Spider-Man: No Way Home

Released 17 December 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the third film in Tom Holland's Spider-Man series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Jon Watts. Sony Pictures distributed it, while Marvel Studios produced it with Columbia Pictures. Its story begins immediately after Spider-Man: Far From Home, released in 2019, and introduces a multiversal conflict. After Quentin Beck (Mysterio) reveals Peter Parker's identity, Peter asks Doctor Strange to make the world forget. The spell goes wrong when Peter repeatedly changes its conditions, allowing villains from other universes to enter New York. They include Norman Osborn's Green Goblin, Otto Octavius's Doctor Octopus, and Max Dillon's Electro, characters originally played in earlier Spider-Man films. The returning antagonists are joined by Flint Marko's Sandman and Curt Connors's Lizard, portrayed through archival material and performances by Thomas Haden Church and Rhys Ifans. Strange and Peter initially plan to cure the villains before sending them home. Peter's compassion conflicts with Strange's insistence that death itself is fate. The film's central surprise is the arrival of two live-action Spider-Men: Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker in Sam Raimi's trilogy, and Andrew Garfield, star of Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films. They meet Holland's Peter in a laboratory after Ned Leeds uses a sling ring while searching for Strange. Together, the three heroes confront the villains at the Statue of Liberty, where the climax includes a battle with the Green Goblin. Aunt May dies after Goblin's attack, giving Peter a loss. Doctor Strange's containment spell breaks, and reality begins to collapse as people from other universes approach the world. To repair the damage, Peter chooses the spell's original price: everyone must forget Peter Parker, not only Spider-Man's public identity. This erases MJ and Ned's memories of him, as well as Happy Hogan's personal connection. Before the final reset, each visiting Spider-Man shares advice and helps Holland's Peter reject revenge. At the conclusion, the spell succeeds, but Peter is completely alone in the MCU's New York. He moves into a modest apartment, sews a new suit, and continues protecting the city without Stark technology. The film leaves his relationships unresolved while establishing a more independent Spider-Man for future MCU stories. No Way Home became a major theatrical event during the COVID-19 era. It earned more than $1.9 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2021 and, at the time, Sony's highest-grossing release. It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, recognizing its ambitious multiverse spectacle onscreen.