Warning: this is a list of spoilers for the film Spider-Man: No Way Home. Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Benedict Cumberbatch, along with an impeccable cast of villains broke box office records, as well as the multiverse this past weekend, proving that Spider-Man fans are willing to brave a deadly pandemic in order to avoid having the film spoiled for them.
For months members of the cast have denied their appearances in thinly veiled attempts to keep the magic alive for true believers.
This is our list, in no particular order, of eleven “amazing” from No Way Home.
1. Gratuitous shirtless Tom Holland
Very early in the film Holland appears shirtless, showing off his ripped Avenger body, which rivals the guns of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and Chris Evans as Captain America.
2. Three Spider-Men
Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire tried desperately to dispel the rumors they were appearing in the film, even going as far as claiming leaked photos were photoshopped, however, the two joined Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to help thwart their villains from their own dimensions. The three had a few memorable scenes where they discussed fighting aliens and how they shoot their webs.
When Holland’s Parker told the others that he was an Avenger, the others were so supportive and assumed the Avengers were a band. Garfield and Maguire had some really heartwarming moments with Holland, which added much-needed comic relief, as well as depth to each of their characters.
3. Original cast of Villains
Let’s face it, Sony and Marvel had a really difficult time keeping all the awesome surprises under wraps, but at one point there was a villain panel which spilled the beans. Long time Spider-Man fans were thrilled Alfred Molina brought back Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock, Willem Dafoe reprised Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Jamie Fox appeared as Max Dillon/Electro, Rhys Ifans brought back Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard, and Thomas Haden Church appeared as Flint Marko/Sandman.
4. Aunt May’s death
One shocking moment that wasn’t spoiled was Aunt May’s death. It has been reported that Marisa Tomei said that she told her therapist how the movie ends. The fight scene that caused her death was one of the most brutal and epic fight scenes in Marvel films as of yet and it ended with our Tom Holland/Peter Parker comforting his loving aunt in the final moments of her life. During her poignant death scene she told our Peter Parker the iconic line, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
5. Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
Yes, we already mentioned him in the cast of villains, but Dafoe brought his A-game to this film and almost stole the movie with his performance. It seems the Green Goblin only gets better with age, much like a fine wine, and Dafoe was insanely terrifying in his portrayal.
6. Rogers: the Musical
Keen-eyed viewers should have noticed the billboard for Rogers: The Musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, which is a delightful little easter egg for Hawkeye fans. According to the MCU wiki, Hawkeye showrunner Jonathan Igla revealed that the inspiration for Rogers: The Musical came from a billboard advertising Hamilton, which he and Elisa Clement would see daily on their commute to the writers’ room.
Rogers: The Musical was originally supposed to be a background element in Hawkeye, but as the idea grew, several Broadway veterans were tapped to develop the fictitious show, which included Save The City composer Marc Shaiman.
7. Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man saves Zendaya’s MJ’s life
The death of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man’s Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) broke that Peter Parker’s heart and in No Way Home, he was given the opportunity to not allow history to repeat itself.
As Zendaya’s MJ plummeted to what would have been her death, a teary-eyed Andrew Garfield (as Spider-Man) saved her in just the nick of time. It was clear that the moment healed his heart a little and gave him some much-needed closure.
8. Venom Solidifies his place in the MCU
In the first post-credit scene, Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock/Venom spent a little time arguing with themself before going back to their dimension, leaving a tiny bit of the Venom behind to possibly inhabit another person.
9. The Mirror Dimension
No Way Home took an exceptionally trippy turn when Dr. Strange took Tom Holland’s Peter Parker into the Mirror Dimension where he could be in control. The Mirror Dimension is a parallel dimension that allows the user, in this case, Dr. Strange, to practice their magical abilities and fight their enemies without the public’s knowledge. Our Tom Holland Peter Parker, who is a brilliant MIT hopeful was able to overpower Dr. Strange and trap him in the mirror dimension for the majority of the film by using geometry, so stay in school, kids!
REELated: Spider-Man webs up the box office record books
10. Nanobots take over Doc Ock’s arms
Doc Ock was one of the first other-dimension villains to come through after Dr. Strange and our Peter Parker broke the multiverse. His entrance was insanely mind-blowing and at one point he used one of his robotic arms to rip open Parker’s Stark Technologies suit.
Unbeknownst to him, the suit had so many bells and whistles which allowed Parker’s suit to “pair” with Ock’s arms and make them his own, once the nanobots infected Ock’s tech, thus incapacitating the villain. In the film, Ock was the first villain to be “fixed” and in the end he aided the Spider-Men in “fixing” the others.
11. Matt Murdock aka Daredevil makes an appearance
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker finds himself in a little bit of legal trouble after Mysterio made it look like he was viciously murdered by Spider-Man. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) comes to his aid, and just in case there was any question of whether or not he was actually Daredevil, it was quickly answered when the blind man inexplicably caught a brick that was thrown through Parker’s window with lightning-fast speed.
For those unaware, Charlie Cox played Matt Murdock/ Daredevil on the Netflix series Daredevil from 2015-2018. It’s also important to note that Vincent D’Onofrio plays Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin in the Daredevil series and we all expect to see him reprise the role in the season finale of Hawkeye.
There are so many other memorable moments and easter eggs in the film and this is just a very short list of the ones that leaped out of the screen and into our hearts.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently in theaters.
Joia DaVida reports on the entertainment industry in both Chicago and Los Angeles.
