This article was written by staff writer, Michael Worthan. (All images in this article are credited to: Marvel, Sony and Disney.)
***This should go without saying, but if you’re one of the few who have not seen
Spider-Man No Way Home, do not read any further!!
Image Credit: Official Spider-Man No Way Home website
Last warning: SPOILER ALERT!!!!!
I have actually put off writing this for a few weeks now, just to make sure I was avoiding the spoilers conflict, at least for a few extra days. Maybe this puts me behind, writing about what is probably considered old news—as so much has been announced or shown in the last little while. I’m good with that though, because I have feelings about Spider-Man, so many feelings.
Also, again, SPOILERS!! Just stop reading now if you haven’t seen the flick.
Seriously STOP!
One last-last chance.
Alright, so after seeing the movie, after emotionally pulling myself together, and after overthinking every implication of what could or could not be due to what happened during this film, I can only come to the conclusion that this movie was just so immensely well done that I am in love with it. I am so in love with it, I actually may have liked it more than Endgame, and I loved Endgame.
Again, here be spoilers, please stop now.
A friend of mine were talking about No Way Home and he brought to my attention that every movie Tom Hollands’ Spider-Man/Peter Parker has been in is an origin story. There was not a heavy Uncle Ben benchmark to start, he just sort of was Spider-Man, and with a small push of Tony Stark, and then Tony Stark’s imminent demise, he became a different version of Spider-Man. Most of us saw him becoming the new Tony Stark, Iron Spider if you will, with all of the backing of Stark Enterprises, using his genius to stop criminals.
The issue with that is Spider-Man’s life is developed by loss, is defined by adversity, and through his trial and tribulations, through all of the loss he becomes the best of the heroes. He is willing to be booed and hated to save those that he can. With the Marvel movie-verse looking completely past Uncle Ben’s death, showing him being affected by Tony’s, but generally unwilling to fully take on the mantel, there was a general impasse, until the end of Far From Home when his identity is revealed.
No Way Home begins right where Far From Home ends, and it begins what will be the hardest battle, and possibly the most Spider-Man of Spider-Man movies that has been put out so far.
I won’t go over every detail, but from the jump No Way Home is Peter struggling with his two life’s, and everyone else knowing about them as well. Everything is made much worse from a botched spell, and then we get to see a small shred of the multiverse, we get to see almost every villain from the other Spider-Man movies, and later on we are presented with the two other Spider-Men, Andrew Garfield and Toby McGuire respectively.
Aside from this being somewhat groundbreaking, it was heartwarming to see the other two Spider-Men get their due, and to see truly what Andrew Garfield can do when he has a great script to roll with. We get some really spectacular, amazing even, moments with all characters involved. I will not lie I cried, not just rolled a tear, but cried maybe three times with this movie. The first was obviously the death of Aunt May. The fact they played it like she had broken ribs or something, until you see her pouring blood, was heart wrenching, and that moment gave Tom Hollands’ Peter everything he needed, he got the “With great power must come great responsibility.” May showed that Peter’s conscience, his goodness, must always shine through, and even though the right way may be the most difficult way, it was the best way. This broke Peter, but then after being introduced to the multiverse Peters, and a few solid laughs about web fluid, the second moment comes with Andrew Garfields’ Peter saving MJ (Zendeya). A moment that is retribution for him, and a catharsis he needed. Earlier in a scene he talks about losing Gwen, not being able to save her, and how that trauma affected him with him saying “I just stopped pulling my punches.”
The third, and possibly worst tear filled moment was the end, Peter gave up everything he had, everyone he loved, to correct something he started, but also to start to save the multiverse. He had Dr. Strange cast the same spell from the beginning, but this time with no caveats, and he was able to say goodbye to his friends, as they would completely forget who Peter Parker was.
This spell, the sacrifice made truly makes this version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man the loneliest, and most tragic. Pulling from a point I made at the beginning, all of these movies were his origin and made him truly Spider-Man. With the last scene in his sad dank apartment, with his one box and a sewing machine we get a very bright red and blue classic Spider-Man suit, and honestly it is amazing. I cannot wait for another installation of his franchise.
