It’s been almost a year since we watched Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters, but we are all still thinking about that surprising ending in which Peter Parker (Tom Holland) gets erased from the entire world’s memory. The ending didn’t just hit fans hard, though, as star Jacob Batalon was also shocked when he first learned about No Way Home’s plans. In an exclusive interview with Collider's own Christina Radish for Reginald the Vampire, Batalon revealed how he reacted to No Way Home’s script while also teasing future MCU appearances.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is enlisted to erase Spider-Man’s real identity from public memory. Unfortunately, the spell doesn’t work as planned and instead brings visitors from other realities into the MCU. The film features Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Jamie Foxx’s Electro, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Thomas Haden Church's Sandman, and Rhys Ifans' Lizard. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were also back as alternate Variants of Peter Parker. At the movie's end, Peter sacrifices his identity to prevent other villains from crossing into Earth-616. Now everybody, including his best friend Ned (Batalon), is unaware Peter was ever born. When asked how he felt when reading No Wat Home’s script, Batalon talks about the emotional rollercoaster that was being part of this franchise. In his words:
“We all very much were crying, our last day of work. Even at the premiere, we were all crying. It was such a beautiful experience to be a part of, I think for all of us. We started at a very young age, being teenagers, essentially, when we started the first movie. And to really watch the arc of the movies come together and all of our characters come full circle, I would say that it was crazy. It was a crazy thing to read. It was crazy to see Andrew and Tobey in the script. It was crazy to have all the villains in the script. And then, to have it end the way it did, on such a cliffhanger, obviously, everyone wasn't expecting that. I would say that it's such a poignant ending to our movies. It really puts an exclamation on the continuance of Spider-Man, but maybe not with us, and I think that's a great thing. We may not necessarily be a part of it, in the end, but it was a beautiful ride anyway.”
While Marvel Studios and Sony have been quiet about the future of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, No Way Home felt more like the beginning of a new story than the franchise's ending. It’s almost certain Spider-Man will be back in the future, which leaves us wondering if Ned would also be part of the next movie. However, Batalon still hasn’t heard from the studios yet and is not sure if he’ll get the chance to come back to the MCU. As Batalon tells us:
“I feel like actors are the last people to know. I think that people assume that actors are always hiding secrets. I promise you, we don't know anything. But again, if it's the right place, at the right time, with the right group of people that we've been with, I would say, why not? But other than that, whatever happens, happens. Really, those decisions are up to the big bosses, the people who sign the checks. We're open to the idea, but we're not hoping for it.”
As if he wants to return, Batalon is pretty blunt in saying he doesn’t have high hopes and is happy to have been part of director Jon Watts’ trilogy. When asked how it would feel about working with a different filmmaker in the franchise, Batalon said, "Honestly, I don't really put too much thought into that. I feel like we're all really moving in ways where we're not really hoping for it to happen. Not that it's bad, I just feel like we're not really anticipating another movie. I just feel like we're all doing our own thing. But again, whatever happens, happens.”
Check out our conversation with Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon for Spider-Man: No Way Home below.