Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home is the third highest-grossing film of all time. It not only broke box office records and became the most wildly successful and popular Marvel Studios movies. The film also completely broke fans’ hearts with its brutal ending and had some of the wildest audience reactions of any movie. Spider-Man: No Way Home not only expanded Marvel’s stakes but perfected the character of Peter Parker without losing sight of his (spidey) sense of humor, heart, and the struggle of trying to live two separate lives. Since it has been a year since the initial release, let’s rewind back to December of 2021 and reminisce of the greatest scenes to come out of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The AMAZING star-studded cast full of three different Spider-Man trilogy actors includes Tom Holland (Peter Parker 1/Spider-Man), Zendaya (Michelle Jones “MJ” Watson), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Jon Favreau (“Happy” Hogan), Jamie Foxx (Electro), Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin), Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus “Doc Ock”), Thomas Haden Church (Sandman), Rhys Ifans (Lizard), Benedict Wong (Wong), Tony Revolori (“Flash” Thompson), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May Parker), and JK Simmons (J.Jonah Jameson). With surprise cameos by Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock), Tom Hardy (Eddie Brock/Venom), Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker 3/Amazing Spider-Man), and Tobey Maguire out of retirement to reprise his role as the original Peter Parker 2/Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!!

This article is part two of the Spider-Man: No Way Home one year reflection. Before proceeding to read this article, please read the previous article, “‘Hello, Peter’ Spider-Man: No Way Home Reflection”. This article includes such scenes as Matt Murdock Being a “Really Good Lawyer”, Strange Magic “That Feels Weird But I’ll Allow It”, and the Bridge Fight (Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock) “Hello, Peter”. 

https://talonnews.org/2180/entertainment/hello-peter-spider-man-no-way-home-reflection-pt-1/

The Villains’ Fates Are Revealed “They All Die Fighting Spider-Man, It’s There Fate” 

This is such a critical moment in not just Spider-Man’s arc but the entirety of the MCU as fans know it. Bringing in past villains from previous Sony Spider-Man films was not just to please fans but to finally introduce such a pivotal storyline from the comics; the multiverse. Though this movie left fans with more questions than they had going in, this scene lightly explains how all the villains (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, the Sandman, the Lizard, and Electro) were brought to their universe even though they all died fighting Spider-Man. Doctor Strange reveals to Peter that they were pulled from their timeline. 

Otto Octavius tells Peter, “You’re flying out into the darkness to fight ghosts.” He is referring to the jolly green elf they saw on the bridge, Green Goblin. “What do you mean??” Doctor Strange then explains that, “They all die fighting Spider-Man. It’s their fate.” Once Peter brings Norman back to the Sanctum Sanctorum, Otto says to Norman, “You’re the walking corpse.” “Wha- What do you mean??” “You died, Norman. Years ago.” Peter, who is completely confused, says, “What are you talking about…? He’s standing right there; he’s-” “Dead.” 

One of the things that made No Way Home so nostalgic was all the subtle hints and easter eggs from the previous Sony movies, some being the villains recalling their last memory… Otto explains the ending of Spider-Man 2 when he was so close to having the power of the sun in the palm of his hands. “Spider-Man was trying to stop my fusion reactor- so I stopped him. I had him… by the throat. And then I… And then I was here.” Max hilariously mentions, “Lemme tell you something. I was whopping Spider-Man’s ass. He’ll tell you. And then he caused an overload. I was stuck in the grid, absorbing data. I was about to turn into pure energy, and then… And then… And then… Oh —-, I was about to die.” It all begins to dawn on them, one by one, that they were taken from their universes moments before they met their fate against Spider-Man.

Pain’s An Old Friend “Come on Strange, Have a Heart”

One of the most underrated scenes in No Way Home is when Peter betrays Strange, kind of. Strange is willing to kill all the villains or send them to their inevitable deaths. As Strange states, “In the grand calculus of the multiverse, their sacrifice means infinitely more than their lives. I’m sorry, kid. If they die, they die.” But Peter being the hero he is, wants to save all of them or at least try to because he sees that most of the villains became that way reluctantly. The perfect line in this scene is when Peter says, “Come on Strange, have a heart.” This is a little call back to Doctor Strange’s What If…? episode, “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” 

The Hero Gig “The Problem Is You Trying To Live Two Different Lives.” 

When Peter first visits Doctor Strange at the Sanctum Sanctorum, Strange tells Peter he got into this entire mess, referring to his identity being revealed, is him trying to live two separate lives. Peter tries to be the average teenager, worrying about high school, bullies, girls, but also has to juggle being a superhero on top of that all while holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. “The problem is you trying to live two different lives. The longer you do it, the more dangerous it becomes!!” 

Grand Canyon Fight “You Know What’s Cooler than Magic? Math” 

One of the most hilarious fight scenes in this very serious and tragic film is when Peter and Strange fight in the Mirror Dimension/Grand Canyon. Strange sends the two of them into the Mirror Dimension in the first place because that is where he is most powerful and in control. Peter has the realization, “Wait a minute. Is that an Archimedean spiral? The Mirror Dimension is just geometry?? You’re great at geometry!! You can do geometry!!” Square the radius… divide by pi… at flat points along the curve…” Just when Doctor Strange thinks he’s won, Peter says, “Hey, Strange!! You know what’s cooler than magic?? Math!!” It is so like Peter Parker to believe math is cooler than supreme sorcery. 

Green Goblin Returns “Norman’s on Sabbatical, Honey…” 

The most intense scene in all of No Way Home is the Condo Fight. Even before the fight breaks out, the fact that Peter sensed the mood of the room suddenly changed because of Norman’s personality shift was impeccable work by not only the camera angles but the performances of Tom Holland’s expressions to show the spidey senses, or as May calls it “Peter Tingle”, and of course, Willem Dafoe. One of the best things Marvel Studios changed from the original Sony characters was unmasking Green Goblin. To show the facial expressions of such a crazed, manic villain and renowned actor. When Peter is making the cure for Norman, he feels a sudden shift in the mood of the room. He stops what he’s doing to wander around the condo aimlessly. He cautiously looks around at all the villains, Max calls him out saying, “Why are you looking at me like that??” Peter closes his eyes, and shoots his web at Norman’s hand. Norman then whistles saying, “That’s some neat trick… that sense of your.” Now cured Otto questions the shift, “Norman??” With Green Goblin returning to say, “Norman’s on sabbatical, honey…” This spine chilling scene just goes to show Willem Dafoe’s range as both Norman (when he visits May at FEAST) and Green Goblin. Fans have been waiting for Dafoe to return as the Goblin, No Way Home was sure worth the wait. 

Villainous Consequences “I Told You There’d Be Consequences!!” 

While in the Sanctum Sanctorum before Peter takes all the villains to Happy’s condo, Dr. Curt Connors, in his scaly Lizard form, says, “Trust me, Peter. When you try to fix people, there are always consequences.” This is a nod to his Amazing Spider-Man (2012) storyline, where as an amputee scientist, he injects himself with an experimental serum causing him to turn himself into The Lizard. “This wouldn’t have happened if we were all lizards.” Though The Lizard was not one of the main villains of No Way Home per se, he has his moments in the film like the scene mentioned above and Peter and his friends all thinking he’s a dinosaur. But one of the most intense scenes is in fact the Condo Fight. Though this is mainly a fight between Green Goblin and Spider-Man, The Lizard also makes an appearance. After being punched through multiple levels of the condo, in order to catch Green Goblin, Peter rips open the window, to climb the side of the demolished building. But no matter where Peter goes, someone is always after him, a spotlight from The Daily Bugle shines on him as J. Jonah Jameson tries to prove Spider-Man is a menace to society. Stopping to catch his breath, Peter looks down at the helicopter just to be attacked from behind by The Lizard. He grabs Peter by the throat and says, “I told you there’d be consequences”, throwing him right back into the building, to the Goblin. Just for Norman to slam Peter through about five levels of the building to land on the ground floor.

Condo Fight Sequence “Strong Enough to Have It All. Too Weak to Take It!!” 

The most intense scene in all of No Way Home had to be the Condo Fight scene. Even before the fight broke out, the fact that Peter sensed the mood of the room suddenly changed because of Norman’s personality shift was insane to say the least. The way the spidey senses were perfectly depicted in the scene with the camera facing Tom Holland’s face to show his facial expressions. But everything changes during the Condo Fight scene, this fight is moments before one of the most pivotal scenes in Peter’s character arc. Green Goblin says, “Struggling to have everything you want, while the world tries to make you choose. Gods don’t have to choose. We take.” This monologue just goes to show that the Goblin Goblin is the worst of all the villains, he has no remorse, he has no mercy, and kills anyone who gets in his way… because he’s just crazy. The hand to hand combat between Peter and Norman, well the Goblin, looked like a street fight. The way Norman and Peter absolutely destroy the building complex while fighting and slamming each other through levels of the condo. The best part is the hallway fight when Norman throws Peter into the hall, kicking his way through, saying, “Strong enough to have it all… TOO WEAK TO TAKE IT!!” Norman then proceeds to dodge everything Peter throws at him, then punching him in the stomach sending him a couple feet away. Just for Peter to land on his feet, run full speed at Norman, jump kick off the wall landing on Norman to repeatedly punch him in the face. As he’s getting punched, he’s just hysterically laughing. One of the coolest shots in this scene is when Norman slams Peter through about five levels of the building to land on the ground floor where he initially kills May. Once Norman and Peter land on the ground level, Norman still continues to beat Peter to a bloody pulp. Peter, breathless, yells, “May… run…” He doesn’t give her enough time, since Norman sends his glider through the front glass doors, striking May. Norman then proceeds to jump on his glider, in his purple and green comic attire to tell Spider-Man, “Peter, Peter, Peter. No good deed goes unpunished. You can thank me later…” While he says this, he detonated his pumpkin bomb. Peter then leaps in the air to try and catch the pumpkin bomb but fails to do so, which is a great shot as well. 

Aunt May’s Death “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”

May tries to act strong in front of Peter saying she just needs to catch her breath, before collapsing she tells Peter, “You have a gift. You have power. And with great power, there must also come great responsibility.” As you may know, this is one of the most famous comic book quotes of them all, it is usually depicted as, “With great power comes great responsibility.” After repeating saying she’s only catching her breath, Peter sees that she’s bleeding, and not long after that Aunt May sadly dies in Peter’s arms… Peter keeps asking her to wake up, not wanting to come to the realization that he has lost the one person he had left. “I’m right here. I’m right here… we’re okay. Just me and you. May? …May? Will you look at me, May? Please? May? … May? What are you doing, May? Please, will you just wake up and talk to me? Please? It’s just me and you, okay? It’s just me and you. [He kisses her forehead] Oh May, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so so so sorry.” After May sadly dies, Happy arrives at the burning, collapsed, condo, screaming for Peter to run while he’s getting jumped by a bunch of officers. The final shot of this scene is of May’s lifeless body surrounded by the rummage of the condo, with a single tear of Peter’s rolling down her face.

The Aftermath… Tragedy… “Everything Spider-Man Touches Comes to Ruin”

The most eye pleasing scene is shortly after May’s death when J. Jonah Jameson sends out a message about Spider-Man. Peter standing in the pouring rain with the bag covered in May’s blood that is washing off is heart wrenching. “Tragedy. What else can I call it? What more need be said? The damage, the destruction, you saw it with your own eyes. When will people wake up and realize that everywhere Spider-Man goes, chaos and calamity ensue. Everything Spider-Man touches comes to ruin. And we, the innocents, are left to pick up the pieces.”

Look out for “Spider-Man: No Way Home Reflection (Pt. 3)” Coming Soon!!