titles were released by the cast of Spider-Man: “Phone Home”, “Home-Wrecker”, and “Home Slice”. This caused an eruption of fan theories. Many speculated that the titles hinted at the villains that would be appearing in the new film. Others took this as confirmation that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be reprising their iconic roles in the upcoming movie. There is still no real answer to why the fake titles were released, but very shortly after, a real title was announced by Tom Holland: No Way Home.
For as long as I can remember hearing about this movie, there have been fan theories about the uniting of the three Spider-Mans. Perhaps this idea was strengthened when speculation grew that some of the villains set to appear in No Way Home were plucked right from the two original Spider-Man Universes. Rumors about Doc Oc, Electro, Green Goblin, Sandman, and a long list of others being a part of this new movie have been wildly swirling around for months. Does this mean we’ll be seeing a version of the Sinister Six on screen this December? Though we cannot yet be certain, the idea is exciting! When looking at the currently released cast list, it has been confirmed that Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role as Electro and Alfred Molina will be reprising his role as Dr. Otto Octavius.
You might be wondering why three different Spider-Men would appear next to each other in the same movie. Well, the multiverse is open, people! If you haven’t seen the Loki series, go watch it before this movie comes out. SPOILERS: At the end of this series, we see the multiverse crack wide open because of Sylvie’s actions. This can explain the arrival of Doc Oc, Electro, Green Goblin, and even J. Jonah Jameson in the MCU. It can also provide the opportunity for all three versions of Spider-Man to stand side by side in the same movie.
Aside from that, bringing back Maguire and Garfield would allow for the completion of their unfinished stories. Tobey Maguire was supposed to have four movies but was cut short because of the downfalls of his third. Reprising his role in this movie would allow him closure. Most likely, if he is in No Way Home, his Peter Parker will die, bringing a more definitive end to his character’s story. Andrew Garfield was hurt badly by his experience as Spider-Man. Not only was his trilogy cut short with The Amazing Spider-Man 3 being officially canceled in 2015, but he was strung along by another failed project, Sinister Six, which was officially canceled in 2016. He loved Spider-Man and was crushed to have his dreams halted so abruptly by Sony. Coming back for this movie would allow him the chance to redeem himself and continue to live out his dreams on screen.
Let’s take a second to discuss the trailer. We waited so very long for this one and it did not disappoint. The trailer confirmed a few things. One: the multiverse is open and is wreaking literal havoc on the MCU. Two: some of the most iconic villains in the history of Spider-Man are coming back! Three: there is still so much that Disney is keeping a secret. When Doc Oc comes out of the water, he looks up and says “Hello Peter”. Then, the screen shows Tom Holland. My question to you is, how would Alfred Molina’s Dr. Octopus even be able to recognize Tom Holland as Peter Parker? For him, Peter Parker was Tobey Maguire. Now, obviously, there is a chance that this is not Dr. Octavius’s first time appearing in the film. He may have already had an encounter with Holland’s Spider-Man. Or maybe he saw J. Jonah Jameson’s announcement, exposing Peter’s identity publicly. But I want to believe that those theories don’t matter. I, along with many other diehard fans, want to believe that in the scene in question, Doc Oc was in fact talking to Maguire.
The Pumpkin Bomb rolls into view as well in this exciting trailer while what sounds like Willem Dafoe’s laugh echoes in the background. The Green Goblin was not among the list of villains that actually appeared in this trailer, nor has he been confirmed. However, shortly after the trailer was released, leaked photos show Green Goblin as we remember him, flying around on his hoverboard in full costume. It is believed that this scene was originally meant to appear in the trailer but was removed last minute. Why? I couldn’t tell you. But the probability that he will show up is very high!
One of the craziest parts of this movie is the publicity. Andrew Garfield has been out of the spotlight of the American press for years now. But all of a sudden, here he is doing interviews left and right. One thing that sticks out is his conduct during interviews when Spider-Man is brought up. Many of his responses to speculation regarding No Way Home have been vague and sad, even seemingly rehearsed. As my boyfriend describes it, it seems as if Walt Disney is holding a gun to his head as he speaks about No Way Home. However, a big, drastic change took place during his interview with Jimmy Fallon. Garfield seemed entertained and confused by the rumors surrounding his involvement with the movie.
Tobey Maguire has always been pretty quiet when it comes to the media. Recently, when he’s been approached by fans or media networks about whether or not he is in No Way Home, he has simply been smiling, winking, and walking away. If you ask me, that’s pretty suspicious. If he wasn’t in the movie, wouldn’t he just say no? And where has Tom Holland been? For the star of the movie, he really hasn’t been doing much press lately. Could this be intentional considering his track record for leaking content?
Speaking of leaks, can we address how quickly all of these alleged “fake” photos have completely disappeared from the internet? This has been a common occurrence. Months ago, a Disney employee posted a photo of a gift basket, given to him after filming for No Way Home had wrapped. Though the photo disappeared almost instantly, it is rumored that the basket contained images of what appeared to be three different versions of Spider-Man. If this wasn’t an issue, why would it have been removed from the internet so quickly? The same has been happening with leaked set photos. The one referenced by Jimmy Fallon in his interview with Garfield was promptly removed from the internet as well. Why all of this urgency over a photoshopped image?
At this point, I am completely convinced that there is a very elaborate scheme in action to cover up the fact that there will be three different Spider-Mans on screen together in just a couple of months. How can you not think so with all of the leaks that have come out? Photos of both Maguire and Garfield on the set, GIFs of Garfield in costume, sound bites from unreleased content, and wild fan theories that make more and more sense every day have made it very difficult to not buy into the idea. I am completely prepared to be extremely disappointed if all of this speculation proves to be for nothing. However, if it was really nothing, why is there so much pointing toward something big? We’ll just have to wait and see.