Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home follow.
After months of anticipation, Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally in theaters this weekend. Despite months of misdirection, the movie does indeed unite all three Spider-Men—Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland—while providing Holland’s version of the character a satisfying arc. The movie leaves it all on the line—but there’s still a hint or two of what may be in the future for the webhead and the larger Marvel multiverse. In fact, No Way Home has some of the most interesting post-credits scenes Marvel has had in a while. Let’s break them down.
Scene 1: Tom Hardy pops in for a visit.
The first scene picks up where Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s brain-melting stinger left off. After being transported into the MCU—presumably by Doctor Strange’s botched spell—Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock never actually made it to New York City to meet up with Spider-Man, opting instead to get drunk in a bar somewhere in Mexico. While talking with a bartender (portrayed by Ted Lasso’s Cristo Fernandez), Eddie is caught up on the significant events of the MCU, including the death of Tony Stark and Thanos’ desolation of half the universe. As Eddie finally decides to swing over and see Spidey, both he and Venom transport away (likely during the events of the No Way Home climax, when Strange sends everyone back to their own worlds), never meeting the webhead. As Fernandez laments a missed check, we see just a little bit of the Venom symbiote is left behind, setting up a critical future storyline for the MCU’s version of Spider-Man.
Some fans will be disappointed they didn’t see a crossover between Hardy and Holland. [Editor’s Note: These people are insane. Hardy’s Venom would’ve never meshed in the MCU.] But this new wrinkle offers Kevin Feige and the MCU brain trust a chance to just jump right into an adaptation of the famous Black Suit comic book arc, in which Spider-Man becomes consumed and corrupted by the Venom symbiote—and/or cast their own Eddie Brock. Hardy’s version of the character cribs from the Lethal Protector arc—as referenced by Eddie/Venom here — ultimately, he’s more of a comic relief antihero. Now the MCU version of Venom has the chance to be the enemy most Spider-Man fans know him as.
As to when we might see the MCU Venom show up, it’s hard to tell, because the future of Holland’s time in the suit is still undetermined. He will have at least one more go, as Sony Pictures executive Tom Rothman confirmed Holland’s Spider-Man would take part in one more “lend back” to Marvel. (That is to say, Holland will likely be back for Avengers 5 or the next major crossover MCU movie.) What comes after is less clear—although producer Amy Pascal certainly feels optimistic about the future. We’re looking forward to seeing what Feige and crew can spin up with their version of the story, especially since Sam Raimi’s Venom in Spider-Man 3 didn’t set the world ablaze.
Scene 2: Doctor Strange’s Multiverse of Madness Trailer
Speaking of Raimi, we have his triumphant return to the superhero genre to look forward to. The second post-credits isn’t a scene but rather the first official trailer for Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the second Doctor Strange installment, which is due next May. As solid as the first Strange movie is, the immediate takeaway from this teaser is obvious: having a technical wizard like Raimi elevates the look and feel of your film instantly.
In about two minutes worth of footage, Madness takes the already impressive visual template established in the first Doctor Strange and crafts an extravagant spectacle. As the teaser begins, we hear some critical reminders of the spells Strange cast in No Way Home and begin to see the consequences of the good Doctor’s actions as he emerges from the Sanctum Sanctorum to a fractured reality. “I never meant for any of this to happen,” he exclaims, right before falling through a star-shaped portal. The polygonal design is courtesy of America Chavez, aka Miss America (relative newcomer Xochitl Gomez), who, in addition to being super-strong, can kick star-shaped holes in reality to travel between worlds. Considering the fracturing of the multiverse, it seems like her ability will come in handy as she and Strange traverse these new worlds together.
To help him patch reality back together, Strange also recruits none other than Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), last seen in WandaVision. When Strange visits her, she mentions her time in Westview, marking a significant confluence: this is the first time we’ve seen the events of a Disney+ series bleed into the cinematic arm of the MCU. As Strange questions her about the multiverse, the rest of the teaser kicks into gear with Strange and Miss America peering out over (presumably) the remains of Kang’s Citadel at the End of Time, destroyed during the finale of Loki’s first season. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s villainous Baron Mordo, last seen in Doctor Strange, shows up to warn Strange of impending doom, then we see Wanda performing a ritual while Strange and Wong face down various threats, including an attack on the mystic arts headquarters Kamar-Taj in Nepal and a battle in the middle of NYC against the one-eyed monster Gargantus.
Those events pale in comparison to the teaser’s final reveal: the first live-action crossover from the What If . . . ? animated Disney+ MCU series, in the form of the evil Strange Supreme. The doppelganger doctor is most likely just the first of a few What If . . . ? crossovers, so don’t be surprised if you end up seeing Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter in this movie as well. (if you need more convincing, the character will feature in her own mini-series next March, which is when Madness was initially set to release).
As to whether Strange Supreme’s will be a primary antagonist, there’s likely a bit of a bait and switch at play. Considering how coy Marvel played about the involvement of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, it’s not unlike the studio to obfuscate what’s really at play. Wanda is still likely the real villain here, as she leverages the corrupting power of the evil Darkhold book in search of her missing children, Tommy and Billy (as seen at the end of WandaVision). While the May 2022 debut of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a long wait from now, this first teaser provided plenty of excitement to hold fans over until it releases.