Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently revealed that they considered including Sam Wilson/Captain America at the end of
Spider-Man: Far From Home, but that wasn't the only
Avengers: Endgame reference the sequel came close to adding. According to director Jon Watts, Peter Parker's European vacation very nearly took him to New Asgard!
Located in Tønsberg, Norway (where the Red Skull retrieved the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger), New Asgard was established by Thor shortly after the events of
Avengers: Infinity War. When he jetted off into outer space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, he left it the hands of Valkyrie.
"I remember one point we were talking about if one of the stops along the way through Europe was going to be New Asgard," Watts revealed without elaborating why that idea was scrapped.
As fun as it would have been to see the wall-crawler get up close and personal with some Asgardians (and possibly even Valkyrie), this might have been a tad distracting and wouldn't really have fit into Peter's attempt to get away from his life as a superhero and just have a break.
What do you guys think?
For more on Spider-Man: Far From Home, hit the "View List" button below!
Why Some Classic Spidey Villains Are Being Reimagined
We've known for a while that we're getting a fresh take on the likes of Molten Man and Hydro-Man in
Spider-Man: Far From Home but what's wrong with the comic book versions of these villains?
"The real nerdy inside joke here is that they're based on B-level Spider-Man baddies," executive producer Eric Carroll explains.
"There is actually a villain in the comics called Hydro-Man, who's a guy made out of water but wears a t-shirt and has a haircut..." In other words, they were too silly to be adapted in a straightforward manner, hence why they're now "Elementals."
Carroll adds that the idea was to make them
"kind of scary and threatening...for all the comic fans keeping score, it'll be fun to see Hydro-Man brought to the big screen in a way we think is pretty cool."
Did Spider-Man And Nick Fury Meet In Avengers: Endgame?
Spider-Man and Nick Fury were both at Tony Stark's funeral, so why does the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director say that it's nice to meet him in the teaser trailer? While we've since assumed that it was a line recorded solely for that preview, Jon Watts has now further confused matters!
"No, it's not a fake-out," he claims.
"The actually talk about why they didn't talk in that...it's not a fake-out. But there is more to [this subject] than meets the eye." What if Peter's parents were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and killed in the line of duty? (they worked for the C.I.A. in the comics)
Mysterio's Helmet Will Be VFX
That's right, if you were hoping for some behind the scenes photos of Jake Gyllenhaal walking around with a fishbowl helmet on his head, you're going to be pretty disappointed as it's 100% CGI.
"When we introduce a new character [from the comics], we try to boil them down to what is iconic about them and hang on to that," Carroll explains,
"but also in a way that translates to film, because obviously some of this is a little bit goofy."
"But speaking of goofy," he continues,
"Mysterio will have a fishbowl helmet. It'll be added digitally."
We're Not Getting A "Dark" Take On Peter Parker
Peter may be mourning for Iron Man in
Spider-Man: Far From Home but that doesn't mean we should expect a dark take on the superhero.
"[This] isn't the start of a new, dark 'emo' phase for Peter," Watts confirms.
"Even though he's gone through all these dramatic and traumatic events, he's still the same Peter Parker we know and love."
"It's seeing how he deals with those things that's interesting for me," Watts concludes.
Iron Man's Secret Lab
In the trailers for the movie, we've seen Peter Parker working in what appears to be a hi-tech lab of some sort (and there's a lot of speculation that it's where he creates that red and black costume).
Well, the magazine reveals that this is actually a secret workshop in the back of the Stark Jet which includes a huge robotic arm and plenty of tools so, yes, it's easy to imagine the wall-crawler using it here.
The Action Is Bigger And Better
"A lot of the stunts are really more explosive than in the first one," claims Ned actor Jacob Batalon.
"I feel like Homecoming was more about getting your feet wet; this one really goes for it."
That's a sentiment Tom Holland agrees with.
"A lot of the action in Homecoming was kind of private, more contained. This one is much more global. We've got a lot of screaming extras!"
Where The Stealth Suit Comes From...
"Nick Fury provides Spidey with this outfit," Carroll reveals,
"which is very much in the world of what you see with Black Widow and other S.H.I.E.L.D. characters." However, it still features some familiar elements.
Michael Mooney, an associate costume designer on the movie, explains that
"The new suit still has the good old-fashioned web-shooters. It's a slightly different model in order to make them fit on, but they're the tried and tested bog-standard shooters."
...And How It Differs To Peter's Other Costumes
It may have the same web-shooters but there is one crucial difference here.
"His Stark suit, which we saw in Homecoming, has all the tech built underneath it," says Graham Churchyard, the costume FX supervisor.
"This one isn't made by Stark, so all the tech is on the outside; it's a lot more armoured, but still very mobile."
He adds that,
"It's made by Robyn Gebhart, who's worked on every Spider-Man costume since the Tobey Maguire days. She knows the ins and outs of a Spider-Man costume."
"Michelle Jones"
We know that MJ's first name is Michelle but the magazine refers to her as Michelle Jones and that pretty much confirms that while she may be a different take on Mary Jane Watson, she's also a totally new character.
"It's cool to be small in the beginning of a series, and grow into something later," Zendaya says.
As for whether romance will blossom between MJ and Peter Parker, the actress chose her words carefully.
"There's no hooking up in this movie. Of course, there's chemistry between the characters. They're, what, 16 year old kids going on a cool trip together, trying to figure out what they're feeling, or if they even have a feeling. Maybe we don't, maybe we're just friends."
Where Does It Fit In The MCU's Timeline
We know that
Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place after
Avengers: Endgame but is it part of Phase 3 or Phase 4? While it was previously reported to be the start of the latter, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has since said it closes out Phase 3, so which is it?
"Kevin said recently that this movie is technically the end of Phase 3," director Jon Watts says,
"so I'll defer to Kevin on Phase-related questions!" Well, that pretty much answers that as it is ultimately down to Feige whether this movie is ends or opens a Phase.
Why Nick Fury Targets Spider-Man
It's pretty weird that Nick Fury would choose to track down Spider-Man on his summer vacation to help battle The Elementals, right?
"You know, you have to think of Fury's perspective as well," Watts says.
"He' was Snapped out for the last five years, just like Spidey, then brought back."
"So now you have this character who's always known everything, always been in charge, who literally created the Avengers...and he's on the back foot, probably for the first time in his life. He needs to rebuild his team, and he's got a high school kid dodging his calls. He's not going to be happy!"
Personally, I'm still not convinced this is even the real Nick Fury...
How Does The Multiverse Fit Into The Movie?
"God, it's tough," Watts says when asked about the Marvel Multiverse.
"I mean, after the events of Endgame, it kind of feels like anything is possible."
"Time travel, switching dimensions, old Cap...I mean who knows?" The filmmaker did, however, make it clear that at least one element from
Avengers: Endgame won't be touched on here.
"We don't do any time travel. I can say that. The Russos already did that!"
Balancing Practical And Visual Effects
"It's really inspiring to actually be on location, blowing things up," Watts says when asked about the increased level of action in this movie.
"It's very different than when you're, you know, against greenscreen on a stage in Atlanta. You feel that the world exists outside the frame."
"When you're dealing with Mysterio, who's flying around, or Spider-Man, who shoots webs and jumps really far, there's only so much you can get away with practically." However, he made a point of starting with a
"real-life shot" and enhancing that rather than creating something totally from scratch.
Why Spider-Man: Far From Home Is A Good Palette Cleanser
Ant-Man and
Ant-Man and The Wasp served as palette cleansers after
Avengers: Age of Ultron and
Avengers: Infinity War, and this time it's down to the wall-crawler to take on that role.
"We think it's fun to sort of counter-programme with our movies," says Carroll.
"After Endgame, this is a like a dessert - something where you can relax and not worry about it getting too dark, because it's a Spider-Man movie." Surely dealing with the Multiverse means it will get a little dark, though?
We'll see.
Is Sandman In The Movie?
In terms of the Elementals, we know that Hydro-Man and Molten Man are being re-imagined, but what about that rock/sand-like creature in Mexico? Is that a new take on Sandman?
"We went digging and found characters," Carroll teases in regards to him and another unseen Elemental.
"I'm not going to say exactly which ones yet, because we want to leave some dots for fans to connect."
Is Jon Watts Willing To Return For A Sequel?
Asked what might come next for the wall-crawler in the MCU, Watts says:
"He's such a relatable character. I've never had a problem coming up with something new for Peter Parker to do, because I could watch Peter Parker do anything."
Does that mean he's already hard at work developing a third chapter?
"It's always at the back of my mind, but I try to stay focused on one movie at a time," he says, refusing to get into specifics about what that could possible entail.
What Tom Holland Hopes To Do Next
As for Tom Holland's hopes for the future, he says he's
"excited" for that. As for which villain he'd like to face next, the actor said:
"I know you want me to say Venom! That's who you want me to say!"
"I don't know. Honestly, that's way above my level. I just fight whoever they put in front of me..." Well, if recent rumours are to be believed, that could indeed end up being Tom Hardy's Venom.