The long – awaited Spider-Man: No Way Home has reached theaters and the hearts of fans. It has shaken the atmosphere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and to us, the viewers, it has caused a roller coaster of emotions, delivering comic scenes, others immensely sad and, despite the spoilers and leaks, a lot of surprises.

We knew ahead of time that the movie would feature villains from previous Spider-Man movies: Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, and Lizard. However, we did not know how they would be included in the story, how this whole adventure would unfold, and what other elements of the franchise awaited us.

No Way Home is a triumph in many ways and represents the culmination of not only this particular Spider-Man trilogy, but also the franchise dating back to Sam Raimi’s first movie in 2002. So, to celebrate the release From one of the most relevant films of the year, we took a chronological review of the most shocking moments in Spider-Man: No Way Home .

Note: this article is full of spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home .

The appearance of Matt Murdock

Yes, this was previously leaked, but many were under the impression that it was a Photoshopped image. That’s why it was surprising to see Matt Murdock (played by Charlie Cox) in the beginning of the movie, even if it was for a few minutes. Murdock appears in the role of adviser to Peter against the murder charges attributed to him.

Perhaps the truly shocking aspect of Murdock’s appearance is the fact that the film recognized his status as Daredevil, as he caught a brick that was thrown into the apartment without a hitch, leaving everyone in the room stunned.

Doctor Strange is no longer the Supreme Sorcerer

Doctor Strange has established himself as Sorcerer Supreme since the end of his solo film, so naturally fans thought that upon returning from Blip he would regain his position. However, this film confirmed that Doctor Strange was working for Wong, who was awarded the title of Supreme Sorcerer after Strange’s absence. It was shocking to realize that Strange was no longer the man in charge of the Masters of the Mystic Arts.

This shakes things up a bit in relation to what his role will be in his second film. Also, it brings a different context to Strange’s absence from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , which made us think he wasn’t important enough to investigate the Ten Rings.

The arrival of the other Spider-Man

The reunion of the three Peter Parkers was something that fans waited for years, and 2021 was marked by speculation, theories and leaks about it on social networks. But all that did not remove the surprise to see them actually gathered on the screen.

The scene unfolded with MJ and Ned searching for Peter as he opened a portal, after Ned got hold of the Honda ring from Doctor Strange. However, instead of Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield’s version appears on the portal. And as if that weren’t enough, Spider-Man’s friends open another portal a few minutes later, which reveals Tobey Maguire.

The appearance of these Peter Parker could have been only in a cameo, but the interesting thing is that they were perfectly integrated into the plot. In fact, his contributions are tremendous: Andrew Garfield’s Peter saves MJ (redeeming himself for failing to save his beloved Gwen), and Tobey Maguire’s Peter stops Tom Holland’s from murdering the Green Goblin. Their participation in the showdown was a fan service few saw coming.

The reference to Spider-Man memes

The number of Spider-Man memes that have been on the internet over the years is enormous, especially from the Sam Raimi trilogy, and No Way Home went so far with its fan service that the memes were recognized in the movie in a way we never expected.

The most obvious was that of Norman Osborn repeating his line from the 2002 film: “I have something of a scientist too”, although a reference to the iconic meme in which two Spider-Man points to each other also appeared . The latter was pulled from the 1967 animated TV series and has been edited in a thousand ways, including adding a third Spider-Man in the frame, as expected to happen in No Way Home .

The death of Aunt May

The previous Spider-Man movies starring Tom Holland had been light compared to the others, as no main characters had died in them. Also, fans are used to the death of Uncle Ben, as seen in comics and other adaptations.

That’s why Aunt May’s death shocked everyone and spawned one of the most shocking (and saddest) moments in No Way Home . Her death is even more tragic because it comes from following her ideals and trying to save the man who killed her, after leaving us the iconic line that has historically guided Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

The Green Goblin stabs Peter by Tobey Maguire

Willem Dafoe’s impressive portrayal as the Green Goblin took it to another level in No Way Home , and the character as a villain, too. The damage done by the Green Goblin is devastating: it took Aunt May’s life, nearly knocked out Tom Holland’s Peter, and stabbed Tobey Maguire’s Peter.

While his healing factor was revealed to be too good for the stab to be lethal, there was a certain point where it seemed that the end of that Spider-Man had come, fulfilling the Green Goblin’s wishes in the first film.

Villain Rehabilitation

It is common for villains to die in superhero movies, as it is a way of recognizing their antagonistic status and completing the hero’s journey. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home took a different route, with Peter choosing to heal the villains rather than murder them.

Also, it was surprising to see that Peter’s plan actually worked in the end, as every enemy ended up being rehabilitated. Many would have hoped that at least someone like the Green Goblin would die, but ultimately the movie stuck to its premise of redeeming all the bad guys .

Everyone forgets Peter Parker

Most viewers did not imagine that the Doctor Strange spell from the beginning would last until the end, but it did. In fact, it spread, causing the Multiverse to invade that reality. Sadly, to stop him, Strange had to cast a new spell, causing people throughout the universes to forget the identity of Peter Parker.

It was shocking to see the movie come to an end with such a depressing outcome, with Peter all alone and not even a memory for his loved ones. However, in addition to being one of the most audacious moves made by the MCU yet, this marks a new beginning for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, which we will supposedly see in the next trilogy that Marvel plans .

Categorized in: