SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Writers On Why The Movie Needed A "Sacrifice" - SPOILERS

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Writers On Why The Movie Needed A "Sacrifice" - SPOILERS

Spider-Man: No Way Home was an emotional movie on several levels, but one moment, in particular, proved heart-breaking for fans. Now, the writers have explained why a "sacrifice" was necessary.

News
By MarkCassidy - Dec 30, 2021 05:12 PM EST
Filed Under: No Way Home

We had been told to expect an emotional rollercoaster with Spider-Man: No Way Home, and that proved to be no exaggeration. Many fans wiped away tears of joy upon witnessing all three Spider-Man swing into action together, but the movie also included some bittersweet and outright heartbreaking moments that had audiences reaching for the tissues for very different reasons.

At we move into the final act, May Parker (Marisa Tomei) is killed by one of the very villains Peter (Tom Holland) was trying to save, which sends the young hero down a very dark path.

While speaking to Variety, writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers explained why they felt a major death, or "sacrifice," was necessary at this point in the movie.

"We were at a point where we felt like there needed to be a loss, a sacrifice, that Peter needed to pay a real price for this decision to try to save the villains," Sommers said. "I think it became pretty clear to a lot of us that losing Aunt May was the thing that would really drive home the point we were trying to make: making this the movie where Peter Parker experiences the loss that the other ones did in their first movies."

"He was trying to do what May taught him and that made the sacrifice that much more difficult because it blew up in his face and it got her killed," McKenna added. "Then he started questioning that morality in a way that he never really questioned because he hasn’t been put to the test in that way."

In the end, Peter doesn't enact his revenge by killing The Green Goblin - but only because Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man stops him! Will this factor in to the character's development when we see him again? Either way, we know Holland's wall-crawler is going to be a very different hero next time he swings onto our screens.

What did you guys make of May's death? Did you see it coming, or where you surprised the character was killed-off after a relatively short span in The MCU?

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Spike101
Spike101 - 12/30/2021, 5:41 PM
Much as I have zero time for any of the current supporting cast of Spider-Man it amazes me how Marvel allow writers to kill off characters that have existed since the comic source material was created.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 12/30/2021, 5:43 PM
@Spike101 - The narrative of the films won't last forever. And unlike the comic characters, the celebrities are aging and the studio cannot make monthly movies for each character. It takes years before the story progresses. So from a continuity and narrative standpoint we will see characters dying to push the story forward.
Cap1
Cap1 - 12/30/2021, 5:50 PM
@Spike101 - If no character ever dies there are no stakes. The fact characters aren't invincible heightens the drama and the tension
BecauseICare
BecauseICare - 12/30/2021, 5:51 PM
@Spike101 - The good news is someday when they reboot the franchise, they'll reboot Aunt May too!
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 12/30/2021, 5:59 PM
@Spike101 - May has died four times in comics.
Kurban
Kurban - 12/30/2021, 6:07 PM
@Spike101 - To be fair, Aunt May should have died back in the 70s.
JonC
JonC - 12/30/2021, 7:02 PM
@Spike101 - well the issue is that people always says 'no one dies' and the movie 'has no stakes' then when they get it they don't like it... its true that Parker became who we love due to loss and we have to deal with it... it wasn't Ben but its still the same... now what May represented can be filled in by other characters as stories go forward... at least in this way its not page for page with the comic books but it gets the same result for fans. Feige doesn't plan on rebooting the MCU for a long long time and i think with the multiverse he doesn't have to... if he loses someone in the primary universe it can be played by another character entirely or played by the same character from another universe... its actually quite brilliant and means the MCU could have one long narratives lasting many decades into the future... its just incredible that the stories you are now enjoying could be within the same universe and continuity for your children or even grand children.... simply mind boggling!!!
JonC
JonC - 12/30/2021, 7:03 PM
@JonC - *narrative
Spike101
Spike101 - 12/31/2021, 7:29 AM
@BecauseICare - hopefully yes 👍
Spike101
Spike101 - 12/31/2021, 7:29 AM
@Kurban - fair point.
Spike101
Spike101 - 12/31/2021, 7:32 AM
@JonC - not one for insisting characters have to die myself, I just enjoy seeing them brought to life as accurately as possible on the screen.
Spike101
Spike101 - 12/31/2021, 7:34 AM
@Cap1 - just enjoy watching them alive myself. Most of the comics back when I was a kid ended up with the villain either in jail or escaping to return another day.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 12/30/2021, 5:43 PM
It’s the variable that goes across the multiverse. You get powers, a rich benefactor, inherit his villains, your ain’t dies, WALA

Oh abs one of your teachers is way older cuz if the blip
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 12/30/2021, 5:43 PM
@TheWalkingCuban - *and not abs, certainly no abs this time o year
Starlight
Starlight - 12/30/2021, 5:47 PM
I wonder how Peter knowing the other realities villains would impact any of those villains from appearing in the MCU. Like, would Osborn enterprise and lore not exist at all? Would it "mutate" into a different "form" (another company name, etc). Would it appear and then he'd be aware of what it might emply?.... would Sony just skip all of those villaisn entirely from now on?...
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 12/30/2021, 5:55 PM
@Starlight - I agree that doc Ock and Goblin don’t need to ever be recast, there’s other villains, let them play

Having said that, back to Goblin. Still so much left to do with him. Yes Ock has great stories but Goblin has stuff for all the avengers not just Spidey
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 12/30/2021, 5:56 PM
@Starlight - I think it could lead to some interesting dynamics between Peter and Norman or Peter and Ock. Think it would be almost a waste not to explore that in my opinion
YonnyLayna
YonnyLayna - 12/30/2021, 6:13 PM
@bkmeijer - I would like if the just use all of unused stuff of Norman to Hobgoblin including the elf mask
SethBullock
SethBullock - 12/30/2021, 6:26 PM
@Starlight - This is one of the many reasons why I hate this movie, we can forget about ever seeing the MCU versions of all of these villains.
Starlight
Starlight - 12/30/2021, 6:58 PM
@TheWalkingCuban - Right, like all of the company schemes, but would Marvel just create another company, with another name basically, just like a variation?... keeping all of the known "element" wouldn't work I think...
JonC
JonC - 12/30/2021, 7:05 PM
@Starlight - well there are stories for some alternatives that already exist in the comics... maybe in Holland's universe it is the one where Doc Ock dons the Spidey persona at some point, no need to start out as the full blown evil Doc Ock... we can still get him from the multiverse.
JonC
JonC - 12/30/2021, 7:07 PM
@SethBullock - They have far too much important material in the comics to dismiss them. In some manner they will appear in the MCU but they won't rehash old storylines already presented in prior movies as it is all one continuity now.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 12/30/2021, 7:40 PM
@Starlight - well it would be funny if Spiderman said at least Norman Osborne isn’t rich in my universe, and right after he says JJJ is like “this just in, entrepreneur Norman Osborn, bought low and sold high and is in the big leagues” and Spidey’s like
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 12/30/2021, 9:33 PM
@YonnyLayna - I kinda wanna them they go the Iron Patriot direction first. After Secret Invasion, I wanna see Dark Reign and Siege shows as well
Origame
Origame - 12/31/2021, 7:20 AM
@Starlight - they confirmed oscorp, Harry and Norman don't exist in the mcu, as Norman tried to find them when he came here. As for the other villains, it's possible. But since the mcu tends to try and do new things, I take this as none of these other villains are getting new mcu versions.
Starlight
Starlight - 12/31/2021, 7:45 AM
@Origame - Yeah, that's the most reasonable way to go...
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 12/30/2021, 6:00 PM
In my opinion a good Spider-Man story more often than not involves his actions of trying to do good blow up in his face, and this is I guess a good example (although it doesn't have to be a death). Probably part of why I don't like Far Frome Home all that much.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 12/30/2021, 6:04 PM
@bkmeijer - well he did try to do good in far from home in giving mysterio editha because he thought he was more capable of controlling it and using it for good
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 12/30/2021, 6:11 PM
@MyCoolYoung - I feel that wasn't really a blow up in his face act. I kinda is, but it pretty much was Mysterio's plan from the beginning.

It just wasn't surprising when it happened, same with Mysterio's reveal as being a villain. Every twist and consequence was kinda predictable in my opinion
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 12/30/2021, 8:07 PM
@bkmeijer - how predictable would it of been had you not known who mysterio was?
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 12/30/2021, 9:38 PM
@MyCoolYoung - probably a bit less, but still it overall just has that "what you see is what you get" vibe to me.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 12/30/2021, 6:15 PM
It does make sense narratively but I am sad to see May exit SO EARLY in this Spider-Man's career. There could have been so much more to do between them but their relationship was never really developed in these films at all.
BroskiTroski
BroskiTroski - 12/30/2021, 6:25 PM
If only Peter wasn’t a complete and utter dumbass that was practically begging for something to go wrong:

1) Restraining Otto but no other villains. Why is Otto tied up but Electro isn’t? Is it cuz he fought you Peter? Cuz Electro also fought you. Arguably every other villain there is more dangerous than Otto yet he’s the restrained one.

2) Leaving Lizard in a truck with no way to restrain him. Dude literally could’ve just decided to leave the truck and rampage whenever he wanted. Lol

3) Bringing all the villains at once. Why the crap didn’t you either bring them one at a time, restrain them, or bring the Stark tech to the Sanctorum? You have a dude that is literally pure energy, a dude made out of sand, a psycho goblin guy, and a giant lizard around all at once. Iron Man could’ve been there and have been in danger, yet your aunt gets to hang around like it’s a Xmas Party?

4) Not keeping a closer eye on Goblin. His first impression was a green power ranger on a hell glider throwing bombs on a bridge. Yet his very dumb aunt serves this total stranger (who is confirmed to have a want to kill Spider-Man) some soup and all of a sudden Peter trusts this guy. He literally could’ve just been faking it to get closer to you, oh wait, that’s what he did.

5) BRINGING HIS AUNT. I can understand he’s a trusting idiot, I can understand feeling pity for Goblin, what I don’t understand is why his aunt was there. All she did was just hang out. Why the hell would you bring one of your most valued people in a room with 5 total strangers who are confirmed villains and some of which have already made an attempt on your life? Literally one is a giant lizard, screw what May wants, you web her to a chair if that what it takes for her to be away from these guys, let alone hanging out.

All of this is even more stupid when you realize Peter’s history with trusting people. His prom date’s dad turned out to be Vulture, and Mysterio (a guy he trusted with limitless drones after being buddies for a day lol) betrayed him and he paid for it and then some. Yet somehow Peter not only learned nothing but went backwards in intelligence. I would argue NWH he is at his stupidest compared to the other movies. Lol The fact his aunt died the way she did was not a shock, it was an inevitability.

TL;DR: Goblin was right, he did kill her.
SethBullock
SethBullock - 12/30/2021, 6:34 PM
@BroskiTroski - I've been saying this for a while (and I feel like Scrooge, lol): the writing in NWH is terrible, one of the worst MCU movies by far, but lots of people love it because nostalgia and fan-service, they get these 3 spideys together fighting all these villains from the old movies and that's enough, it doesn't matter that not a single thing on this movie makes any sense.
Dafoe
Dafoe - 12/30/2021, 6:44 PM
@BroskiTroski -
JonC
JonC - 12/30/2021, 7:11 PM
@BroskiTroski - "Not keeping a closer eye on Goblin."
...with as many villains and multiverse things going on i think Peter had to rely more on his spider sense than ever before... and when Norman wasn't mentally being overtaken by the Goblin persona he probably did not set off Peter's spider sense... only when it was coming out (as shown in Happy's apartment) did his sense go off and rightfully so.
JonC
JonC - 12/30/2021, 7:12 PM
@SethBullock - its a multiverse now... all things that happened can have ramifications for the future. they chose to shut it down as quick as possible but that doesn't mean it didn't have issues that won't come back to haunt them.
BroskiTroski
BroskiTroski - 12/30/2021, 9:02 PM
@JonC - He was the ONLY villain other than maybe Sandman where Peter didn’t grasp 100%. Goblin was super sus and seemed way too good and innocent to be true, but none of this set Peter off.

Also, maybe if he didn’t have 5 villains surrounding him at once it would be easier for him to focus on individual threats.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 12/31/2021, 7:35 AM
@BroskiTroski - completely disagree.

Narratively it showed that, despite his super high intellect, Peter was still a kid, with the naivety to take the villains at their word that they would play nice in order to avoid facing Strange, who would be FAR more likely to just be done with the problem. May specifically counsels Peter off of that course in order for him to retain his humanity and not succumb to the cold calculations of adulthood.

At the end of the day, Peter wanted to believe that these characters were redeemable and, not having enough maturity or adult life experience, gave them WAY too much trust.

This is pretty straightforward and actually very good writing.
BroskiTroski
BroskiTroski - 12/31/2021, 2:23 PM
@SauronthePower - That is the stupidest defense I’ve heard yet.

First of all, the entire point of “with great, comes great responsibility” is about maturing and becoming responsible, the hallmark qualities of adulthood. So if that was Aunt May’s goal in “protecting his childhood innocence” she screwed up royally.

His aunt was an over trusting idiot that’s lucky Goblin didn’t stab her immediately at FEAST, Peter is smart enough to restrain Ock but not the others, his aunt hangs around them for no reason, etc.

Also, Peter is capable of BOTH believing these villains can be redeemed AND be smart about it. He literally restrained Otto, so he’s clearly not that trusting of them. Peter could’ve brought the tech to the Sanctorum, he could’ve brought them one at a time, he could restrain all of them. I don’t even know why you’re defending this in-your-face stupid logic, the events of the movie literally prove me right. His stupid ass did nothing right and it got his aunt killed.

Also, once again, Peter already suffered immensely from trusting Mysterio in the previous film, he’s learned nothing, he’s actually gotten stupider. That’s not how character arcs work.

Why can’t you people just be satisfied with “the movie was good, but the middle part was terribly written and contrived”. That’s seriously not enough for you? Lol
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