When a Marvel Studios character becomes popular, we know they'll feature in several movies. Spider-Man was popular as a movie hero long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe came into being, but the current version of the friendly neighborhood superhero, played by Tom Holland, has been so heartily embraced by fans that a third solo movie for his version of the web-head is the most natural thing in Marvel's landscape.
What's more surprising is that this new movie may also be a chance to see some other Spider-Men again! Considering the cliffhanger ending of the second movie, we can't wait to see the new film, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, which at least features the return of Alfred Molina's version of Doctor Octopus. (He was last seen in Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 2, back in 2004!
Here is everything we know about the next chapter in the web-slinger's story — along with the new trailer for SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME!
The Spider-Man: No Way Home Release Date
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME is set to hit theaters on December 17, 2021.
Watch the New Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer!
This new NO WAY HOME trailer goes all in on the movie's big multiverse concept, and shows more footage of the villains who turn up to menace Spider-Man from other dimensions. (Which is to say: From past Spider-Man movie incarnations.)
For a more restrained look at the movie, you can also see the first NO WAY HOME teaser trailer. It's got Peter Parker trying to deal with the fallout of the ending of the last movie, in which Mysterio's last revenge against Spider-Man was the public reveal of his secret identity. Peter goes to Doctor Strange for help and things get, well — just watch the video above!
And we also love this title announcement, which was released back in March of 2021. There's little here that reveals much about the actual movie, but this short video does show off the personality of the main cast, which is one of the reasons these newer Spider-Man movies have been so popular.
The Spider-Man: No Way Home Cast
It goes without saying at this point that Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Benedict Cumberbatch is in the cast as well. And everyone in Spider-Man’s established orbit will be back as well: Zendaya (as MJ), Jacob Matalon (as Ned Leeds), Marisa Tomei (as Aunt May). We have our fingers crossed for Michael Keaton’s Vulture to return, too.
The big surprise is that Jamie Foxx is cast as the villain Electro. That's odd because Foxx played the character in the second movie starring the previous incarnation of Spidey, 2014's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2. Alfred Molina, who played Doctor Octopus in Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 2, is also back, and the new NO WAY HOME trailer also shows off the Willem Dafoe incarnation of the Green Goblin. So that's wild!
What Will Spider-Man: No Way Home Be About?
This Spidey-sequel has one of the classic threats that has always hung over the character: Peter Parker's secret identity has been exposed. What happens next?
Things in Peter Parker’s world are definitely going to get strange. Literally. While Peter Parker previously enjoyed a supportive relationship with Tony Stark, the passing of Marvel's major heroic industrialist (in AVENGERS: ENDGAME, remember?) means things will be different this time. Nick Fury stepped into the mentor role in FAR FROM HOME, kind of, but he won't be around this time either.
In this movie, Peter's goateed mentor figure will be Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, and where Strange goes, weird things follow. Will this movie have shades of the dimension-jumping adventure of INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, only in live-action? So it seems, based on the trailers! In addition, it seems that we'll see a reflection of a couple of comic book stories in which Doctor Strange's magic helps Peter hide his identity once again.
But how will Jamie Foxx return as Electro? Well, "return" may not be the right way to put it, since his Electro battled a different Spider-Man altogether. (The Andrew Garfield version. Remember him?) There's also the rumor that Toby Maguire, who starred in Sam Raimi's movies, might appear in NO WAY HOME, as well.
Some of that actually started at the end of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME when J. Jonah Jameson interrupted the film’s ending credits to frame Spider-Man for the death of Mysterio and expose his real identity to the world. Jameson is played once again by J.K. Simmons, who played the role for Sam Raimi. With his real face made public, it makes sense that Spider-Man would go to some cosmic extremes to put that toothpaste back in the tube. Whether that’s a good idea or not remains to be seen. (Hint: it’s usually not.)
The Filmmakers Behind Spider-Man: No Way Home
Marvel knows what they’re doing when it comes to keeping good filmmakers around. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME is directed by Jon Watts, director of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING and SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. So if you liked those movies, chances are high you will like this one as well. (And since Watts has been confirmed to make FANTASTIC FOUR for Marvel, can we expect some hint of that team in NO WAY HOME? It's another big question.)
Further cementing the film’s familiar charm, this sequel is written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who wrote FAR FROM HOME and co-wrote HOMECOMING. We love continuity!
Want to know more about Marvel's next movies?
All images courtesy of Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios.