Despite all the leaks and rumors which have sadly spoiled many of Spider-Man: No Way Home's biggest surprises, from an official standpoint, little has been revealed regarding the plot and its characters.
With each of Tom Holland's Spider-Man films, Marvel Studios has included another key MCU player alongside him. Homecoming saw Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man appear in a mentor and father-figure role while Far From Home featured appearances from Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill.
As No Way Home takes on a more magical and Multiverse-centric plot, this role will be filled by Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange as the stage is set for his 2022 sequel.
Both trailers released so far have confirmed the Sorcerer Supreme and the wall-crawler will face off in the film as Peter attempts to steal a magical artifact. The reasoning behind this has yet to be revealed, although the exact nature of the box has been a key point of discussion among fans.
With the threequel's theatrical release just a few weeks away, fans have just received the best look yet at Doctor Strange's mysterious magical box.
No Way Home's Mysterious Box Revealed
As shared on Twitter by @PhaseZeroCB, Hot Toys recently revealed a figure of Tom Holland's titular hero from Spider-Man: No Way Home including a new look at Doctor Strange's mysterious box featured in both trailers.
When examined closely, fans can see the best look yet at the magical box which appears to be integral to Spider-Man: No Way Home's Multiverse plot.
The product description reveals the object Peter Parker will attempt to steal from Doctor Strange, seemingly leading to their fight, will simply be referred to as "The Box:"
"The wall-crawler is back! For this first time in Spider-Man cinematic history, our friendly neighborhood hero’s identity is revealed, bringing his Super Hero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk.
Bringing excitement prior to the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home movie, Hot Toys is presenting 1/6th scale Spider-Man (Battling Version) collectible figure (Movie Promo Edition) with impressive battle damaged and weathering paint applications, that depicts the young wall-crawler holding The Box as seen from the official trailer. This amazing figure will be available in selected markets only!
Exquisitely crafted based on Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s appearance portrayed by Tom Holland in the movie, the screen-accurate 1/6th scale figure features a battled damaged Peter Parker half masked head sculpt, an interchangeable masked head sculpt with multiple pairs of interchangeable Spider-Man eyepieces to create numerous Spider-Man’s expressions; a beautifully tailored red, black suit with web pattern and battle-damaged effects; amazingly detailed accessories including The Box, smartphone, assorted spider-web shooting effect parts and a stunningly detailed building roof diorama figure base with weathering effects as the most incredible display.
This special Spider-Man collectible is a must-have display for any Spider-fan!"
Additionally, the collectible will be accompanied by numerous other accessories including rubble, interchangeable eyes, an unmasked Peter Parker head, and more.
As of now, Hot Toys has yet to release pre-orders for the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home figure, meaning it will probably hit shelves at some point in 2022.
The Box's Role in No Way Home
Whatever the function of The Box, the design bears a close resemblance to the Eye of Agamotto which was used in past MCU entries to hold the Time Stone. Perhaps The Box may similarly just be a casing used to hold something else.
One theory suggests The Box may serve as a multiverse prison, a concept recently introduced in What If...? as The Watcher imprisoned Ultron and Kilmonger. Interestingly, the artifact in question was a similar size to No Way Home's mysterious box, potentially adding further credence to this theory.
A close-up look at The Box offers a better peek at what the casing is protecting, and it appears to have a similar shape to The Watcher's Multiverse prison from What If...?.
Perhaps Doctor Strange could similarly create a magical prison to hold the returning Spider-Man villains appearing in the MCU from across the Multiverse. Although it's unclear why Peter Parker would attempt to steal the prison from Doctor Strange if it is indeed holding onto his foes from across reality.
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17, 2021.
