It’s finally December 17th, the Friday that Marvel fans have been waiting for. If you haven’t already seen Spider-Man: No Way Home in Wednesday or Thursday previews, you’ll probably head to a theater near you starting today. Many shows have been sold out for weeks, which means some Spider-Man fans will have to wait a few more days to see whether the big No Way Home leaks were true. We already have our spoiler-free Spider-Man: No Way Home review to tide you over until then. But in what follows below, we will talk about a big Avengers Easter egg revelation that’s hiding in No Way Home.
The events in No Way Home will impact the MCU and the Avengers going forward. And we do expect Tom Holland to appear in a big MCU crossover soon, like an Avengers story. But in what follows, we won’t look at Peter Parker or any of the essential plot details from the movie. It’s just a very specific Avengers-related No Way Home Easter egg spoiler that we’re about to discuss below. Be warned, however, other spoilers from some of this year’s MCU movies and TV shows will also be discussed.
We’ve had a fantastic year of MCU stories so far that made up for last year’s hiatus. The movies and TV shows Marvel released this year further advanced the overall story of MCU Phase 4. We met several new heroes, and Marvel introduced a few fantastic villains. We got more context about some of the characters we love (and hate). And we understood just how important the multiverse theme is for the first part of Phase 4. Even No Way Home is a multiverse movie, something that Sony and Marvel confirmed in the trailers.
The Avengers still exist after Endgame
Most importantly, we realized the Avengers still exist. Marvel isn’t ready to announce an Avengers 5 movie just yet, but it has confirmed that big crossovers are in the works. Two projects have told us so far that the Avengers group still exists, and that’s where the No Way Home Easter egg fits in.
First of all, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier makes it clear that superheroes are still an important asset when it comes to managing crises. By the end of the season, we don’t just witness Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) accepting the Captain America role. We also see Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) become a recognized Avenger.
But it’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that delivers a massive piece of the Avengers 5 puzzle.
Specifically, one of the post-credits scenes features Wong (Benedict Wong), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Once you move beyond the shock of seeing Banner again, you realize that you’re witnessing an emergency Avengers meeting. Wong, Captain Marvel, and Banner discuss the new threat in Shang-Chi, revealing that they’re keeping tabs on the new weapon in the film, its energy signature, and its connections to an unknown otherworldly threat.
This implies we will see a new Avengers crossover movie down the line.
How do these Avengers Easter eggs that Marvel scattered in other productions connect to No Way Home? The newest Spider-Man movie is a part of the MCU, and it does feature three Avengers who fought Thanos. As we know from the trailers, Peter, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Wong all appear in the movie.
The No Way Home Sorcerer Supreme Easter egg
The No Way Home clips that Sony and Marvel released contain several elements meant to deceive the audience. But the Strange and Wong cameos are absolutely clear in those clips.
Strange will cast a spell to help Peter, despite Wong’s warnings. Thanks to Peter’s interference, the spell goes wrong and all the non-MCU villains from old Spider-Man movies invade the MCU.
Again, we know all of this from the No Way Home trailers, so these aren’t spoilers. But this is your last chance to avoid the small Avengers Easter egg spoiler in No Way Home.
The actual scene with Peter talking to Strange and Wong about the possibility of using magic to fix his identity problem is the key moment. As the three interact, we learn that Wong is this reality’s Sorcerer Supreme, not Strange. Therefore, Wong is Strange’s boss and the leader of the wizard faction that would fight together with the Avengers against any massive threats like Thanos.
That’s an excellent development for the beloved character, and it explains why Wong appeared in that Avengers meeting in Shang-Chi.
As much as we want Strange to be this reality’s Sorcerer Supreme, Wong does have seniority. It’s also because of the five years between Infinity War and Endgame where Strange was blipped. That’s the “technicality” that made Wong Sorcerer Supreme, Strange quips hilariously.
The dialog between Pete, Strange, and Wong also explains why the Sanctum is filled with snow even though it’s the middle of fall. But you’ll have to see No Way Home to find out more. What matters here is that Wong is now one of Earth’s prominent heroes, and we’ll certainly see him in future Avengers adventures down the road.
