We’re about a month away from Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the hype machine is in overdrive, with anticipation for the film is reaching Infinity War/Endgame levels. For the merely Marvel-curious, No Way Home is getting all kinds of buzz because it will feature the return classic cinematic Spider-Man villains from past Spidey iterations: Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) to take on GQ Cover Star Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.
Fans hoped the second trailer for the film, which dropped last night, might finally confirm the long-rumored appearances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield—who, of course, previously played the friendly neighborhood superhero. Garfield has been denying the rumors at every turn, and neither actor appears in the new trailer. But there are still plenty of insights to be gleaned from this new footage—including a handful of confirmations of what exactly Peter will face. Much like last time, there’s a multiverse worth of stuff to dig into, so let’s dive in.
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We get a quick recap of the last trailer, as Doctor Strange explains the spell Peter interrupted has caused some things to go awry, bringing in some multiversal visitors “from every universe” to their reality.
Here’s our first look at Willem Dafoe’s triumphant return as Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin. Did you know he’s something of a scientist himself?
As Doctor Strange continues to explain the threat facing the world, we see a blast of electricity from Jamie Foxx’s Electro, as Spider-Man faces off against him in a black-clad suit, an update of sorts courtesy of Doctor Strange.
Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) makes quick work of Peter, unmasking him. Only, the Doctor is a little confused—he doesn’t seem to recognize Peter as his Peter Parker.
The sky above NYC grows yellow as Electro lingers nearby. But that’s not Lady Liberty in the foreground, as a giant version of Captain America’s shield has replaced the statue. If you squint hard enough at the pedestal, you’ll get an idea of what the statute will look like (it’s similar to this bit of comic book art).
As Doctor Strange speaks to Peter about sending the various multiversal villains back and to “Scooby-Doo this crap,” we see Peter powering up the mystical upgrade in his suit (which looks far more mechanical than normal and even features some wires coming off of the shoulder area) as Electro, in kind of a Doctor Manhattan-like pose, seemingly feeds on a powerline in the background. Peter likely uses a form of the mystical arts to either send the villains back to their homes or transport them to the Sanctorum.
As we see more new footage of Peter and Doc Ock fighting, we get some insight into the movie’s title. Strange tells Peter the villains aren’t keen to return home because they’ll die fighting their respective Spider-Men. No way home, get it?
Peter, convinced there’s another way to help the wrongdoers, without having them die, tries to steal a cube-like object from Strange. But, unfortunately, he doesn’t appear to get too far with it and is immediately sonned outside the Sanctorum.
Here’s a great shot of Foxx’s new, more comic-accurate costume. The yellow mask is finally here! Looks like the new powers Electro gained make him believe he’s got enough of an edge over his Spider-Man—and he’s not interested in giving this advantage away.
I love how great the Sam Raimi Green Goblin costume design is—although there’s another shot not long after this with a new-looking Goblin suit of some kind. Either way, nice to have you back, Normie.
Here’s our official confirmation of two other returning foes: Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman (from the Maguire series) and Rhys Ifans’ Lizard (from Garfield’s), . Peter is going to have his hands full.
Given Holland’s recent comments about No Way Home—”It’s dark and it’s sad, and it’s going to be really affecting,” he told Total Film—this shot feels extra foreboding. Is tragedy on the horizon for MJ (Zendaya)? This is a cool but haunting homage to the other Spider-Man movies.
As reality breaks down around Peter and Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme declares, “They’re starting to come through, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them.” This can be taken a few different ways. The first could be the villains have broken time so much that more variants of them are starting to crossover. Or is it the emergence of Jonathan Majors’ teased Kang variants, bringing all kinds of chaos to the MCU? Or, is it not a threat at all, but reinforcements in the form of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. We won’t have to wait long to find out, as we’re just a month away from the biggest MCU event film since Thanos snapped his fingers.