Marvel May - Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Spoiler Talk

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, before we get to some of the other reviews for Marvel May, I'd like to discuss spoilers for a movie that I have reviewed previously: Spider-Man: No Way Home. This is a very special circumstance, given the fact that I have just given my reviews of the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire and the two The Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield, and BOTH series come into play with this film. Plus, the film is currently available on Blu-ray, 4K, digital, and DVD, so everyone should be able to have access to it now. 

        Okay, so as I said in my original review, Peter Parker has been outed as Spider-Man via video recording of Mysterio framing Spider-Man for the crimes Mysterio had committed. However, Peter is cleared of any legal charges thanks to a lawyer that I declined to identify in my original review. Now, I'm going to say who it is: Matt Murdock. I swear, I stood up and cheered in the theater when I saw Charlie Cox reprise his role from the Netflix streaming series Daredevil in this movie. I recently read that he will also be featured in an upcoming Disney+ series, Echo, which will serve as a spin-off of Hawkeye and will also feature Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, reprising his role from both Daredevil and Hawkeye. So, as a fan of the Daredevil series, this is really exciting for me. 

      Anyway, public opinion is adamantly against Peter now, and it's affecting not only himself, but his family and friends as well. So much so, in fact, that MIT University rejected his application as well as the applications of his friends MJ and Ned. Seeking to undo the damage caused by Mysterio, Peter seeks out Doctor Strange, who casts a spell to make the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. He screws the spell up, and instead, it attracts enemies of Spider-Man from across the multiverse. 

        The ones that show up are Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Sandman from the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire, and Lizard and Electro from the two The Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield. And I gotta say, it is still fantastic rewatching this movie and seeing the interactions between Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx. Unfortunately, neither Thomas Haden Church nor Rhys Ifans were on set due to scheduling conflicts, but I did appreciate that they were able to voice their characters, and physically appeared due to both CGI doubles and archival footage from Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man. 

       So, ignoring the warnings of Doctor Strange, and even going so far as to leave him strung up in the mirror dimension, Peter goes to try and cure these villains before sending them back, thus giving them a second chance. He succeeds with Octavius, replacing the destroyed inhibitor chip that previously gave him control of the mechanical arms. Unfortunately, Norman's Goblin persona takes over, the other villains escape with Max taking the Arc Reactor that powered the fabricator that Peter was using, and the means of curing Marko, Max, Connors, and Osborn all being destroyed, and Aunt May killed by the Goblin. 

           After the news breaks about the situation, MJ and Ned use Strange's sling ring to open a portal to Peter, but open two portals to two different versions of Peter. Now, THIS is what I meant in my original review about being glad to have been proven wrong. Both Tobey Maguire AND Andrew Garfield reprise their roles as Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man, and their interactions with each other are fantastic. However, it's once they share a scene with the MCU version of Peter that it gets really fun, as Maguire, Garfield, and Tom Holland really bounce off each other flawlessly, and I just get a massive smile on my face every time I see it. 

       So, the three Spider-Man's ultimately repair the cure devices, with Garfield's Peter recreating the cure he and Gwen made for Connors, while Maguire's Peter works on the cure for Osborn. And then, we get the climax at the newly updated Statue of Liberty. Now, I gotta say that I find it really stupid that they were putting Captain America's shield on the Statue of Liberty. I mean, WHYYYY?!?!?!?!?! Anyway, Maguire cures Marko, Octavius cures Max, Holland cures Connors, and Strange comes back from the Mirror Dimension. Maguire and Garfield have a quick reunion with Octavius and Max, which was definitely a lot of fun to see, especially seeing Tobey Maguire and Alfred Molina have a brief bit of catching up. 

        Goblin shows up, destroys the device containing the screwed-up spell, and goes to fight Holland's Peter one-on-one. Holland's Peter tries to kill the Goblin with the Glider, but Maguire stops him, getting stabbed by the Goblin in the process. Garfield tosses the cure for Osborn, Holland catches it's and Osborn is cured. Holland's Peter then goes to Strange, who can no longer contain the multiversal villains from crossing over, but Peter suggests a new spell: one that will make everyone forget who Peter Parker is. In other words, he will no longer exist in the minds of his friends, family, and fellow superheroes. Peter says goodbye to his alternate selves, Ned, and MJ, and Strange completes the new spell, sending the other two Peters and their respective villains back to their universes. 

        Peter gets his own apartment, makes a new suit, and resumes his life as Spider-Man, but now free to be anonymous and no longer under scrutiny from the public. In a mid-credits scene, we see Eddie Brock in a bar in Mexico learning about the universe, and Venom offering commentary. Eventually, Eddie and Venom are sent back to their universe after Eddie suggests going to find Spider-Man in New York, but a piece of the Venom symbiote is left behind. The other after-credits scene was just a trailer for Multiverse of Madness. 

       Okay, so I'm not going to talk about my opinion of the movie, nor am I going to give it a rating. My opinion hasn't changed, and the rating I gave the movie back in December hasn't changed, either. What I want to talk about is what a lot that happened in this movie means for the future. Well, first off, let's talk about Spider-Man himself. Now that the world has forgotten about who Peter Parker is, it's fair to say that he will, most likely, have to reintroduce himself to the other Avengers, or perhaps not. The way his arc ends in this movie leaves the door open for him to rejoin the Avengers, but also makes it possible to allow him an out from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Either way, I still look forward to seeing more from Tom Holland as Spider-Man, whether he's a part of the MCU or not. 

          In addition to that, what about potential new romantic interests? A lot of fans want to see Peter enter a relationship with Felicia Hardy AKA Black Cat, and are interested in seeing actress Anya Taylor-Joy take on the role. I definitely would be interested in seeing that. As for the piece of the Venom symbiote left behind when Eddie and Venom went back to their universe, I definitely think that they're sowing the seeds for a new take on the Symbiote Suit also known as the Black Suit. This is definitely something that Marvel Studios can do well, and can definitely build upon it for an entire run of movies, not just a one-off. 

         As for Maguire and Garfield, let's just say that fan interest in seeing Spider-Man 4 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 has definitely been renewed by the appearances of Maguire and Garfield in this movie. Let's remember, their franchises didn't end, they just stopped. While this movie definitely gave both actors closure for their versions of Spider-Man, fans definitely want to see more. Sam Raimi himself has even expressed interest in returning to the director's chair for a Spider-Man 4, which would be really cool. Will we get those movies? Will Marc Webb be as interested in returning for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 as Sam Raimi is in returning for Spider-Man 4? Only time will tell. For now, let's all be glad that something that I, for one, NEVER thought would happen in MY lifetime ACTUALLY got to happen. 

        So, that'll wrap up my spoiler talk for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Join me on Friday for my review of The Punisher starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta as Marvel May continues. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys then.