WARNING: Big ol’ spoilers ahead for “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is now in theaters, and as always, the build-up to it sparked some pretty insane theories. But this time, Marvel fans were actually right about quite a few things in the film.
To be fair, “No Way Home” had arguably the most leaks of any Marvel-related project in quite some time. Between purported set photos and videos, and some… let’s call it odd editing of trailers, fans really had a lot of information at their disposal before even going into the theater.
But at this point, there are so many rumors that swirled that it’s hard to pick them apart. So, we’ve rounded up all the fan theories that actually came through in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Seriously, if you haven’t seen it yet and want to go in relatively pure, turn away now.
Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire Return
Though both Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield denied it vehemently leading up to the movie’s release, they did in fact get to share the screen together as Spider-Men in “No Way Home.” And yes, Tobey Maguire was there too.
Thanks to Doctor Strange’s spell cracking open the multiverse, villains from both the Sam Raimi trilogy and Sony’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” duology showed up in the joint Sony/MCU timeline. And, when they got sucked in, both Garfield and Maguire’s Peter Parkers came too.
Of course, while Doc Ock and Green Goblin and friends all immediately came after Tom Holland’s Peter Parker — albeit unknowingly — Garfield and Maguire mostly just wandered around New York, trying to figure out what was going on.
They don’t show up until the third act of “No Way Home,” but in the end, we saw three Spider-Men fighting side by side, just as fans predicted.
Charlie Cox Returns as Matt Murdock
When the first trailer for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” dropped, some fans were steadfastly convinced that a certain forearm seen in one shot of Peter Parker at the police station was that of Matt Murdock, played once again by Charlie Cox. And while that particular piece didn’t end up being true, fans were still correct about him appearing.
Murdock — known by his super alter ego, Daredevil — showed up after Peter was actually released from police custody, and back at home with Aunt May and Happy Hogan. He happily informed Peter that it was unlikely any of the charges against him would stick, but informed Happy that he’d definitely need a good lawyer.
It seems that at this point, Peter is unaware of Murdock’s super goings-on, as he seems very surprised when the lawyer catches a brick that flies through the window without even turning around.
Odds are pretty good we’ll see him again, especially considering that his arch nemesis Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) has also joined the MCU as part of “Hawkeye.”
Andrew Garfield’s Peter Saves Zendaya’s MJ
Once fans were convinced that Andrew Garfield would return as Peter Parker, it was time to speculate on exactly what kind of role he would play in the story. And once the “No Way Home” trailer revealed that Zendaya’s MJ would follow the trend of Spider-Man love interests falling from great heights, that speculation reached one heartbreaking theory.
Recalling the absolutely gut-wrenching death of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” most immediately began hoping that Garfield’s Peter would get a second chance at saving the girl — and he did.
When MJ is thrown from the scaffolding, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker does dive right after her. But just before he can reach her, Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) swoops in and grabs Peter. Seeing this, Garfield’s Peter immediately panics, and flings himself over the edge after MJ.
This time, instead of trying to secure her with a web like he did Gwen, he makes sure to grab MJ in his arms and swing them both to safety. And with that, he finds at least some redemption for losing his own love because of his super life.
Aunt May Dies
The moment fans saw Tom Holland’s Peter Parker with eyes bloodshot from crying, sitting in the rain, they knew he was losing someone important to him. Really, it came down to two contenders: MJ or Aunt May. And, considering the theory above, Aunt May became the unfortunate frontrunner.
And, in the end, Aunt May was indeed the biggest casualty of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” In trying to teach Peter a lesson, Green Goblin throws a pumpkin bomb into the lobby of their apartment building as he sees May running through to help her nephew.
For a moment, it looks like she might actually survive, having just gotten caught in some rubble. She’s even able to stand up and have a conversation with Peter, giving her the opportunity to drop the classic “with great power comes great responsibility” line.
But, as the pair move to leave the building, May needs a minute to catch her breath, leading Peter to find all the blood she’s losing from a wound caused by the debris. It’s a defining moment for Holland’s character, and one done heartbreakingly well.
RIP Aunt May. You were too pure for this world.
Honorable Mention: Miles Morales
OK, technically, Miles Morales didn’t actually show up, as many fans theorized. But we think he deserves an honorable mention here, precisely because he did get a mention — it just wasn’t by name.
After draining Electro (Jamie Foxx) of his powers — without killing him this time — Garfield’s Peter Parker has a brief conversation with his one-time superfan. As they talk, Electro admits to Peter that, given his hometown of Queens and his desire to really help those in need, the villain thought Spider-Man was Black.
Peter apologizes, and Electro shrugs it off, saying something along the lines of “There must be a Black Spider-Man out there somewhere, right?”
As we know, there is. His name is Miles Morales, and we met him in Sony’s “Into the Spiderverse” (and he’ll return in “Across the Spider-Verse”) It’s not a full-fledged cameo, but it’s a nice little easter egg all the same.