At this point in 2021, Marvel‘s Phase 4 is well underway, with the MCU’s new movies swiftly catching up to the Disney+ side of things that initiated proceedings earlier this year. The overarching theme of Phase 4 so far? For one, there’s a changing of the guard afoot, but things are also about to get loopy, with the multiverse becoming a narrative precedent in new shows and films.
Chloe Zhao‘s “Eternals” is up next in Phase 4 on November 5, followed by the “Hawkeye” series on November 24. While both of those may have some multiversal weirdness about them, Marvels fans expect things to begin to go totally off the wall in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” hitting theaters this December.
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“No Way Home” has been the most hyped-up Phase 4 film since Sony and Disney came to a new agreement to continue the Tom Holland-led franchise in September 2019, but anticipation reached overdrive after a teaser dropped in late August. The new footage clarified lots of speculation about the new film, including the return of foes from “Spider-Man” films of franchises past. There’s a lot about “No Way Home” we still don’t know about, however.
So, let’s break things down, starting with the film’s official synopsis:
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong reprising their roles Doctor Steven Strange and Wong from the “Doctor Strange” films. Zendaya is also back as MJ, and Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, J.B. Smoove, Tony Revolori, Angourie Rice, and Hannibal Buress return to reprise their roles from the previous MCU “Spider-Man” films.
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Here’s where things get tricky. Doctor Strange’s attempt to help Peter opens up a rift in the multiverse and leads to the return of Spider-Man villains from the past two franchises. Both Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx are confirmed to return as Doc Oc and Electro from 2002’s “Spider-Man 2” and 2014’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” respectively. August’s teaser also hints at a Green Goblin appearance; will Willem Dafoe return as that archenemy?
And what about the mid-credits scene from “Venom: Let There Be Carnage“? That all but confirms a crossover between the MCU and Sony’s Spidey-Verse; so, will Tom Hardy show up as Eddie Brock, and will “No Way Home” play into January’s upcoming “Morbius” film at all?
There’s so much hype surrounding “Spider-Man: No Way Home” that the info above doesn’t even exhaust the rumors/speculation surrounding this film. All fans can hope for now is that the movie ends up an abundance of riches for MCU/Spidey fans alike and not a failure over-stuffed with characters and plot twists. The film hits theaters on December 17, from Sony Pictures Releasing. Check out the new trailer below.
