by Mason Kupiainen With the Infinity Saga wrapped up, it may feel like Marvel doesn’t have any more tricks up their sleeves. Phase Four recently began with the premiere of Wandavision, giving us a brief glimpse into what the next couple of years will look like for Marvel Studios. Wandavision marks the beginning of a story arc that will carry over into Spider-Man: No Way Home and concludes with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With the introduction of both the multiverse and characters that have been revealed that will be in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s looking like we’ll finally be getting a live-action version of the Spider-Verse, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning as their incarnations of the web-slinger. However, recent comments from Tom Holland have said otherwise. So, is there any factual evidence for the Spider-Verse?
Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina
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Image from CinemaBlend[/caption]
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The first clue that Spider-Man: No Way Home introduced the Spider-Verse was the announcement of Foxx returning as Electro. This came as shocking news since he previously played the character in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with his performance not really liked by audiences. It’s still unclear if he’s playing the exact version from that film or an alternate universe version, but Foxx did let it slip that he wouldn’t “be blue this time.” Sometime after this announcement was made, another familiar face joined the cast. Molina was revealed to be returning as Doctor Octopus, the same character he played in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. His version, on the other hand, is beloved by audiences and continues to show evidence that Maguire and Garfield could be returning.
Doctor Strange and Wanda
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Image from DroidJournal[/caption]
Another returning character that will be appearing in this film is Doctor Strange. With the Doctor Strange sequel being titled In the Multiverse of Madness, and being the conclusion of the story arc set up in Wandavision and carrying over into Spider-Man: No Way Home, it feels right that the Spidey film will bring in other iterations of the character. Wanda Maximoff, who will be in Multiverse of Madness, has been rumored to be making an appearance in this film as well. If Wandavision does introduce the multiverse in the series finale, maybe Maguire and Garfield will surprise the world with a cameo.
Casting Rumors
Other than Foxx and Molina, there have been many other casting rumors for the third Spidey film. Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, Thomas Haden Church as Sandman, and Charlie Cox as Daredevil have all been rumored to be making appearances in the film. If Dafoe and Church actually are in the film, then it would be hard to argue that we won’t be seeing the other Spider-Men. If this is true, there is a possibility of the Sinister Six as the main antagonist since we’ll have Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Sandman all from Maguire’s universe, Elector from Garfield's, and Vulture and Mysterio from Holland’s. Having all three Spider-Men join together in the finale of the film facing off the Sinister Six would be a great way to end this trilogy, as well as keep audiences excited for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Multiple Titles
Although the title has been officially revealed as Spider-Man: No Way Home, there were multiple titles revealed by the cast the day before. Those titles included Phone Home, Home-Wrecker, and Home Slice. Although none of these titles specifically refer to the multiverse, there have been theories about why three fake titles were revealed. One of those theories is that each of the titles refers to the three Spider-Men. The theory claims that Home-Wrecker is referring to Garfield’s Spider-Man destroying the lives of Gwen Stacy’s family, with Home-Slice referring to Maguire’s Spider-Man being a pizza delivery man. Finally, Phone Home refers to Holland’s Spider-Man calling Happy.Holland’s Response
The main piece of information holding back the idea that Maguire and Garfield could be showing up in this film was a statement from Holland. During an interview, when he was asked about other Spider-Men showing up, he simply replied, “No, no, they will not be appearing in this film.” This should be taken with a grain of salt since he could simply be trying to cover up the secret that the other two Spider-Men will make an appearance. While there hasn’t been an official statement from the studio or those involved with the film that all three Spider-Men will be in the film, there also hasn’t been a statement that they won’t.Sources: CBR, CinemaBlend, Geekfeed, Heroic Hollywood, Newsweek, The Hollywood Reporter, The Verge Images: CinemaBlend, Droid Journal, The Hollywood Reporter Featured Image: Mashable India
