Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Convenient Ending

⚠️Spoiler Warning

This post contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home and movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that precede it.

Spider-Man joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2016 and has played a key role in it ever since. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the 8th highest grossing film in the MCU and Sony’s highest grossing movie of all time [1]. All this despite coming out less than two weeks ago. This box office success comes at a cost to the latest version of Spidey though. Sony has been reluctant to relinquish the rights to Spider-Man entirely. So, every couple of years, Sony and Disney have to renegotiate Spider-Man. They outline everything: from whether he interacts with Sony's Marvel Universe (e.g. Sony's Venom) to his very inclusion in the MCU [2]. With a future as uncertain as this one, I’ve often wondered how long it would be before the creative vision for Spider-Man fractured. No Way Home ends with a twist. The entire world forgets everything about Spider-Man. I think this represents the first major crack.

Unlike the majority of The Avengers, the MCU was not most people’s introduction to the superhero. And the many previous iterations cultivated the “friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man” we’ve all come to expect. These expectations presented a challenge to an MCU that wanted to take the web slinger in a slightly new direction. MCU Spider-Man didn’t act in isolation - he teamed up with the rest of the heroes. MCU Spider-Man wasn’t just concerned with New York City - he went to space to help stop Thanos. And MCU Spider-Man didn’t have to cope with the passing of Uncle Ben - he had to overcome the passing of his mentor and lead Avenger, Iron Man. In general, I appreciated that we got a fresh take instead of a rehash of old ideas. Still, a desire for a classic Spider-Man story was not uncommon among fans, and this seemed to be the motivation behind No Way Home.

No Way Home positioned itself as a celebration of Spider-Man old and new. Whether your favorite version of the character was Tobey Maguire’s, Andrew Garfield’s, or Tom Holland’s the latest film was for you. Doc Ock, featured villain in fan favorite Spider-Man 2, was a key piece to the movie’s marketing strategy. I was looking forward to No Way Home as much as everyone else was. Why wouldn’t I be excited for a multi-series mashup of my favorite superhero of all time? It wasn’t until I saw the film that I started to have some mixed feelings. No Way Home wasn’t just a celebration of nostalgia, it was a return to it. The movie tosses aside all that differentiated MCU Spider-Man from his predecessors. We even got the new version of Uncle Ben’s death, but with Aunt May this time. It even came complete with a revamped “with great power comes great responsibility”. And to top it all off, the ending. Everyone forgets MCU Spider-Man completely. It seems Disney and Sony would like us to do the same.

I should highlight how sharp a turn this decision is. A central theme in Far From Home was Peter Parker filling the void left by Tony Stark’s death. How would Spider-Man conduct himself as Iron Man’s successor? How would Peter Parker act as a leader in The Avengers now that his identity was revealed? These were the questions Far From Home left us with. Apparently the answer is “just kidding”. Even as someone who occasionally longed for a more typical Spider-Man, this solution feels disappointing and suspiciously convenient.

We won’t ever know the exact reasoning behind this decision, but it’s hard to ignore the latest announcement. Disney and Sony’s collaboration will continue with three new films, with at least one more featuring Tom Holland [3]. With a clean slate, the studios are able to take this trilogy in whatever direction they choose. They are freed from the constraints of established story lines. Spider-Man is free to ignore Nick Fury and the problems plaguing the greater MCU. Peter Parker is free to interact with Sony’s Marvel characters opposed to Disney’s. No justifications are needed because he is once again an unknown. And when the time comes for Spider-Man to reunite with The Avengers, a hasty re-introduction can patch that right up again.

I’m always wary of reboots. On one hand, they can honor an older franchise while introducing it to a newer generation. On the other, they can rework a franchise when studios desire a drastic change. This next trilogy is not technically a reboot, but I can’t shake the feeling that the idea is the same. No Way Home ends with Peter, Disney, and Sony all deciding that the best way to prevent disaster is a full reset. They come to terms with the idea that the world would be better off if MCU Spider-Man’s story is forgotten. Me though? I’m not quite sure I’m ready.

References

[1] “Top Lifetime Grosses.” Box Office Mojo. Accessed December 28, 2021.

[2] Laman, Douglas. “Rules Spider-Man Has to Follow in the MCU.” Looper.com. Looper, February 4, 2021.

[3] Erik Davis. “'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Producer Amy Pascal Reveals More about the Historic Film and Confirms Tom Holland's Future as Spider-Man.” Fandango, November 29, 2021.