Spider-Man: No Way Home is not only the final MCU film of the year, but it happens to have been the most anticipated Marvel project since Avengers: Endgame. There’s no further proof of this than the movie’s first teaser going on to beat the records set by the Russo Brothers-directed Avengers: Endgame, an insane feat.
Well, now, fans finally have another trailer for the upcoming event film, one that has blown the minds of viewers across the world. Everyone was treated to new shots of Spidey in Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Lizard, and Sandman—among other things.
As awesome as the trailer was, there was one big question on everyone’s mind when the video ended: Where in the world are Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire?
Well, there are a few reasons why they might not have made the cut.
Why Aren't Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield In Spider-Man's New Trailer?
If the strange marketing has shown anything, it’s that both Sony and Marvel Studios have quite the stubborn marketing plan for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Somehow, the film only got its first poster a few weeks ago, not to mention this final trailer was released far later than normal.
The reason behind it all? The insane amount of secrets that the film has to keep. One of the biggest, if rumors are to be believed, is the appearance of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire—the exact thing that fans want to see.
It also seems to be the number one thing that Marvel Studios and Sony want to keep a secret. Despite having been reported on by trades, and all the various leaks, the two former Spider-Men don’t ring any bells for the two studios.
Most of the talk surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home always includes the names Garfield and Maguire at some point. Poor Andrew Garfield can’t get a break from it all; he’s been asked about all the rumors and speculation dozens and dozens of times that his answers are all over the place.
Giving the Floor to the Villains
There’s another relatively simple reason why neither of the other Spider-Men made it into the trailer: Sony and Marvel wanted to give the floor to the villains.
With how big of a moment Alfred Molina’s reveal was for the first teaser, they likely felt safe doing that but multiple times over. After all, seeing Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn for the first time after so long is an indescribable feeling.
In fact, Norman had several “hero” shots. One of him on a glider with a new hooded look, and then a complete reveal of his classic costume. Even Electro got his moment, with his classic lightning bolt head making an appearance.
Then the trailer gave the world the money shot: Tom Holland going up against three massive villains; it’s truly a miracle that it’s a real thing.
The entire narrative of this new trailer focused on the villains bleeding into the Prime MCU universe, with Doctor Strange warning everyone how big of a deal it is. It’s a strong structure, and while everyone has wanted to see those other Spider-Men, that same desire goes towards witnessing all of these villains take the screen once more.
The Marvel Studios Wall
It has been previously rumored that there have been disagreements behind the scenes when it comes to how to market the film. This isn’t surprising in the slightest, seeing how unconventional the marketing has been on to this point.
Whispers were that Sony wanted both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in this newest trailer—they wanted them in that big explosive shot that would drive excitement through the roof.
However, Marvel Studios supposedly didn’t want that. This is likely why the trailer the world got was villain-based; building excitement off of that nostalgia instead of the previous Spider-Man.
It’ll certainly multiply the excitement levels for the movie, but it’s hard not to wonder what it would feel like having Garfield and Maguire in some of those big money shots.
Third Act Wonder
Say that both Sony and Marvel Studios actually wanted to show Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in the trailer—but they still couldn’t. Why? Well, what if their involvement in the plot is intrinsically tied to considerable spoilers in the film.
Say a status quo shift or massive set piece that would be unwise to unveil. As cool as it would be to get a glimpse of those former Spider-Men in their costumes, seeing a bunch of story contexts that shouldn’t be out there would make it all a lot less satisfying.
This one’s hard to believe, however, since there are a lot of ways around this. First, it’s easy to show off third-act footage—when the context is stripped away, audiences won’t know exactly what’s going on, minimizing spoilers.
Marvel Studios is also known for editing out spoilery aspects or surprise characters, from big trailer shots. So don’t be surprised if this ends up being the case at some point for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
In fact, a perfect example would be the shot of Sandman, Lizard, and Electro lunging for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Seems like they could have easily scrubbed two other Spider-Man out of that wide shot; looking at Lizard in motion, it seems pretty likely that he is aiming for someone else.
An Arachnid Cameo
Another possibility is that the two of them are simply no more than cameos. There is a chance that they don’t end up factoring into the plot at all and appear in only a few minutes.
Say, in a hypothetical situation, when Tom Holland’s Peter goes to return Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock to his original universe, he ends up running into Tobey Maguire. The same could happen with Garfield when one of those villains gets placed back in their timeline.
This could also explain the early rumors of Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone making brief appearances in the film. It’s hard to see how either of those characters would have played a big role in the proceedings, but if it was all just for a moment in each universe, then it would all make perfect sense.
No Spider-Men After All
Then there’s the option no one wants to consider: neither of them are actually in it. Somehow all of that extremely strong evidence and highly convincing leaks were all a ruse—fans have been duped.
It just seems very unlikely at this point that this would be an option. Also, with the inclusion of all the previous villains from every other Spider-Man installment, it would be an insane waste to not have their respective Spider-Man make at least an appearance.
Marvel Studios has been doing this for a long time, so it’s hard to believe that someone like MCU boss Kevin Feige would ever pull together all of these threads and not include Garfield and Maguire in the mix.
The only feasible reason why this could be the case is if one or both of the two former web slingers simply never agreed to sign on to the film. Though, again, even that seems implausible; after all, they got this big group of former villains to sign up—one would think their prioritization would be behind successfully getting the two Spider-Men back first.
The Worst Kept Secret in Hollywood?
Given the rumors of the former Spider-Men return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the final trailer has come and gone without even a glimpse of them. At least fans have a few subtle nods towards their existence, but is it enough?
With all the focus on the returning villains, there was still plenty of excitement to go around. Sure, seeing those other two spandex heroes could have increased hype even more, but it’s insane that what fans do have is even real in the first place.
The truth of the matter is that now, with this final trailer out in the world, fans won’t know if either Garfield or Maguire is truly in the film until it drops on December 17. So, for now, the potentially worst kept secret in Hollywood remains just that—a secret.
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