Spider-Man: No Way Home has been besieged by leaks from day one, though that's only worsened in recent months. Various photos and videos have started to do the rounds, and while their validity has always been called into question, there's now plenty of evidence to suggest they're all real.
Following this film has been a crazy ride, and it's beginning to feel a lot like Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have leaked much of this content themselves.
The speculation, rumors, and leaks have marketed the threequel better than any trailers or (pretty abysmal) posters could have, helping to generate the same level of excitement for this film as Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
As you might expect, you'll find heaps of spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home from this point on...
8. A Leaked Look At The Film's Villains
A number of photos of Spider-Man: No Way Home's bad guys leaked, though no one was sure if they were legit at first. Alfred Molina was shown minus his four extra arms (with room for them to be added later with VFX), while Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn was also sighted.
However, it was Jamie Foxx's Electro that generated the most chatter online. We'd heard rumors he'd receive a complete visual overhaul, and this photo only confirmed it.
Later, an unfinished VFX shot showed Doc Ock, Electro, Lizard, and Sandman in an ancient prison; thanks to recent trailers and TV spots, we now know that's the real deal. It's a pity the latter two villains weren't better kept under wraps as it would have made that trailer reveal far more impactful.
7. The Video That Broke The Internet
A leaked video of Andrew Garfield back in costume as Spider-Man got everyone talking, especially as Tobey Maguire's hand could also be seen off to the side. It followed an extremely blurry photo of the two actors on the same set, one we now know is in the film thanks to the latest trailer showcasing that massive final battle at the Statue of Liberty.
There have been claims this was faked, with one YouTuber even sharing an elaborate video showing how they supposedly made it. However, it's since become apparent that's not the case, and it's undeniably mind-blowing to think this was somehow shared online so far in advance.
As we write this, the video remains available on YouTube in full 4K. Something tells us this was a deliberate leak made to further speculation and excitement - and it worked!
6. Concept Art
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, a batch of concept art from Spider-Man: No Way Home showed us everything from Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus to Tobey Maguire's Spidey costume.
Aside from firmly establishing the latter's involvement in the film, there were no massive reveals as both characters look exactly as you'd expect. However, some behind-the-scenes photos also showed us the physical versions of Tobey and Andrew's costumes, cementing their respective returns as Spider-Man.
This isn't how we'd have chosen to see these Spider-Men for the first time, of course, but it's hopefully a lesson to Sony that they need to be as careful as Marvel Studios is moving forward.
5. Jamie Foxx Spills The Beans
Where did the suggestion that the third MCU Spider-Man film would take us into the Multiverse come from? Jamie Foxx's Instagram account!
Confirming reports that he'd been cast as Electro (a role he first took on in The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Foxx revealed he wouldn't be blue this time around and shared a piece of artwork of the villain facing down the three live-action Spider-Men. It was an unexpectedly unique image to make use of, and one we'd all spend months obsessing over.
Alfred Molina later being cast only further played into the speculation Foxx had generated, though it's easy to forget that a Sony Latin America video appeared to confirm plans for the three Spideys to meet around the same time. That was later deleted, but can still be found online.
4. Green Goblin's New Suit
Along with the aforementioned concept art and suit photos was a bizarre shot of a stuntman decked out in a newly designed Green Goblin suit.
The villain's Spider-Man armor was badly damaged and patched up with a variety of new gear, including a pouch harkening back to what his comic book counterpart stories his pumpkin bombs in. The mask had been replaced with goggles, and trailers and posters would later confirm this was the real deal. However, it still leaves us with a lot of questions.
For starters, what leads to Norman Osborn looking like this and why not head down a more comic accurate route? Alas, those are questions Spider-Man: No Way Home will have to answer.
3. Matt Murdock
One of the biggest leaks here, this shot of Peter Parker, Happy Hogan, May Parker, and Charlie Cox's Daredevil was shared by YouTuber John Campea (hence the massive watermark). We still don't know how he got his hands on this still, but he claimed it was anonymously sent to him.
This is way too good to be faked, and fans have already spotted certain elements of the image that verify its legitimacy. Since then, detailed descriptions of this scene have done the rounds online, though we won't spoil that for you here...it's not hard to find if you look in the right places, though!
Again, we'd like to know how and why this was leaked, but many casual fans remain in the dark about Spider-Man: No Way Home bringing Cox's Matt Murdock into the MCU.
2. The Alternate Trailer
It seems there are multiple individuals working on this film who can't be trusted; an alternate cut of the trailer was revealed as the source of many online leaks, including how Spider-Man gets his snazzy new black costume.
In that blurry footage, a Mysterio supporter could be seen throwing green paint on the wall-crawler, explaining rumours and theories that the new suit is his regular costume turned inside out. It also explains why Spidey briefly appears to go back to wearing the Iron Spider costume before Doctor Octopus seemingly takes it from him during the freeway battle.
There were a few other new shots in this leaked trailer, and it's likely this is just one of many created by the marketing team for the studio's final approval.
1. Spider-Men
Hailing from the same source as the Matt Murdock photo, this leaked shot of Tom Holland, Maguire, and Garfield all standing next to each other unmasked and in costume is quite blatantly real.
Yet again, it's bonkers that this was our "first look" at the three Spider-Men together, but it's only served to get us more excited to see them in action on the big screen. It doesn't exactly spoil anything, anyway, as Tobey and Andrew's return has become the worst kept secret in Hollywood.
We'd have been happier seeing this in a trailer or on a poster, but with two weeks before Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives in theaters, it seems that's not going to happen.
h/t Reddit