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‘No Way Home’ star says this might be Spider-Man’s last MCU movie

Published Aug 4th, 2021 1:43PM EDT
No Way Home
Image: Marvel Studios and Sony

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There’s never been a Spider-Man movie as exciting as No Way Home in Marvel and Sony’s entire history so far. It’s a combination of factors that allowed the stars to align perfectly and deliver what will easily be the most important Spider-Man film ever. No Way Home will turn out to be a significant MCU event, assuming all the multiverse leaks are accurate. The biggest No Way Home spoiler is out — it’s been out for months, and there’s no way to avoid it. The film will give us different Spider-Man variants who will fight against all the villains that appeared in Sony’s old Spider-Man movies.

The film will have two different multiverse agendas. Marvel has just introduced the multiverse in Loki, and it’ll explore it in future attractions. Also, Sony desperately needs the MCU and the multiverse to connect Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to its own universe of Spider-Man characters.

But will Holland’s Spider-Man version continue in the MCU beyond No Way Home? One of the franchise’s biggest stars just went on record to say that the future is uncertain. We have a few explanations for that, including one that’s chock-full of massive No Way Home spoilers. Don’t read any further if you want to avoid spoilers.

Is there’s a No Way Home sequel down the road?

Having played the MCU’s version of MJ in three Spider-Man films including No Way Home, Zendaya is in a position to know a thing or two about the future of the franchise. Sony has to make a new Spider-Man film every few years to retain the rights to the character. And Marvel probably wants as much Spider-Man in the MCU as possible. But will there be a Spider-Man 4 in the MCU?

Zendaya talked to E! Online about her No Way Home experience. That’s where she said she has no idea what’s coming next. She said it “was so much fun” to reunite with the cast, but also “kind of bittersweet.”

“We don’t know if we’re gonna do another one,” she says. “Is it just going to be three and done? Like, kind of normally you do three movies, and that’s pretty much it.”

Zendaya continued, “We were all just absorbing and taking the time to just enjoy the moment, being with each other and being so grateful for that experience.” She’s been doing the Spider-Man films since she was 19.

That might sound bad, but we can explain. Here’s where those big No Way Home spoilers come in.

Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 still: From left to right, Jacob Batalon, Tom Holland, and Zendaya. Image source: Marvel Studios and Sony

The Sony-Disney deal

Sony and Disney are in a much better place than in summer 2019, when we heard Spider-Man 3 might not be a part of the MCU. Thankfully, the two giants solved their problems. And rumors said recently that their relationship is better than ever. Sony and Marvel will continue working together, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man should appear in at least one more MCU movie. There’s also been talk about another MCU Spider-Man trilogy down the road. Neither Sony nor Marvel have confirmed anything.

Marvel has its MCU timeline planned years in advance, so Kevin Feige & Co. know exactly whether they want Peter Parker in the MCU after No Way Home. But there’s no telling if they told the cast. Even if Zendaya were to appear in three more Spider-Man films down the line, she wouldn’t share that information with fans.

So that’s one possible explanation for Zendaya’s “bittersweet” remark.

A big No Way Home spoiler might explain it all

But there’s another possibility that we have to take into account. What if something happens to the MCU’s MJ in No Way Home? What if she is the film’s main character who will see a horrific death in the movie? Or say Peter brings her back to life but erases her memory of their relationship? Would he still go after MJ, or will he find solace someplace else?

It so happens that the biggest No Way Home plot leak that we saw so far offers precisely the sequence of events above. MJ dies while fighting Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). After dealing with all the villains and putting everyone back in their timelines, Peter attempts to fix his own life. He resurrects MJ and makes everyone else forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. But MJ forgets all about him as well.

That’s the kind of bittersweet ending that would provide Zendaya a grand exit from the MCU — assuming that’s what Sony and/or Marvel want. But again, we wouldn’t expect Zendaya to confirm a future Spider-Man deal with the two studios right now.

As always, this is just speculation at this point, based on the various No Way Home rumors out there. Spider-Man 3 premieres in theaters on December 17th.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.