While Spider-Man: No Way Home is Tom Holland's Spider-Man film and the conclusion of a trilogy, it's also Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man "homecoming." Unlike Holland, and his run as MCU's web-slinger, and Tobey Maguire and his trio of films, Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man franchise never received the praise of cinema's other Spidey flicks.
In fact, Garfield's tenure as the webhead was cut short following 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which left his Peter Parker coping with the guilt and grief of not being able to save his love interest, Gwen Stacy.
While much of the hype leading up to No Way Home centered on Maguire's return, Garfield's quirky and emotional reprisal stole the show; and only now are fans finally hearing from the actor himself about how and why he chose to return.
Andrew Garfield Explains His No Way Home Return
Weeks after Spider-Man: No Way Home's record-breaking debut, Andrew Garfield finally opened up to Variety about returning to the role of Peter Parker why he agreed to do so, admitting that "just the idea of seeing three Spider-Man in the same frame was enough:"
"I wasn’t expecting to ever have a conversation again about potentially playing Peter Parker. I felt very excited to just to be a fan again. But I got this call from Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige and Jon Watts with this idea. It was immediately undeniable. It sounded incredibly fun, incredibly spiritual — trippy and thematically interesting. On a base level, as a Spider-Man fan, just the idea of seeing three Spider-Men in the same frame was enough."
In addition to being a Spider-Man fan himself, the actor also explained that the pitch for No Way Home "was really, really enticing" to him which was what his character would do "if you were dumped into this other universe and faced with this younger you and this older you:"
"The pitch was really, really enticing. They said, 'You played this character in your way and what would you want to explore if you had an opportunity? If you were dumped into this other universe and faced with this younger you and this older you, how will you respond?'”
The actor also discussed the purpose of both his and Maguire's Peters serving as brothers and mentors, as well as alluding to his Peter's dark path that fans haven't seen, explaining that "it doesn't lead to the place where you ultimately meant to go:"
"We talked a lot about mentorship. We talked a lot about brotherhood and about what it is to be the older brother, younger brother and the middle brother. There’s also a thing of seeing someone you love walking down a path that you’ve already walked down, and you know it doesn’t lead the place where you ultimately meant to go."
For a character who suffered a loss and was denied his own conclusion, Garfield explained that No Way Home offered his Peter "a big spiritual journey" and the realization "that you've never been alone and there are other brothers going through the exact same thing:"
"That character is isolated in his emotional experience and physical experience. But what happens when that aloneness gets blasted open, and you come to realize that you’ve never been alone and there are other brothers going through the exact same thing? That’s a big spiritual journey to go on, man. And then we just milked out all the fun that we could possibly have."
Garfield is Proof That You Can Go Home Again
For anyone who followed Garfield's run as Spider-Man from 2012 through 2014, it's no secret that he not only relished the role but respected the character as well.
Even though he repeatedly and vehemently denied being part of No Way Home, it's great to now know that the idea of returning was "immediately undeniable" to the actor after all these years and despite his own time being cut short.
It's also interesting to finally hear how Spider-Man director Jon Watts, as well as Sony's Amy Pascal and Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, initially pitched the idea to Garfield and his character's purpose in Tom Holland's threequel.
In a way, both Garfield and his Peter share the same story. Garfield lost his chance to complete his trilogy while his Peter lost his Gwen Stacy and his story's conclusion; and for years, they both have remained in the shadow of Tobey Maguire's iteration and his original trilogy and now Tom Holland and his run.
But with No Way Home, Garfield and his character not only received their own happy endings but also equal recognition among cinema's Spider-Men.
Interestingly enough, it may also have offered him a second swing as the web-slinger as well, which - considering the fan campaigns and continued praise for No Way Home - just may be a possibility if Garfield wants it.
While time will tell if Andrew Garfield is game to continue his Spider-Man story, his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home proves that you can, in fact, go home again.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently playing in theaters.
