Another week has almost gone by without a trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home, forcing us to continue to speculate about the direction the threequel is heading. All signs appear to be pointing to it being a Multiverse adventure for the wall-crawler, with Peter Parker teaming up with Doctor Strange and a couple of familiar Variants to battle an interdimensional Sinister Six.
Loki Head Writer Michael Waldron (who also rewrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' screenplay) recently spoke to The Playlist, and seemed to confirm those big No Way Home rumours. While he didn't specifically mention the Multiverse, Waldron did say he'd been in touch with the movie's writers...and why would that be unless it has something to do with other realities?
"Your producing teams are constantly communicating with those producing teams to make sure that you’re not screwing each other up," he explained. "I had the benefit on Spider-Man: No Way Home, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers wrote that, I was their writer’s PA on Season 5 of Community, so I can call McKenna and get bullied by him whenever I want, but also say 'Hey, what the hell are you guys doing? Let me make sure I’m not ruining it.'"
"So there’s communication to the extent that the creative teams themselves, the filmmakers, the writers, whoever, can become friendly," Waldron continued. "It certainly benefits the projects."
This level of collaboration is certainly interesting, and we know Waldron was also in touch with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania's Jeff Loveness. It's clear these movies are all going to take a deep dive into the MCU's version of the Multiverse, but it will be Spider-Man: No Way Home that offers our first glimpse into what that's going to mean for Spidey's future in this shared world.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently still set to be released on December 17, 2021.
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Spider-Man Variants we're hoping to see in the movie!
8. Zombie Hunter Spider-Man
This Variant will make his debut in What If?, and if we're right about the animated series having an impact on the wider MCU, then it would make sense for this Spidey to make an appearance.
Before those collectable LEGO Minifigures were released, all we knew was that Spider-Man would don Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation at some point. Now, though, it's been confirmed that this "Zombie Hunter" Spider-Man is going to be part of the show's "Marvel Zombies" episode.
We wouldn't bank on this Spider-Man playing a huge role in No Way Home, but given this Variant's ties with Strange and his cloak, Peter and Stephen getting a glimpse into this post-apocalyptic world could be a fun way of acknowledging how different their dynamic is in another reality.
7. Peter B. Parker
There were a lot of reasons to love Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but if Sony Pictures is looking for an easy way to get us excited for the sequel, a Peter B. Parker cameo would definitely work.
The breakout character in that 2018 movie in some ways, catching up with a Peter whose life had become a mess proved to be surprisingly fun, especially as the comic books have rarely followed the hero into his 30s and 40s (and what might happen when the job becomes too much for him).
Jake Johnson could quite easily play a live-action version of this animated fan-favourite, and while we can picture this cameo being a comedic one, it'd be badass to see him leap into action, even briefly.
6. PlayStation Spider-Man
In terms of sheer brand synergy, this arguably makes the most sense. Sony's PlayStation games have been a huge hit across both the PS4 and PS5, with Yuri Lowenthal's Peter Parker definitely striking a chord with fans. It would be incredibly easy to have this Variant appear as he could be brought to life with visual effects and never unmasked (meaning Lowenthal can voice him).
We might be hoping for a little too much here, but given the similarities between Spidey's new black and gold costume and the one the video game's Peter donned to defeat Doctor Octopus, it's possible the two suits are connected in some way. Remember, the Spider-Man from those games has a genius-level intellect and knows all too well how to put together a costume to combat an enemy.
This would either be great or a piece of awkward promotion, but we definitely think it would work.
5. FOX's Spider-Man
We could have filled this feature with Variants from Spider-Man's animated adventures, but for us, it had to be Christopher Daniel Barnes' version from the 1990s series on FOX.
As great as Spectacular Spider-Man was, this show was a huge part of what made the wall-crawler so popular with children prior to Sam Raimi's movie being released in 2002. It's also a series that remains as beloved today as when it first aired, and in terms of sheer nostalgia, this cameo is a must.
It would be simple to recreate this Spidey with visual effects, and hearing Barnes' voice would be enough for longtime fans to appreciate a truly amazing Easter Egg. This Spider-Man even travelled through the Multiverse to alternate realities so it honestly just makes sense on a number of levels.
4. Miles Morales
This has to happen, right? At this point, Miles Morales' popularity is nearing Peter Parker's, and after that mention in Spider-Man: Homecoming, No Way Home should absolutely tease a live-action debut for this Spidey. We're not sure which version of the character would be best suited to appearing, and an argument could be made that even just a visual cameo would be enough.
On the other hand, Spidey meeting the kid who ultimately replaces him when he falls in battle would be a potentially hard-hitting moment and an effective way of teasing the future of the Spider-Man mantle (regardless of whether it's in the MCU or even Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters).
Whatever the case may be, it would be a missed opportunity not to do something with Miles here.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio As Spider-Man
Quite a few actors have narrowly missed out on playing Spider-Man on screen, but as we started thinking about a huge A-List cameo for No Way Home, there was only one name that came to mind.
Leonard DiCaprio almost played Peter Parker in a bizarre-sounding movie helmed by James Cameron in the 1990s, and this Variant unmasking to reveal the actor's face would be absolutely nuts. After all, we can't imagine Leo ever taking on a leading role in an MCU movie, but a brief cameo like this that references an early near-miss in his career might be something he'd consider.
We're certainly not banking on that, but you have to admit this would be a satisfying moment to behold.
2. Spider-Girl
Sony Pictures is developing a Spider-Woman movie with Olivia Wilde, and seeing as Jessica Drew still hasn't been cast, we're not banking on that being set up in any manner in No Way Home.
However, if Loki can have a female Variant in Sylvie, why not take this opportunity to bring Spider-Girl to live-action? We are, of course, talking about Mayday Parker, and while we wouldn't anticipate her making more than just a brief cameo, Peter meeting his and MJ's future daughter would blow his mind.
There's been a lot of speculation online that Zendaya's MJ could meet her maker in No Way Home, and if so, that would make Spidey meeting their daughter from another timeline even more impactful.
1. Future Spider-Man
We mentioned Peter B. Parker, but what if the MCU's Peter gets a glimpse into his own future? Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy took that version of the hero to college, as did The Amazing Spider-Man movies...however, that was barely touched on, and neither of them ever got to grow up.
Holland's Spidey is likely heading to college if he gets another trilogy, but we'd love to see him get a glimpse of his future beyond that whether it's as the next Tony Stark (yuck) or a high school science teacher.
Visual effects to age the actor up would be all that's needed here, and if this Peter gets to see what his heroic future looks like, it could ensure he stays on a path that makes him one of the MCU's greatest heroes. This could even tie into a possible Spider-Girl appearance in the movie.