Spider-Man: No Way Home
will be the third movie in the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise, and some fans are already wondering what comes next. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker arrived in the MCU in Civil War and stuck around for Infinity War and Endgame. We saw the MCU’s Spider-Man do things that Sony could never pull off. He became an Avenger, traveled to space, and even died while helping save the world in Infinity War. And No Way Home will also tell a story Sony never did on its own. The world knows who Spider-Man is, and Peter Park will try to make everyone forget.
Logic dictates that Marvel and Sony will partner for other Spider-Man stories set in the MCU. But Holland said in a recent interview that No Way Home feels like the end of a franchise.
Spider-Man’s MCU future unknown
Superhero movies usually come in three. That’s the unwritten rule in Hollywood. Unless you’re The Amazing Spider-Man. Or Avengers and Thor. The former ended after the second installment, while both Avengers and Thor have fourth movies. But that’s because the MCU’s popularity gives Marvel the license to color outside the lines. The MCU is selling so well that the usual rules do not apply. Marvel tells interconnected stories where characters appear in multiple projects, not just their standalone stories.
Spider-Man is special. He’s one of the most popular Marvel superheroes, and fans are dying to see the new Spider-Man movies. We’ve had almost three trilogies so far in the past few decades, and we’re bound to get more after No Way Home. But it’s unclear which Spider-Man version we’re getting and who will make the movies.
The problem with this highly prized Marvel property is that Sony controls the rights, not Marvel. And Sony has its own plans for a Spider-Man universe. Sony needs the MCU to prop up its SSU, but it doesn’t have to include Spider-Man in MCU stories or agree to more trilogies. After all, Sony almost removed Spider-Man from the MCU back in summer 2019.
Well-known for spilling MCU secrets, Holland has learned a thing or two in recent years. He’s not going to drop any No Way Home spoilers in the press tour de force that’s coming from the new Spider-Man movie. But as we get closer to December, he will have to start answering more and more questions about the movie.
No Way Home is the end of a trilogy
The actor talked about No Way Home with Entertainment Weekly, telling the magazine that making the film felt like the end of a franchise. He also teased what might be coming next for this Spider-Man version.
“We were all treating [No Way Home] as the end of a franchise, let’s say,” the actor said. “I think if we were lucky enough to dive into these characters again, you’d be seeing a very different version. It would no longer be the Homecoming trilogy. We would give it some time and try to build something different and tonally change the films. Whether that happens or not, I don’t know. But we were definitely treating [No Way Home] like it was coming to an end, and it felt like it.”
Rumors did say that Marvel and Sony might be planning another MCU trilogy for Spider-Man that focuses on Peter Parker’s university years. Separately, other rumors said that
Holland also added that the team felt the finality of the situation while filming No Way Home.
Holland isn’t the only one teasing the end
“We’ve been making these films for five years now,” Holland said. He was referring to himself, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon, who play Peter Parker, MJ, and Ned, respectively
“We’ve had such an amazing relationship, the three of us,” the actor continued, adding that they’ve been “with each other every step of the way. We’ve done every single film, every single press tour. So this one scene, [we didn’t know] if this would be the last time [we were all working together.] [It] was heartbreaking but also really exciting because we’re all moving into the next chapter of our careers. So sharing that moment with them was maybe the best day I’ve ever had on set. I don’t think I’ve cried like that ever.”
Recently, Zendaya also hinted that No Way Home is a sort of end. “We don’t know if we’re gonna do another one,” she told E! Online in August. “Is it just going to be three and done? Like, kind of normally you do three movies, and that’s pretty much it.”
The MCU’s upcoming new Spider-Man adventure premieres on December 17th. A second trailer will reportedly drop in the second half of October.
