*WARNING- contains some (late) spoilers for “Loki” and material surrounding “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.*

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” will be the next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the 3rd Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland as the titular character. Set to premiere on December 17th, 2021, “No Way Home” promises to display a multiversal threat, with the trailers prominently featuring Doctor Otto Octavius from the 2004 movie “Spider-Man 2” (the Tobey Maguire one). 

Despite the lack of any official confirmation from Sony or Disney, the film is highly rumored to feature the Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield versions of Spider-Man, with leaked set photos even supposedly showing them on set. 

But integrating fan-favorite characters comes at a risk. While I certainly can’t wait to possibly see the other Spider-men, integrating the personal stories and moments of these already well-established characters could be a challenge. 

Having a larger cast of characters, especially when the average moviegoer might not recognize them all, could be detrimental to the film in multiple ways. Having multiple Spider-Men, all portraying a different version of essentially the same character could make them seem blended together without much to set them apart. 

Over time, the ‘required reading’ for MCU movies has grown as characters and cliffhangers intersect and intertwine with other characters and plotlines. An example is the Disney Plus Loki show, wherein the end of the series, the multiverse is unwound. With the aftermath of the series, the MCU spirals into 3 projects, the animated show “What If?”, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, and “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness”. 

I love the interconnectedness of the MCU. Pointing out the continuity details throughout different movies and watching heroes and villains occupy the same world gives me absolute joy. Seeing a character’s actions having long-term consequences not just for them but for other characters is truly something special. However, at the same time, to what extent do the intertwining plotlines become overwhelming?

To see how others feel about the upcoming movie, I talked to Lambert Freshman Akash Reddy. 

“I like to stay away from leaks,” Akash said in relation to the various bits and bobs of information surrounding the movie.

Trying to avoid leaks about movies, whether they actually turn out to be true or not, is something a lot of people try to do, but people and the internet around us sometimes make this seemingly impossible. For example, I remember going to school the day after “Avengers: Endgame’s” opening night, and one of the first things I hear is “Iron Man dies.” 

I’m pretty sure anyone can infer how knowing the big twist ahead of time affects a viewer’s experience.

“I really like the trailers, ” Akash noted. 

Seeing the first trailer for any film can easily make or break a movie. Trailers engage the audience for the first time and give people the first glimpse that further opinions will be based on.

For example, “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’s” trailer ended with a sinister laugh, attributed to Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine himself. Many originally saw this as a complete surprise but we’re excited about how it would work. 

Fast-forward until that Christmas, and any explanation for the infamous villain’s appearance was hastily explained away with one line: “Somehow Palpatine returned.”

Overall like many fans, I’m extremely excited for “No Way Home”. I can’t be the only one willing to watch Disney and Sony’s big gamble pay off, as the movie has already broken ticket sale records for this year, and is primed to potentially be the biggest blockbuster of the year.