Spider-Man No Way Home: Decades of

Storylines Packed into a Tangled Web

A nostalgia packed episode revealing the price of being a superhero
By: Sonia Deb | April 29, 2022

Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire come together to recreate Spider-Man meme (People)

While Peter Parker is known to put his fans through a rollercoaster of emotions, three Peter
Parkers went above and beyond to bring both tears and terror to all eyes in the audience.
Enthralling anticipation was created by each trailer and came to an end when Spider-Man: No
Way Home was finally released on December 17, 2021. Months of theorizing each villain, along
with how Peter Parker would react to them has culminated into a Marvel Cinematic Universe
masterpiece.
As an experience, the movie checked all boxes and did a remarkable job in pushing Phase Four
of the MCU along. The film meets all the right criteria of a Marvel experience. All Marvel
movies follow a pattern of having a complex storyline that is easy to follow, inducing nostalgia
from previous stories, and casting actors that have good on-screen chemistry.
The nostalgia filled adventure was encapsulated by the reintroduction of Andrew Garfield and
Tobey Maguire’s respective characters and put Tom Holland’s leap as an actor into spotlight.
This was Maguire’s return to the MCU following the conclusion of his trilogy and Garfield’s
return after his two movies with Marvel. No Way Home’s runtime was 2 hours and 29 minutes
long, making it the longest Spider-Man movie to date.
No Way Home picks up directly after the conclusion of the past film, Spider-Man: Far from
Home, and sees Peter Parker deal with the fallout after being outed as Spider-Man. He visits
Dr. Strange with the hopes that he will be able to conjure a spell for people to forget his
identity. The spell fails and instead opens portals to the Spider-Man Multiverse which brings
Garfield and Maguire’s characters and villains into the picture. In response, Peter Parker must
fight a battle on two fronts, as public enemy number 1 and against all the villains he brought
into his world.
The MCU has a challenging task whenever movies are put into production as each film must be
comic accurate as well. The movie takes direct inspiration from Spider-Man: One More Day, a
2007 crossover comic. The death of Aunt May was pulled directly from this comic along with
Parker’s interactions with Dr. Strange.
In addition to being comic accurate, No Way Home deserves applause for how it transformed
Tom Holland’s image. Holland’s Spider-Man has often been characterized by his likeable face,
but this movie recognized his range and emotions as an actor. His on-screen connection with
Zendaya is also perfectly amplified and their chemistry shined effortlessly. Holland gained
popularity after signing a six-movie deal with Marvel, beating out a potential 1,500 actors for
the role. Following his breakthrough and evolution as Spider-Man, he earned a Kids Choice
award for his impeccable portrayal of Peter Parker.
 Dr. Strange takes matter into his own hands after Peter Parker’s endless stream of bad ideas (Marvel Studios)

From an outside perspective, the plot may seem extremely cluttered, with five unique villains
returning and the re-establishment of Garfield and Maguire. Director Jon Watts, however, does
an exceptional job simplifying each character’s motives while cleaning up any holes left from
the previous two movie franchises.
Each Spider-Man is connected by their abilities to overcome adversity through their own
mistakes. Maguire lost his uncle and Garfield lost his girlfriend in their respective films.
Holland’s character had never been burdened by his decisions until No Way Home. His good
intentions lead to the death of his Aunt May, and what follows is the dilemma of being the
friendly neighborhood Spider-Man or letting the rage inside of him finally let loose. Watts does
an incredible job connecting Holland’s character to the previous Spider-Mans as they’ve all
faced a similar variation of loss in their lives that ultimately resulted in growth in their
characters.
Other critics were also especially impressed with Watts’s work of joining the three Spider-Men
on one screen and creating strong bonds between them. The Rolling Stone noted how “their
bonding over their burdens gives the movie a heart as much as the love story, the last-act
sacrifice, or the bittersweet ending.” For a majority of viewers, the most enjoyable aspect of
the movie was watching the three superheroes interact.

Tom Holland and Zendaya at No Way Home premiere (Getty Images)

The most anticipated movie this calendar year surely did not disappoint. Its success can be
attributed to the talented cast that prospered through the complex plot, ultimately leaving
fans feeling fulfilled and nostalgic. The three Spider-Men swinging on the Statue of Liberty will
forever be a memory etched in the minds of two separate generations, from fans of Maguire to
those that grew up watching Holland. The nostalgia-inducing film with a show-stopping cast
and clever directional choices earns a complete 5 out of 5 star rating.
If you haven’t watched this movie, fear not as the Blu-ray and digital release has opened doors
to watch this movie from the comfort of one’s home. This blockbuster is most certainly a must
watch and will leave you wanting more.
 Works Cited
“Andrew Garfield.” IMDb, Amazon, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1940449/.
Dargis, Manohla. “'Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Review: Listen Bud, No Spoilers Here.” The
New York Times, The New York Times Company, 16 Dec. 2021,
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-review.html.
Debruge, Peter. “‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Review: Tom Holland Cleans Out the Cobwebs
of Sprawling Franchise With Multiverse Super-Battle.” Variety, Penske Media
Corporation, 13 Dec. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/spider-man-no-way-
home-review-tom-holland-1235132550/.
“Doctor Strange.” IMDb, Amazon, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211837/.
Fear, David. “We Need to Talk About 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Now.” Rolling Stone,
Penske Media Corporation, 23 Dec. 2021, https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-
features/spider-man-no-way-home-best-moments-1274554/.
Hoffman, Jordan. “'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Dominates Box Office. Again.” Vanity Fair,
Condé Nast, 30 Jan. 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/01/spider-man-no-
way-home-dominates-box-office-again.
“One More Day.” Marvel Database, https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/One_More_Day.
“Phase Four.” Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki,
https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Phase_Four.
Parker, Ryan. “'No Way Home' and Its Most Impactful Spider-Man Moments.” The Hollywood
Reporter, Penske Media Corporation, 20 Dec. 2021,
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/spider-man-no-way-home-
tobey-maguire-andrew-garfield-tom-holland-moments-1235063569/.
“Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019).” IMDb, Amazon, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6320628/.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).” IMDb, Amazon, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10872600/.
“Tobey Maguire.” IMDb, Amazon, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001497/.