Full spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: No Way Home!
It was inevitable that a multiverse-bending adventure like Spider-Man: No Way Home would generate more than a few head-scratchers about the hows and whys that brought past and present screen superheroes and supervillains together.
And while, as we point out in our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, the movie juggled most of its many complicated story elements more successfully than not, we were nevertheless left with some big questions that had us asking “WTF?”…
Doctor Strange’s final spell erases Peter Parker from the minds of everyone on Earth, himself included. While anonymity gives Peter the “fresh start” hinted at in the beginning of the movie, it left us scratching our heads as to how the characters that met each other through Peter will continue to interact, if at all. For instance, there’s a subplot in No Way Home that follows Ned’s growing ability to control Doctor Strange’s sling ring. When Strange returns to the fight, he seems genuinely surprised Ned was able to conjure portals, and his “huh” seemed to hint that this is a point he and Ned would have to circle back to. Ned seemed poised to become trained by Strange to be a freaking wizard and now, with Peter’s identity erased, that seems like it’s not gonna happen.
You’d think Doctor Strange could cast a spell as specific in its intent and accuracy as Hulk and Tony Stark’s Infinity Gauntlet snaps did but, as the initial Spell of Forgetting that Peter helped muck up showed, magic can be messy even when yielded by Doc Strange. When Strange cast his final spell so that everyone would forget about Peter Parker, was he able to contain that to just Tom Holland’s Peter 1? Otherwise, that would really suck for Tobey Maguire’s Peter 2 and Andrew Garfield’s Peter 3 when they return home.
If people in those other universes don’t forget Peter then that means these villains who have now earned second chances and return to their universes are alive and know Peter Parker is Spider-Man. (Or did they, despite being “saved” in Peter 1’s universe, immediately perish upon the return to their own?) Also, what point in time everybody is sent back to makes a difference. Because if the villains go back to right before they die, but Peter 2 and Peter 3 go back to later in their lives where they obviously came from, do the Spider-Men that are fighting the villains have any idea what just happened?
If the spell created a multiversal rift drawing in those who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man then why is Jamie Foxx’s Electro even among them? The Max Dillon of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 never knew Peter Parker was Spidey. Indeed, Max is surprised to discover in No Way Home that his universe’s Spidey was a white guy since he assumed someone from Queens who helped poor people would be Black.
It’s one thing to wipe everyone’s memory of Peter Parker’s existence, but what about all the paperwork, medical records, digital posts, and everything else that serves as a record of his existence? Did all that material suddenly vanish? Is he scrubbed from every last bit of camera footage? And if he is scrubbed, how can he even live his life now? Can he get health insurance, pay his taxes, and get a job?
Using the old “punched out of their corporeal self” trick, Strange knocks Peter’s astral self out of his Spidey body when the web-slinger tries to make off with the magical MacGuffin the sorcerer plans to use to send all the multidimensional interlopers home. And yet Peter somehow overpowers Strange’s hold on his astral self, with Spidey’s physical appendages still sparring for control of the magic box. But how did the wall-crawler – who has previously shown no magical abilities and has never experienced the astral plane before – get the upper (astral) hand on a trained sorcerer like Strange? Is it his Spidey-Sense kicking in to protect him (it must even when Peter’s sleeping)? But if that’s the case then how does a physical reaction overpower magic operating on an entirely different plane of existence? While his “Peter Tingle” does seem to be the best guess given how much the movie leans into it, it’s still a leap.
From that coffee he got from MJ to the rent for his new apartment, how does Peter Parker have any money to pay for anything since he basically no longer exists? He has no identity, no one knows or remembers him. Aunt May’s life insurance? How does that work if he’s been essentially erased (or is he grandfathered in since she was already dead by the time the spell was cast)? Peter Parker’s ability to make ends meet – in New York City, no less – was already iffy in the comics living as a freelance news photographer but at least that Peter Parker had an established identity that granted him the ability to earn a living.
Yes, he’s been stabbed before and, sure, he’s getting on in years but how did Peter 2’s Spider-Sense not warn him that Green Goblin was about to stab him in the back? Maybe Tom Holland’s “Peter Tingle” is more acute since it went off just because Norman was even thinking about making trouble. You’d think Norman getting ready to stab someone would trigger just as dramatic a response to impending danger. (And for that matter, why didn’t Peter 1’s Spidey-Sense not warn him Goblin was swooping in to knock him away from saving MJ when it clearly works enough to warn him that Norman was just thinking bad thoughts?)
Both Peter 2 and Peter 3 name-check their respective Uncle Bens and the impact he had on them but Peter 1 never says a peep about having an Uncle Ben in his life. We know from Spider-Man: Far From Home that Ben Parker exists in the MCU since Peter uses an old suitcase with his initials on it. But it’s Aunt May, in her dying moments here, who gives this Peter the “with great responsibility” speech, not Uncle Ben. So it begs the question of whether the MCU’s Peter Parker ever even knew his Uncle Ben. Did Ben die before Peter was even born as some fan theories have claimed? The ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home offered an opportunity for the MCU to at least visually acknowledge Uncle Ben by showing his grave when Peter visits May’s but, alas, his final resting place was nowhere to be seen.
Charlie Cox’s cameo as Matt Murdock was delightful, but entirely glossed over when it comes to explanation. Obviously, there’s a media circus surrounding Peter after his identity was revealed, so he surely found out about his plight from that, but how did Matt get May to agree to let him take Peter’s case? It’s possible that Matt knew May through her work at F.E.A.S.T. helping the less fortunate, a cause Murdock/Daredevil believes in. Also, the entire world may forget that Peter exists, but Peter doesn’t forget those that he’s encountered. Now that he knows about Matt’s impossible reflexes, will he seek out Murdock for help and discover his own secret identity along the way?
Well, those were our biggest WTF questions after watching Spider-Man: No Way Home. What were yours? Let us know in the comments!
And for more web-slinging, check out our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, our No Way Home ending explained, learn why No Way Home was almost a Kraven the Hunter movie, and find out what producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal think Spidey’s legacy in the MCU will be.
Continue reading...
It was inevitable that a multiverse-bending adventure like Spider-Man: No Way Home would generate more than a few head-scratchers about the hows and whys that brought past and present screen superheroes and supervillains together.
And while, as we point out in our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, the movie juggled most of its many complicated story elements more successfully than not, we were nevertheless left with some big questions that had us asking “WTF?”…
What Are the Rules of Forgetting Peter Parker?
Doctor Strange’s final spell erases Peter Parker from the minds of everyone on Earth, himself included. While anonymity gives Peter the “fresh start” hinted at in the beginning of the movie, it left us scratching our heads as to how the characters that met each other through Peter will continue to interact, if at all. For instance, there’s a subplot in No Way Home that follows Ned’s growing ability to control Doctor Strange’s sling ring. When Strange returns to the fight, he seems genuinely surprised Ned was able to conjure portals, and his “huh” seemed to hint that this is a point he and Ned would have to circle back to. Ned seemed poised to become trained by Strange to be a freaking wizard and now, with Peter’s identity erased, that seems like it’s not gonna happen.
Did Strange’s Spell Also Make People Forget the Other Two Peters?
You’d think Doctor Strange could cast a spell as specific in its intent and accuracy as Hulk and Tony Stark’s Infinity Gauntlet snaps did but, as the initial Spell of Forgetting that Peter helped muck up showed, magic can be messy even when yielded by Doc Strange. When Strange cast his final spell so that everyone would forget about Peter Parker, was he able to contain that to just Tom Holland’s Peter 1? Otherwise, that would really suck for Tobey Maguire’s Peter 2 and Andrew Garfield’s Peter 3 when they return home.
What Happens to the Villains Who Were “Saved” in the End?
If people in those other universes don’t forget Peter then that means these villains who have now earned second chances and return to their universes are alive and know Peter Parker is Spider-Man. (Or did they, despite being “saved” in Peter 1’s universe, immediately perish upon the return to their own?) Also, what point in time everybody is sent back to makes a difference. Because if the villains go back to right before they die, but Peter 2 and Peter 3 go back to later in their lives where they obviously came from, do the Spider-Men that are fighting the villains have any idea what just happened?
How is Electro Even Summoned in the First Place?
If the spell created a multiversal rift drawing in those who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man then why is Jamie Foxx’s Electro even among them? The Max Dillon of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 never knew Peter Parker was Spidey. Indeed, Max is surprised to discover in No Way Home that his universe’s Spidey was a white guy since he assumed someone from Queens who helped poor people would be Black.
Did Strange’s Spell Also Affect Computer Records?
It’s one thing to wipe everyone’s memory of Peter Parker’s existence, but what about all the paperwork, medical records, digital posts, and everything else that serves as a record of his existence? Did all that material suddenly vanish? Is he scrubbed from every last bit of camera footage? And if he is scrubbed, how can he even live his life now? Can he get health insurance, pay his taxes, and get a job?
How Did Peter Overpower Strange’s Astral Hold on Him?
Using the old “punched out of their corporeal self” trick, Strange knocks Peter’s astral self out of his Spidey body when the web-slinger tries to make off with the magical MacGuffin the sorcerer plans to use to send all the multidimensional interlopers home. And yet Peter somehow overpowers Strange’s hold on his astral self, with Spidey’s physical appendages still sparring for control of the magic box. But how did the wall-crawler – who has previously shown no magical abilities and has never experienced the astral plane before – get the upper (astral) hand on a trained sorcerer like Strange? Is it his Spidey-Sense kicking in to protect him (it must even when Peter’s sleeping)? But if that’s the case then how does a physical reaction overpower magic operating on an entirely different plane of existence? While his “Peter Tingle” does seem to be the best guess given how much the movie leans into it, it’s still a leap.
How Is Peter Paying for Anything in the End?
From that coffee he got from MJ to the rent for his new apartment, how does Peter Parker have any money to pay for anything since he basically no longer exists? He has no identity, no one knows or remembers him. Aunt May’s life insurance? How does that work if he’s been essentially erased (or is he grandfathered in since she was already dead by the time the spell was cast)? Peter Parker’s ability to make ends meet – in New York City, no less – was already iffy in the comics living as a freelance news photographer but at least that Peter Parker had an established identity that granted him the ability to earn a living.
Why Did Tobey’s Spidey-Sense Not Warn Him?
Yes, he’s been stabbed before and, sure, he’s getting on in years but how did Peter 2’s Spider-Sense not warn him that Green Goblin was about to stab him in the back? Maybe Tom Holland’s “Peter Tingle” is more acute since it went off just because Norman was even thinking about making trouble. You’d think Norman getting ready to stab someone would trigger just as dramatic a response to impending danger. (And for that matter, why didn’t Peter 1’s Spidey-Sense not warn him Goblin was swooping in to knock him away from saving MJ when it clearly works enough to warn him that Norman was just thinking bad thoughts?)
How Come the MCU’s Peter Never Mentions an Uncle Ben?
Both Peter 2 and Peter 3 name-check their respective Uncle Bens and the impact he had on them but Peter 1 never says a peep about having an Uncle Ben in his life. We know from Spider-Man: Far From Home that Ben Parker exists in the MCU since Peter uses an old suitcase with his initials on it. But it’s Aunt May, in her dying moments here, who gives this Peter the “with great responsibility” speech, not Uncle Ben. So it begs the question of whether the MCU’s Peter Parker ever even knew his Uncle Ben. Did Ben die before Peter was even born as some fan theories have claimed? The ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home offered an opportunity for the MCU to at least visually acknowledge Uncle Ben by showing his grave when Peter visits May’s but, alas, his final resting place was nowhere to be seen.
How and Why Did Matt Murdock Take Peter’s Case?
Charlie Cox’s cameo as Matt Murdock was delightful, but entirely glossed over when it comes to explanation. Obviously, there’s a media circus surrounding Peter after his identity was revealed, so he surely found out about his plight from that, but how did Matt get May to agree to let him take Peter’s case? It’s possible that Matt knew May through her work at F.E.A.S.T. helping the less fortunate, a cause Murdock/Daredevil believes in. Also, the entire world may forget that Peter exists, but Peter doesn’t forget those that he’s encountered. Now that he knows about Matt’s impossible reflexes, will he seek out Murdock for help and discover his own secret identity along the way?
Well, those were our biggest WTF questions after watching Spider-Man: No Way Home. What were yours? Let us know in the comments!
And for more web-slinging, check out our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, our No Way Home ending explained, learn why No Way Home was almost a Kraven the Hunter movie, and find out what producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal think Spidey’s legacy in the MCU will be.
Continue reading...