The pandemic resulted in some big changes being made to Spider-Man: No Way Home, but the end result was still nothing short of spectacular. One sequence that's often overlooked is Peter Parker's mind-bending battle with Doctor Strange in the Mirror Dimension.
Today, in new concept art shared by Marvel Studios' Phil Saunders on his ArtStation account, we see the two Avengers battling it out in familiar surroundings from the Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man movies.
"One early idea for Spidey and Dr. Strange's chase through the multiverse was to have them battle over the source of the spell (in this early version the Book of Vishanti) through scenes from the previous movies," the artist explains. "We were given a couple of days to play with that idea, taking screen caps from the movies and painting in Spidey and Doc.:
"I liked the idea of taking the familiar shots and shifting the gravity and POV so that the characters would be in a completely different orientation than the action."
The fight takes these two to Bone Saw McGraw's wrestling ring, Peter Parker's apartment, Oscorp, the clocktower where Gwen Stacy died, and even the church where Eddie Brock became Venom.
This would have been amazing to see and, while Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's respective Spider-Men visited Earth-616, we never got to see what their worlds now look like. One can't help but wonder whether this is what was going to lead to Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone's reported cameos.
Check out this new Spider-Man: No Way Home concept art below.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, for the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighbourhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his superhero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk.
When he enlists Doctor Strange’s help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who’ve ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.
The movie stars Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, J. B. Smoove, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, and Rhys Ifans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now available to buy wherever you get your movies.