Spider-Man: No Way Home brought together three generations of moviegoers for an Avengers-level cinematic event that also marked the dramatic end of the Homecoming trilogy. However, the record-breaking release is far from the end for the MCU's Spider-Man as a second trilogy - starring Tom Holland in the titular role - is seemingly in the works.
After three films, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has already gone toe-to-toe with the Vulture, taken on Mysterio's illusion in a globe-trotting adventure, had his identity exposed to the world, and most recently fought five villains from across the Multiverse.
With the ending of No Way Home, Peter Parker was given a fresh start on life and a new red-and-blue Spider-Man suit with it. Going forward, the doors are open to any number of possibilities going into the wall-crawler's second MCU trilogy. While Marvel Studios and Sony have kept quiet about any future plans, producer Amy Pascal indicated in December that any future Spidey movies will attempt to beat No Way Home's "quality and emotion" instead of beating its franchise-crossing "spectacle."
As fans continue to discuss No Way Home, The Direct presents ten aspects of Spider-Man we think are needed for a successful second trilogy starring Tom Holland's hero.
The Streets of New York
Marvel Studios recently began setting up street-level New York crime to have a major future in the MCU with No Way Home providing the big-screen reintroduction of Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Hawkeye showing the return of Vincent D'Onforio's Kingpin.
The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man originally set out his superhero roots in the streets of New York tackling all levels of crime. Now that Tom Holland's wall-crawler has a completely fresh start on life free of advanced Stark technology, perhaps it's time to take a step back to his roots.
Due to Sony and Marvel Studios' deal, every recent Spider-Man film has featured another major hero including Iron Man, Nick Fury, and Doctor Strange. Going into the second trilogy, Matt Murdock aka Daredevil may be an ideal candidate to help with Peter Parker for a street-level threat.
Even though the blind lawyer will have no memory of Peter Parker being Spider-Man, perhaps they may cross paths again, this time in heroic fashion. With Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin having been reintroduced recently in Hawkeye, the infamous crime boss could have some influence in the film due to his comic history with Spider-Man and Daredevil.
Dialing Back on Avengers Overreliance
Every movie in Marvel Studios' Homecoming trilogy has pulled in another key MCU player to team up with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Homecoming saw Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark appear in a mentor role, Nick Fury and Maria Hill tagged along for Far From Home's globe-trotting antics, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange was integral to No Way Home's Multiversal disaster.
With the memory of Peter Parker now erased from the world - friends and foes alike - future installments will have a much tougher time pulling in other Avengers to help out. Although the world still remains aware of Spider-Man as an anonymous superhero, so the opportunity for heroic team-ups remains just strong.
Ever since Spider-Man made his MCU debut, many have remained critical of the overreliance on more experienced heroes to assist Peter in his heroic antics. Perhaps now with the other Avengers unaware of the wall-crawler's young age, future team-ups can be much more mutual.
Tom Holland does seem to have a hilarious off-screen rapport with Captain America actor Anthony Mackie and Winter Soldier star Sebastian Stan. Teaming Spider-Man up with the patriotic duo would undoubtedly make for a lot of fun.
Alternatively, it could be interesting to see Peter Parker spend time with his fellow young heroes like Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel, or Riri Williams aka Ironheart.
The Symbiote Saga
After Venom: Let There Be Carnage pulled Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and his Symbiote companion into the MCU, most were expecting Tom Holland's fourth solo outing to pit his Spider-Man up against the self-titled Lethal Protector.
But No Way Home's post-credits scene put a surprising twist on things when Eddie and Venom were sent back to their own Sony-controlled universe, leaving only a smattering of the alien symbiote behind in the MCU.
Moving forward, Peter Parker appears slated to encounter the symbiote in a future sequel, although probably free of Eddie Brock unless an MCU Variant were to be introduced. Spider-Man hasn't donned a symbiote suit on-screen since Tobey Maguire first did in 2007's Spider-Man 3, so perhaps it's time fans were treated to a taste of Bully Holland.
Aside from Brock, Flash Thompson has also famously taken on the Venom symbiote many times in Marvel Comics to become Agent Venom. While it may be tough to imagine Tony Revolori taking on this role, a heroic Hollywood-style gym routine and a few more years of age ought to do the trick nicely.
For now, it's difficult to picture how Venom could fit into a fourth Spider-Man outing, but it remains entirely possible the symbiote won't be Peter Parker's next big threat and will instead be saved for later in the next trilogy. After all, Mac Gargan's Scorpion was teased in the post-credits on 2017's Homecoming and remains unaddressed to this day.
Kraven's Last Hunt
Many have been calling for Kraven the Hunter to appear in a live-action Spider-Man film for years now dating back to Tobey Maguire's franchise. The Russian villain is a renowned hunter who sets his sights on hunting down the wall-crawler to prove himself as the world's greatest hunter.
One particularly famous story starring the legendary villain was "Kraven's Last Hunt" which saw the iconic hunter shoot Spider-Man and bury him alive. With Peter Parker out of action, Kraven dons his own wall-crawler costume to impersonate the New York hero until the real Spider-Man returns to hunt him down.
Interestingly, Kraven was at one point intended to be the villain of Tom Holland's third Spider-Man outing before the Multiverse plans for No Way Home came around. Now, with those plans having been left behind, Aaron Taylor-Johnson will play the iconic hunter in 2023's Kraven the Hunter solo film.
Whenever Kraven does pop up to take on Spider-Man, Taylor-Johnson will almost certainly be the actor in the role to avoid confusing audiences with two interpretations of the same villain. Although, this does raise some issues as the Kick-Ass star is already in the MCU as Wanda Maximoff's deceased brother Quicksilver. But since it's been six years already since the speedster last appeared and the chances the two would ever cross paths are slim, reusing the same actor shouldn't be an issue.
While Spider-Man 4 will probably revolve around the Venom symbiote, perhaps the fifth installment in the franchise could feature Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven as the main antagonist in the aftermath of his 2023 solo debut.
The Sinister Six
When Spider-Man: No Way Home revealed five returning iconic villains from across the Multiverse, most naturally assumed the Sinister Six were finally about to assemble on the big screen for the first time. Sadly, this didn't turn out to be the case as no secret sixth antagonist appeared.
With another trilogy about to get underway for Tom Holland's Spider-Man, a Sinister Six team-up seems inevitable, which may come in the sixth and likely final film. Although what's much harder to determine is which villains could play into the blockbuster with so many options on the table.
By this point, Sony's Spider-Man Universe will probably have grown well beyond six characters with Venom, Morbius, and Kraven already having films released or on the way in the years to come.
But either way, it makes the most sense for the Sinister Six to comprise of villains already faced by the MCU Spider-Man across his first five films. Vulture, Mysterio, and Scorpion would be somewhat safe bets for the line-up, leaving three spots available for antagonists to come in the next trilogy.
No Way Home brought back the classic interpretations of many of Spider-Man's most famous foes including Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, Lizard, and Electro. Many are certainly eager to see some of these rebooted with new iterations for the main MCU timeline to play into the next trilogy and inevitable Sinister Six team-up.
Leaving High School Behind
Having been erased from all memory with the ending of No Way Home, Peter Parker is finally out of high school, although unfortunately without graduating. The hero was last seen in the final moments of the film in his new apartment studying for his GED - a common alternative to a high school diploma.
Now that Ned and MJ have been left with no memory of Peter, perhaps it's time for the young Avenger to make some new friends, and what better place for that than college? Within Marvel Comics, Peter Parker has an expansive list of friends and love interests he could meet next.
Additionally, there are plenty more iconic characters Peter could run into during his further education such as college professor and the Lizard himself, Dr. Curt Connors. Having met a Variant of the genius scientist in No Way Home, Peter's cautiousness of the villain to-be could be an intriguing plot point.
Most excitingly of all, Peter will finally get to grow up within his next trilogy as he leaves his old friends behind, moves into a flat of his own, and has to fend for himself without his advanced Stark technology.
The MCU's Osborn Family
Fans have been waiting for years now to see the Osborn family finally introduced into the MCU. However, No Way Home offered a surprising and disappointing twist as it was confirmed Oscorp doesn't exist in this universe, at least not yet.
On one hand, this may be Marvel's way of showing its lack of interest in introducing a new Osborn family and Green Goblin; alternatively, it could open the doors to a new and unique interpretation. The MCU could explore the birth of Oscorp moving forward as Norman, or perhaps even Harry founds the tech conglomerate.
Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin was ultimately the primary antagonist of No Way Home, so the MCU doesn't necessarily need a new take on Spider-Man's most famous villain. Although Peter's friendship with Harry has long been an important one that could be interesting to explore in the next trilogy.
New Friends and Young Love
Moving on past high school and towards college offers Peter Parker the opportunity to meet new friends and find new love as he leaves Ned and MJ behind, at least for now.
When thinking about Spider-Man's most famous love interests, Gwen Stacy is by far the most famous after MJ, making it possible the two may meet in college. After hearing Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man mention his deceased love interest, perhaps Parker may become close to Gwen's MCU Variant knowing the bond they had in another universe.
Felicia Hardy aka burglar Black Cat has often been a love interest of Peter Parker in the past and has spent time as both a friend and foe of Spider-Man. Hardy would be a distinct departure for past live-action girlfriends of the hero and could be much more intertwined with the heroic side of his life, opening the doors to new opportunities.
Putting Peter's love life aside, having been introduced to an alternate reality Norman Osborn in No Way Home, perhaps it's time for Tom Holland's Spider-Man to meet his classic best friend Harry Osborn. As Oscorp doesn't currently exist in the MCU this would undoubtedly be a distinctly different version of the character to what James Franco played in the early 2000s, but Harry's wealth and villainous connections don't necessarily need to be present here.
Speaking of friends, moviegoers probably haven't seen the last of Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds or Zendaya's Michelle Jones. Even though neither currently has any memory of Peter Parker, which will almost certainly be restored in the films to come for an emotional reunion, but whether MJ rekindles her romantic relationship with the wall-crawler is another question altogether.
Founding Parker Industries
Peter Parker has always been one of the Marvel universe's brightest minds, having created much of his own superhero technology such as the web-shooters. Spider-Man's genius side was explored more thoroughly than ever in No Way Home as the Peter Parker trio worked together to develop cures and remedies for each of the five villains.
Going forward, with Peter now unable to access all the Stark technology of his past, perhaps the intellectual side of the character can be explored in more depth, particularly as he heads towards college.
Within some older interpretations of Spider-Man, Peter has been seen to found his own advanced technology company -Parker Industries. In the long term, it would be intriguing to see Tom Holland's young genius following in Tony Stark's footsteps.
A particularly fun approach to this could see Harry Osborn founding Oscorp and Peter starting up Parker Industries around the same time and age to become industry rivals for one another.
Mentoring Miles Morales
Tom Holland has previously shared interest in his character stepping up into a mentor role to the next Spider-Man - who would presumably be Miles Morales - much in the same way Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man once was to him.
As Peter Parker grows older and more experienced as a hero, it has become increasingly viable to introduce a younger and less experienced wall-crawler with who he can pass his years of knowledge and skills.
Having become an increasingly popular hero in his own right, Miles certainly deserves the opportunity to grow by himself and not just as a side character. Perhaps the appropriate approach may be to debut Morales in Peter's next trilogy before spinning him off into his own films, then allowing the two to go back and forth.
Recent rumors have indicated Sony intends on developing a live-action Miles Morales-led Spider-Man movie although it remains unclear whether this would take place in the main MCU timeline or its own Marvel world.
Looking Ahead to Spider-Man's Second Trilogy
Alongside Batman, Spider-Man has arguably the most impressive rogues gallery of villains in the comic book world. After eight films starring Marvel's famous wall-crawler, Sony and Marvel Studios have truly only touched the iceberg of what can be done with the character.
Going into a second trilogy, there are still plenty more legendary villains to fight, iconic friends to meet, and team-ups to have. With No Way Home having only just hit theaters, it ought to be some time before it becomes clear what's next for the Marvel hero, but whatever it holds ought to be just as amazing as ever.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing now in theaters around the world.
