Spider-Man: No Way Home is a movie about which we know surprisingly little. Because of everything that has been going on with the threequel, ranging from leaked images to actors spilling secrets, many would assume that there really aren't any secrets left to keep. The return of legacy villains from the Spider-Man franchise's past has been confirmed in full force.
Also, the worst-kept rumor in Hollywood of the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield is quickly becoming common knowledge. Despite zero real confirmation from showrunners or promotion. Just when fans think they have one of the most anticipated comic book movies of all time figured out, the marketing team starts throwing curveballs. And they aren't even trying to be subtle anymore. This is what some fans love about this promotional run.
The debut teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home broke records hitherto undreamt of and gave audiences there the first series of clues as to what this Spider-Man mega-movie is really about. In another official trailer and almost a dozen TV spots later, every hypothesis made from the promotional footage of this movie is now suspect.
Who Is Responsible?
Through the official trailers, it is known that Peter Parker comes to Doctor Strange in order to cast a spell that allows everyone to forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
In the pivotal scene of the teaser, Peter interrupts and something goes wrong mid-spell. In a follow-up promo spot, Doctor Strange explains to Peter; "ever since you botched that spell where everyone forgets that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, we started getting visitors."
In a new promo spot on Twitter, this dialogue is adjusted as Doctor Strange explains to Peter; "when I shut that spell down... we started getting visitors." Meaning that in this version of the trailer, Strange is claiming he shut the spell down, and Peter did not interfere or "botch" the process.
This is just one of the latest adjustments to the trailer that Sony has released in an assumed attempt to keep everyone on their toes. Backgrounds of shots have been changed to place them in different settings within the movies. Lines of dialogue have been altered to tell a slightly different story. And any assumption anyone has about what is about to happen is up for questioning.
You Know Nothing Peter Parker
This movie is simultaneously the most mysterious and most predictable movie in recent history. Leak culture has ripped this movie to shreds with photos, videos, and plot leaks, giving everyone the full scoop if they want to go looking for it. But the idea that anyone has a real locked-down idea of what is going to happen is rapidly becoming impossible.
The trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home was validation for so many people, calling for the return of legacy Spider-Man characters. But it is the plot and details of the story that have been the focus of the mystery. The why, when, where, and how of No Way Home is as ambiguous as any other movie before it. This makes sense considering the multiverse being the focal point of the movie and such a new concept in the MCU.
Changing lines of dialogue like this is a huge swing for anyone who is trying to track down what could be happening with all of these returning villains and the assumed returning Spider-Men. Doctor Strange is a major player in the MCU and is the only one powerful enough to make something like this possible. This is why so many fans were confused when a previous trailer showed him blaming Peter Parker for botching a spell.
After all, Peter is just a kid from Queens and Stephen Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme. How could he interfere enough to cause such a problem?
Strange now claiming that he shut down the spell and that is what led to Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman, and Lizard entering the MCU, makes much more sense. Combining this new piece of information with the line "the multiverse is a concept of which we know frighteningly little" leads to the idea that something is wrong with the multiverse and Strange was unaware. This is what leads to variants entering this universe.
As fans, we know what is wrong with the multiverse. The season finale of Loki showed He Who Remains being slain by Sylvie and the Multiverse breaking on a massive scale. If this event happens without Strange knowing it, when he taps into the multiverse to perform the identity spell, the rules have changed. The most powerful sorcerer in the world has tapped into uncharted waters and caused a flood.
This is all just as much of a theory as anything else, and that is the point. With every tweak to the promotional footage of this movie, the waters become more muddied and the vision of this film becomes more unclear. This has to be exactly what Sony wants, confusion.
For every fan that has gone out of their way to spoil this movie for themselves and find all the secrets, there are two more fans who would rather know as little as possible going in. On the week of December 17, theaters everywhere will be filled with cheers, gasps, and jaws on the floor. Spider-Man: No Way Home is a movie experience unlike any other, and it hasn't even come out yet.
