The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer certainly delivered – and then some. It took the abundance of leaks and rumors in the past 12 months and, incredibly, managed to one-up all of our wildest expectations for the threequel.
We've already seen returning villains, a major shake-up in Spider-Man's life based on a controversial comic, and a theory that suggests Doctor Strange isn’t who he says he is. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Below, we’ll break down why the No Way Home trailer was so important, an overview of the teaser’s events, and a deeper look at all of the biggest spoilers and secrets to emerge from the first look at one of Marvel Phase 4’s weirdest and wildest entries.
The aftermath of Far From Home
In case you had forgotten, Spider-Man: Far From Home ended with Spidey’s real identity – teenager Peter Parker – being revealed to the world thanks to Mysterio’s dying (and doctored) message.
As the No Way Home trailer shows, the threequel pick up minutes after the second movie in the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy. You can see Peter swinging down the street with Zendaya and itching to get away from a baying crowd.
No Way Home, it seems, will open up with Peter’s escape before going into hiding. As this trailer shows later on, he’s eventually coaxed back to school life.
J. Jonah Jameson’s return
After appearing in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, actor J.K. Simmons returned in Far From Home’s post-credits scene to deliver the scoop on Spidey’s true identity.
You can also hear him in the No Way Home trailer saying "Spider-Man is, in fact, Peter Parker." That’s not a line from Far From Home so that’s confirmation, in case we needed it, that J. Jonah Jameson is properly back in an official credited capacity in No Way Home.
Peter Parker in handcuffs
Unsurprisingly, Pete’s big secret – and framing of Mysterio’s ‘murder’ – lands him in hot water with the law. Parker is seen in handcuffs and chained to a desk in one scene, presumably at a police station for questioning.
Unless this is a serious misdirect, the trailer does allow us to piece together the chronology of the film a little: Peter Parker flees, Peter Parker is brought into custody and, for whatever reason, Peter Parker gets off scot-free. Why? It might have a little something to do with a certain God-fearing lawyer.
Is that Matt Murdock (Daredevil)?
Trust MCU fans to fixate on a hairy arm – but they might have a point here. The hirsute limb could belong to Matt Murdock actor Charlie Cox, someone who’s long been linked with an appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The white shirt, stripy tie, and rolled-up sleeves are all eerily similar to how Murdock looked when practicing law in Netflix's Daredevil series.
The jury is still out on this one – we’ll have to wait for a second trailer to provide some more compelling evidence.
Flash Thompson’s new look
Peter Parker’s classmate Flash is also present in the trailer. He can be spotted behind Zendaya as they walk to school and he’s now got blonde hair. That falls in line with his comic book counterpart and shows that Spidey's mega-fan is now siding with Peter Parker, in an ironic twist.
Returning locations (and a hint at No Way Home’s place on the timeline)
We’re sure you didn’t miss this one: the Sanctum Sanctorum is back. Doctor Strange’s abode is still looking the worse for wear after Hulk crashed through its roof in Avengers: Infinity War. That’s why snow is everywhere – and also suggests the movie partly takes place across fall and winter 2024, from Halloween into the snowy season. That's backed up by the Christmas-themed set photos that were snapped earlier this year.
Midtown High looks like it’s also back as a familiar location for MCU Spidey fans. Thanks to the Snap, Peter, Ned, and MJ still have to finish their studies. It also proves that Tom Holland’s teenager isn’t content to go into hiding forever. He’s trying his best to return to normality before having doubts later through the school year.
What’s wrong with Doctor Strange?
Something is up with the Sorcerer Supreme. He’s being reckless, looks menacing, and is playing around with space and time – which is a big no-no.
One theory already reckons Mephisto has taken on the form of Strange. There are other possibilities too, namely that this is a darker Strange Variant (potentially the one glimpsed in What If…?’s early trailers) or that it’s an incredibly complex Mysterio projection. Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that Doctor Strange isn’t his usual self.
The multiverse is cracked open
Welp. This is it. Wanda started it in WandaVision after hearing the voices of her ‘children’ while examining the Darkhold. Later on, Sylvie split apart the Sacred Timeline in Loki. Now, Doctor Strange’s spell might have completely finished the job. The multiverse has been split wide open, and who knows what could come tumbling out of it? Either way, it’s open season for a whole host of alternate versions of heroes (and villains) to interact in a big way. Next up after No Way Home? Multiverse of Madness. This might just be the beginning of the Multiverse Saga.
The first look at Spidey’s new suit
The black-and-gold suit has been leaked already thanks to some official merchandise, but this is our first shot at it in action. An unmasked Peter Parker is seen sprinting through a building while wearing the new suit. Previous reports indicate it might have some magic-based powers for Pete to use, but there’s no sign of any spruced-up upgrades just yet.
What’s in the box?
In one moment from the trailer, Spider-Man gets hit so hard by Doctor Strange that he becomes an astral projection. That’s pretty intriguing in and of itself, but it’s what the webhead is holding that might be of more interest.
Spider-Man is carrying an odd box-shaped artefact. Perhaps it’s something he’s swiped from the Sanctum Sanctorum, or it’s the key to putting the pieces of the multiverse back together again. But it’s something that is putting Strange and Spidey on a collision course – which hints that it’s probably too powerful for the wallcrawler to get to grips with.
Happy Hogan is back
Jon Favreau’s one-time Head of Security for Tony Stark is back for his third Spider-Man movie. Hogan is looking less than happy here, though: he’s surrounded by an army of armed men. Our best guess? This is taken from early on in the movie – as is much of these trailer scenes – during the hunt for Spider-Man.
Every returning villain (so far)
Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus is the biggest name here – but did you spot the others? Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin could be heard laughing as his trademark pumpkin bombs roll towards a vehicle, while a combination of lightning and sand hint that Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Sandman from Spider-Man 3 are in No Way Home. Throw in Lizard leaping at the glass behind Tom Holland in one scene and it’s seemingly going to be a movie absolutely packed with a literal murderer’s row of Spider-Man villains. With five villains seemingly already on the table, it could go a step further and show the formation of supervillain group The Sinister Six.
A new character
But not everyone is familiar. At 2:36, you can see a mystery woman sitting in the back seat of a car. Some on social media think the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it actor is Barry’s Paula Newsome. She's even had some fun replying to a Spider-Man tweet just a few weeks ago, which sent alarm bells ringing. No word yet on who she might be playing.
Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into cinemas on December 17. For more from the MCU, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order as well as our ranking of the best Spider-Man movies.
