Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Reveals Clever Title Connection to Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield

By Russ Milheim Updated:
Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU

So there's this little movie coming out this December called Spider-Man: No Way Home. Some people have probably heard of it, but it stars Tom Holland—and, well, it could become one of the biggest Marvel Studios projects to date.

The first teaser for the project broke the records originally set by Avengers: Endgame; so, of course, immediately afterward, fans were already clamoring for another.

Everyone eventually got their wish, as Sony has now released the film's supposed final trailer. The short three minutes of new footage showed off all the villains of the piece but didn't include glimpses of the rumored returns of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

What it did have, in connection to them, was the reason why the movie is titled the way it is.

No Way Home Title Connections Revealed

There's a very interesting exchange in the newest Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, or rather a combination of different voice-overs, which reveal not only why the film is titled as it is, but also its connection to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's own Spider-Man universes.

Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU
Marvel

First, Doc Ock warns Peter that "they're flying out into the darkness to fight ghosts."

Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU
Marvel

What could that mean? Well, as Strange put it, "they all die fighting Spider-Man." This is a very clear nod to Maguire and Garfield's web-slingers whose last entanglements left some of those villains dead.

Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU
Marvel

After his matter-of-fact declaration, Strange offered a sincere apology to Peter, saying "I'm sorry kid." However, it wasn't enough.

Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU
Marvel

Peter was quick to respond with his own retort: "Yea me too."

Spider-Man, Marvel, MCU
Marvel

Despite Strange's "Don't...," Peter thwips the box device anyway. The context of the scene seems to indicate that it has something to do with freeing the villains and/or returning them back to their timelines.

Now the Spider-Man: No Way Home title is a double entendre. The villains have no way home to their respective universes where Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are Spider-Man, as going back would mean their death. Additionally, with Spider-Man trying to take this box out of the equation, they might not even have a way to return at all now.

No Way Home For Maguire and Garfield's Previous Enemies

The most interesting part about this is how much it both fits perfectly and doesn't at the same time. What doesn't make sense? Well, both Sandman and Lizard were still alive at the end of their respective movies.

With it being the multiverse and all, it could be revealed how some timelines are a little different from what the audiences witnessed in Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man. That way, all the villains share the same threat of going back to their deaths.

The best part about this angle is how it incorporates a frustration that many fans have had over the years: always killing off the super villain threat. These characters go on for decades in the comics—to always kill them after one adventure is a waste.

So now Marvel Studios is going back and retroactively making those choices mean even more—and multiplying the emotional stakes of Spider-Man: No Way Home by tenfold.

Fans only have a month to go before they can finally watch it unfold on screens worldwide on December 17.

- In This Article: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Release Date
December 17, 2021
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Russ Milheim
Russ Milheim is the Industry Relations Coordinator at The Direct. On top of utilizing his expertise on the many corners of today’s entertainment to cover the latest news and theories, he establishes and maintains communication and relations between the outlet and the many studio and talent representatives.