Spider-Man: No Way Home ended in a way no one would have guessed. By the time the credits rolled, not a single soul in the MCU knew who Peter Parker was. That's quite the commitment storytelling-wise, especially in such a large, interconnected world. After all, the film literally started with the entire world knowing that Peter was the webhead.
There were news reports, papers, online blogs, social media posts about Peter Parker being Spider-Man—so what happens to all of that? Will things in the universe physically disappear? Stacks of newspapers on the streets of NYC, vanishing into the mirage of Doctor Strange's spell?
The movie ends by giving audiences an answer to where Peter himself ends up but leaves out any solutions to the questions brought up by the intricacies of the spell. But do the writers themselves even have the answers to that myriad of questions?
Spider-Man Writers Address The Ending
In an interview with IGN during their Fan Fest 2022 event, Spider-Man: No Way Home writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna were asked about a key plot-hole presented by the film’s ending: what happened to the physical evidence of Peter Parker after Strange's memory loss spell?
McKenna revealed that “[they] talked about that a lot,” and made it clear how the duo felt “answering those questions by the end… would be almost too much:”
"We talked about that a lot… and we can't divulge much, but just know we talked about it a lot and there were conversations about it. And I will say answering those questions by the end of the movie, felt like it would be almost too much to have to explain that, in this movie. So I would hope that it's one of those details that I feel like would've been a bridge too far for us to have to explain in this movie. But we have thoughts and answers."
Sommers said that they “deliberated a lot,” but in the end, “it would just detract from the emotion of it” as the film came to a close:
"We deliberated a lot… is it going to be like a Back to the Future kind of thing? Or are people going to be disappearing from photos? Are physical objects going to be disappearing? All these things. And like Chris said, ultimately, we decided that it would take so much time and real estate in the movie to explain all of that. It would just detract from the emotion of it."
McKenna went on to reveal that “[they] have [the] answers,” but they’re just “not allowed to divulge that:”
"Believe me, we have answers to it… but I don't think we're... We're not allowed to divulge that. But we have answers."
No Way There’s An Answer Yet
The obvious note to take away from their vague responses is that Marvel Studios likely has an ideal direction they want to pursue when it comes to the ramifications of the spell, especially as it pertains to Peter. It's great that they have these answers, because going forward with the character in the wider MCU would be next to impossible if they didn't.
Not revealing these details too soon also gives the creatives behind the scenes wiggle room for future stories instead of setting everything in stone too early. Holding cards close to the chest is, after all, one of Marvel Studios' specialties.
As frustrating as it may be to not know some of the logistical elements of the spell, the writers made the right choice in the end. Focusing on the intricacies would have detracted from the emotional elements in play––which were generally considered the best parts of the film for many.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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