Even though marketing has finally ramped up ahead of Spider-Man: No Way Home's December 17 release, this threequel - which has been described as "Spider-Man: Endgame" - is still a huge mystery to fans in a number of ways.
While Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's involvement may be the film's worst-kept secret, fans are still scratching their heads over Doctor Strange's botched spell, the film's Multiversal implications, and especially the former villains' new looks and unknown motives.
New TV spots for No Way Home have offered fans more information about the film's roster of baddies, but now, a new rumor suggests that the movie intends to fill in the gaps of these antagonists' stories, thanks to the help of their original directors.
Sam Raimi & Marc Webb Consulted for Spider-Man 3
According to The Cosmic Circus, Spider-Man: No Way Home's production team consulted past Spider-Man directors Sam Raimi and Marc Webb about completing the backstories of their characters for this MCU film.
Fans should expect to learn what Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of Peter Parker have been up to following the events of their final movies, as well as how being Spider-Man has affected them through the years.
In addition, Raimi and Webb were also consulted in telling how both Spider-Man 3's Sandman and The Amazing Spider-Man's Lizard died off-screen in the time following their respective films.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Realizes 3 Directors' Visions
Ever since the film's second trailer debuted, fans have been wondering why Doctor Strange claimed that the film's villains all died fighting Spider-Man when both the Lizard and Sandman survived.
Thanks to this rumor, audiences now know that No Way Home may establish the fate of all former Spidey villains, further explaining Doc Ock's description of them as "ghosts."
Now, it was expected that Maguire and Garfield's Spidey's backstories would be told in No Way Home, but the threequel team having brought in Webb and Raimi indicates that these characters' pasts and tenures as Spider-Man will play an integral role in the film and Holland's own arc as the web-slinger.
Also, given this information, it seems that Garfield addressing Emma Watson's Gwen Stacy death from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is now inevitable.
Raimi's role in helping craft No Way Home is particularly interesting, however, since he's also helming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which follows the events of this film. It's possible that his involvement won't only benefit the upcoming threequel but help lay the groundwork for the Doctor Strange sequel and guarantee a more cohesive storyline.
Now, it's no secret that Spider-Man: No Way Home is an ambitious film; but attempting to continue Holland's Spider-Man story while also building out the stories of two other Spider-Men and a roster of villains is a massive task, especially since the material that's being utilized wasn't originally part of the MCU.
Therefore, director Jon Watts and the Marvel team bringing in Raimi and Webb was a smart move; and for fans of their franchises, it's appreciated in that it allows these former directors' visions to finally be realized.
Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives in theaters on December 17, 2021.
