As Our Friendly Neighborhood Web-Slinger's third solo outing in the MCU, the recent Spider-Man: No Way Home has broken countless box-office records, giving theatre owners and goers alike a well-timed Christmas present. Tom Holland returns, alongside franchise regulars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, to battle classic Spider-Man villains like The Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro.
Combining villains from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb directed universes ensured that the hype for the newest Marvel installment was at an all-time high and the internet was rife with fan theories in the months leading up to the film's December release. Though a surprising amount of these theories were true, mainly those revolving around the return of two nameless former Spidey's, there was still a lot that missed the boat. A lot.
Mysterio Isn't Really Dead - The Fishbowl Helmet Will Return
Jake Gyllenhall stole the show as the iconic illusionist in Spider-Man: Far From Home and really shook up Peter Parker's world when he revealed his true identity in the film's first post-credit scene. While everyone thought Quentic Beck had died before releasing this information, some fans believed that the illusionist had simply fooled the masses once again and that he would soon return to torment Spider-Man.
Though Gyllenhall does not reprise his role in No Way Home, he may don the fishbowl helmet again in an upcoming Spider-Man project, especially considering Gyllenhall and Tom Holland apparently loved working together.
The Sinister Six Will Finally Form - They Only Need One More
This theory made a lot of sense on the surface. The second No Way Home trailer confirmed the return on Thomas Haden Churches' Sandman and Rhys Ifans' Lizard, in addition to the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro. Given that this took the total of confirmed villains to five, it seemed obvious that another secret villain would appear to complete the legendary team of baddies.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but there's still hope that one-day Spider-Man's greatest villains will join forces to go toe-to-toe with the web-shooting hero.
Venom And Spider-Man Will Finally Come Face To Face - Two Tom's Collide
Ever since Sony and Marvel made their agreement to bring Spider-Man into the MCU, it's been unclear whether or not Tom Holland's Peter Parker would ever get the chance to interact with characters from the Sony Spider-Verse. All that changed with Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credit scene, which brought Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and his smart-talking parasite into the MCU.
Fans were excited about what this meant for the future of the two franchises, but Hardy's role in No Way Home was limited to the first post-credit scene, in which he is zapped back to his universe, but not without leaving a little bit of the symbiote behind. Will Eddie Brock and Peter Parker ever share the screen? At this point, it looks unlikely.
That Can't Be Doctor Strange - Maybe It's Mephisto
When the classic comic-book devil failed to make an appearance in Wanda Maximoff's small-town nightmare with WandaVision, fans have been convinced that it's only a matter of time before Mephisto finally makes his live-action debut. Suspicions were raised when the first No Way Home trailer was released, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange so eagerly agreed to cast a spell with the potential to rip the universe in two.
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little longer to see Mephisto, as Doctor Strange casts the spell simply because he empathizes with Peter Parker, a young man whose life has been turned upside down although he hasn't done anything wrong.
Miles Morales Will Make His Live-Action Debut - It Has To Happen Soon, Right?
Though we were treated to three iterations of Spider-Men in no way home, some fans thought there would be a fourth web-slinger joining the three Peter Parkers. Given the massive popularity of the character, who has taken leading roles in the Spider-Man: Miles Morales videogame and the Academy Award-winning film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, it shouldn't be long before Miles arrives in live-action form.
Unfortunately, though, we may have to wait for Tom Holland's next trilogy of Spider-Man films to see him mentor the young spiderling.
Emma Stone Will Return As Spider-Gwen - An Oscar-Winning Web Slinger
Spider-Gwen has fast become a fan-favorite character, thanks to memorable turns in the comics and voiced by Hailee Steinfeld in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Most famously portrayed by Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, the character has never yet inherited her spider-powers in live-action form.
Many thought No Way Home was the perfect way to introduce her. Though Emma Stone doesn't join her old castmate Andrew Garfield in the film, it would be great to see her play the character once more, especially if she used her newly-discovered powers to swing into frame.
Tobey Maguire Won't Live To See The End Of The Film - A Spider Death, Perhaps?
Though it was never confirmed in either of the film's two trailers, fans were convinced that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire would reprise their roles in No Way Home, and they were not disappointed.
Though Tobey's Peter Parker was injured after being stabbed by the Green Goblin in the film's climactic battle, he returned to his universe in one piece. Though the theory was popular, it surely would have been anti-climactic to have Tobey Maguire don his iconic spider suit once more only to die before the credits rolled.
Deadpool Will Make An Appearance - Any Day Now, Any Day Now
Ever Since Disney acquired Fox Studios in 2019, fans have longed to see the merc with the mouth share the screen with the MCU's most popular characters. Ryan Reynolds is still committed to the role, and Deadpool 3 is in the early stages of development, but there's no official word on when Deadpool will make his MCU bow.
Given the character's close relationship with Spider-Man in the comics, the prospect of eventually seeing the characters share the screen one day is hugely exciting. Fingers crossed the wait isn't too long.
Reed Richards Bought Avengers Tower - Whose Name Is On The Lease?
For some, it was a bit of a throwaway detail when, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Happy Hogan mentioned that Tony Stark had sold Avengers Tower. For others, the mystery of who will soon be inhabiting Avenger's Tower became a significant talking point. Many names have been thrown out there, but none more regularly than Mr. Fantastic himself, Reed Richards.
Jon Watts, director of all three MCU solo Spider-Man outings, is signed on to helm the Fantastic Four reboot. Some theorized that it only made sense that Reed Richards might show his face during No Way Home, but there was no such luck. We're in for more time spent looking at the fan art of John Krasinski in the role.
The Vulture Will Be Sent Into The Morbius Universe - How Else Does He Get There?
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This one's a little tricky because until Morbius hits theatres on the 28th of January 2022, it's impossible to say just how Jared Leto's unlucky vamp winds up coming face to face with Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes. The Vulture was notably absent from No Way Home. In fact, the flying thief hasn't swooped onto screens since the post-credit scene of Homecoming.
It's hard to completely discard this theory because Toomes being sent into Morbius' universe could have just occurred off-screen to keep the film's run-time down. Only time will tell with this one, and lucky for us, there's little over a month left until Morbius hits theatres, and all will be revealed.