Spider-Man: No Way Home has been the biggest movie the webhead has ever headlined. With Tom Holland returning, the friendly neighborhood hero turned to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange to help fix his identity crisis. In doing so, he almost broke the Multiverse by bringing in other people from different universes—including characters like Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin.
Also along for the ride was Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, who joined the MCU after starring in his own duo of movies in 2012 and 2014. The last time audiences saw him, he was in a dark place after losing Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
This loss always had a monumental impact on Spider-Man in the comics, and that remained the case on the live-action side of things.
With Garfield’s Peter Parker crossing over into the MCU, viewers learn that the loss of his loved one still haunts him every day. This reveal gets something of an emotional payoff when he saves Zendaya’s MJ from dying in the same way. According to the actor, there was an addition to the scene by Zendaya that made it all the more special as well.
MJ's Special Contributions to No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home star Andrew Garfield made a guest appearance on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he commented on a big contribution to his scene saving MJ that had nothing to do with him.
According to the actor, when Zendaya's character is saved by his Spider-Man, MJ's line ( "I'm okay. Are you okay?"), that it "was all Zendaya," something he wanted to call out "[as] a tribute" to the actress' talent:
"... And then, this is a tribute to Zendaya as a creative person and as an actress, because she saw what I was doing, the effect it was having, and she's just such a sensitive human being, and MJ is such a sensitive beautiful character, that—whether it was just improvised or her idea to say ["I'm okay. Are you Okay?"], in writing, to check-in on me, to ask if I was okay, that was all her."
Zendaya Saves Garfield's Save
Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man catching Zendaya is often cited as one of the fans' favorite moments from Spider-Man: No Way Home. It's even one of the reasons why the actor returned to the role after The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Going even further, this moment proves how the character's fate will always be central to that Peter Parker—it's something he will also likely never forgive himself for or truly let go of.
If Sony ever does follow through with casting Emma Stone in a Spider-Gwen project, it only makes sense to eventually loop in Garfield's Spider-Man. The character work that could be done with a situation like that would make for some incredibly impactful storytelling potential.
While fans wait for any news on that front, they can see Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is still playing in theaters worldwide.
