This post will contain spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
If you haven’t seen the movie, I’d suggest coming back after you have seen it because I am about to talk about the end of No Way Home and what will happen next for Spider-Man in the MCU.
First off, if you are SONY, whatever Kevin Feige, Disney/Marvel wants, you give it to them. The Spider-Man franchise was dead in the water until Kevin Feige stepped into Amy Pascal’s office.
Now, it could be argued that in 2021, Spider-Man is the BIGGEST superhero in the world.
I doubt THE BATMAN will do $600 million globally in its first week.
The MCU is still going strong, the Disney+ series have done well, Shang-Chi was a pleasant surprise, and The Eternals weren’t great, but if your “flop” movie does $300 million globally, you are doing ok.
With that being said, if Marvel ever wants to hit Infinity War and End Game type Box Office numbers again, you need anchor actors and characters. They had that with Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Specifically, Iron Man and Captain America held those movies down, but they are gone now, and they will need someone to be that GUY.
Tom Holland is now an international superstar, if you were iffy on his portrayal of Spider-Man after No Way Home, you shouldn’t be, and he can thank a couple of his Spider-Bros for that (I will do another story about Andrew Garfield’s redemption).
I know Holland has spoken about needing a break and possibly letting someone else pick up the mantle, but I don’t see that happening. You will get more Spider-People, but Holland is Spider-Man and is the only one who can carry a “Secret Wars” type saga.
I thought Sony/Marvel made a good decision at the end of No Way Home to mind wipe everyone. Interestingly, they even poked fun at the Iron Man Jr. jokes that have often been a critique of the MCU’s Spider-Man. Holland’s Spider-Man had issues, but he also had unlimited support once he became an Avenger. The crux of being Spider-Man, though, is trauma and loneliness.
The Spider-Man at the end of No Way Home is the Peter Parker we all know and love. Broke, alone, heartbroken, and considered a menace.
That opens up so many possibilities.
Now, Tom Holland is a young man, so he can truly portray one in the MCU as Spider-Man.
Whenever he shows up in the next BIG MCU movie, it will automatically make it a must-see event, and if this is all leading towards Secret Wars, they possibly could make End Game type numbers.
I think Holland will do one more trilogy, and then I can understand him walking away because, by the end of it, he likely will be in his early-mid 30s.
It might two-three years before we get the next Spider-Man movie that would allow Peter to be in the middle of college.
The direction they can go is pretty limitless.
They have burned through many villains over the last 20 years, but they still have some to explore, like Black Cat, Kingpin is now in the MCU. If they want to keep the magical side, how about Morlun?
Also, there is a major push to get Andrew Garfield more time in the Spider-Man suit. In my opinion, behind Tom Holland and Zendaya, he was the breakout star of No Way Home. You can tell he was really into his role, and I hope to see him and Tobey in more movies in the future. As I said, the possibilities are limitless.
Whatever happens, the MAJOR KEY for Sony is just to let Marvel handle it and count your cash.
Flip the page for all the easter eggs you might have missed in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
