The leaked trailer earlier this year created massive buzz for the upcoming third and possibly final entry in the MCU Spider-Man saga. The inclusion of Doctor Strange and the links to the multiverse ties, which will be a major part of Marvel Studios Phase Four projects in the pipeline, only fanned the flames further. With anticipation so high, does the new trailer manage to keep that momentum going? Read on for the major revelations confirmed (and still not confirmed) about Spider-Man: No Way Home.
New poster and fan event
It was initially believed that the second full trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home would be included with the theatrical release of Eternals. However, that ultimately did not happen, likely due to the film needing more time to work on the VFX and would not have been ready by the release date of Eternals on November 5.
— Spider-Man: No Way Home (@SpiderManMovie) November 15, 2021 On November 16, the official social media accounts of Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures, and the Spider-Man: No Way Home movie shared the newest poster for the film, as well as announcing the second trailer would be dropping the next day. A special fan event would be held at 5PM PT to get first-hand look before the trailer is uploaded to the mainstream internet. Correlating to this, a promotional reaction video was uploaded involving the three main leads Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon reacting to the trailer. The three stars shared their excitement, watching the new trailer ahead of the rest of the internet.
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) November 16, 2021 Although the trio’s comments did not reveal much, but added to the flames of interest among the Marvel and Spider-Man fandom, with Batalon claiming at one point that fans are going to “freak out”.
Second full trailer and what was revealed
There are a number of new details and scenes shown in the new Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer that the first trailer only hinted at. The first trailer provided the setup for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) requesting aid from his fellow superhero Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to provide a mystical means of making the world forget his secret identity. We also learned that Peter’s meddling caused Strange’s spell to get botched, thereby causing mayhem in the multiverse. However, we only had very brief instances to see what the exact repercussions are of that errant magical ritual, including the arrival of Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina). With this second trailer, we now have a clearer picture of how the plot will unravel. Moreover, we get confirmation of the major players that will be involved in the course of the story and why. Here is a rundown of the major plot elements in the new Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer:
Doctor Strange explains to Peter how messing up the forgetfulness spell led to visitors entering their world from every universe. Doc Ock is the first of these visitors that battles Spider-Man. One point in the trailer that seems to quash fan speculation is that Doc Ock was talking not to Holland’s Spidey but Tobey Maguire’s version. That does not appear to be the case, as the battle in the freeway involves only Holland and Molina. Instead, Doc Ock subdues Spider-Man (in the Iron Spider suit) and unmasks him. This leads to Doctor Octopus being surprised by the fact that he isn’t Peter (or at least, not the version he is familiar with). Peter is apparently able to capture Doc Ock, with the latter kept in a cell. Peter, along with MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) questions the Doctor, with the trio finding it humorous that his real name is Otto Octavius. The black and gold-yellow Spider-Man suit makes a couple of appearances. It apparently has mystical properties, as it creates similar energy manifestations as when Doctor Strange is using sorcery. Doctor Strange tasks Peter, MJ, and Ned to deal with the situation, poking fun at their similarity to the Scooby Doo gang. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) appears in person, although it is unclear if this is the main MCU version or another. Doc Ock and Doctor Strange imply that the villains making the transition into the MCU are ones that died fighting their worlds’ Spider-Man. Peter seems to not accept this state of affairs and attempts to steal a mysterious box away from Strange. Could he be trying to change the fates of these villains?
A montage of scenes finally confirm Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro, and The Lizard from the two previous Spider-Man film series are in this movie. This confirms the previous leaks of the updated IMDB list for the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Like Doc Ock, the villains are shown to have updated designs. Electro is notably no longer electric blue, but instead has a more normal-looking appearance, but with a new costume and harness that channels his powers. Meanwhile, Sandman is a gigantic face, reminiscent of the final battle in Spider-Man 3 (2007). The climactic battle appears to take place on Liberty Island, amidst repairs being conducted to the Statue of Liberty. MJ will fall from the scaffoldings with Peter diving to rescue her. This is reminiscent of the scenes from Spider-Man (2002) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), respectively. The trailer closes with Doctor Strange stating they are starting to come through and he cannot stop them. Strange seems to be referring to the multiversal incursions other than the five Spidey rogues. Could this be implying more personalities, both good and bad, entering the main MCU Earth? The patterns that appear in the sky as Strange says this are very similar to the fractures in the timeline shown in Disney+’s Loki. Perhaps there is a connection?
Tickets on sale C̶y̶b̶e̶r̶ Spider-Monday, November 29. pic.twitter.com/poLaE677On — Spider-Man: No Way Home (@SpiderManMovie) November 17, 2021
But what wasn’t revealed may disappoint fans
Despite the meatier details from the second full trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home, there are still some caveats. Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures managed to keep the curtains covered on the most anticipated and highly speculated elements of the film: that of the other Spider-Men. The new trailer still has no shots or any confirmation that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be reprising their roles as their universes’ Wallcrawlers. While this may disappoint fans, this also helps keep enthusiasm high, leaving the fandom to continue to discuss and throw theories about when or even if the two older Peter Parkers will appear in the film. Another set of details that have been kept close to the chest are the other characters that may or may not be appearing as part of the multiversal shenanigans in the plot. Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil (heavily rumored to be one of the major characters being transported from the prior Netflix Marvel series) was one of the supposed leaks recently, but his appearance is also unconfirmed in the new trailer. Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock/Venom also does not appear in the trailer. In fact, only the five previously mentioned super-villains appear as ganging up on Holland’s Spider-Man. That’s one man short of being an actual Sinister Six. But with the previously mentioned details, it is likely just a matter of time. Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are certainly milking the marketing potential for Spider-Man: No Way Home as much as they can before the film arrives. With that said, it would not be the first time a Marvel project disappointed fans (remember the Mephisto and Quicksilver red herrings in WandaVision?). It would certainly be a huge letdown if the other Spider-Men are not going to be in the film with the generated buzz reaching an unprecedented high. Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Zendaya (MJ), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Marisa Tomei (May Parker), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin), Alfred Molina (Otto Octavius/Doc Ock), Jamie Foxx (Max Dillon/Electro), Rhys Ifans (Dr. Curtis Connors/The Lizard), Thomas Haden Church (Flint Marko/Sandman), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), and Benedict Wong (Wong). The film also stars Toni Revolori (Flash Thompson), Angourie Rice (Betty Brant), Martin Starr (Roger Harrington), J.B. Smoove (Julius Dell), Hannibal Buress (Andre Wilson). Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: No Way Home web-swings into U.S. theaters this December 17, 2021.
