This MCU Movie Gave Away the Ending Without You Even Realizing It – Armessa Movie News

Swinging into theaters and leaving us both awe-struck and devastated, Spider-Man: No Way Home contains one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most emotional endings, but also one that, honestly, we should have seen coming. The irony of ironies, this unforgettable finale leaves the entire world forgetting Peter Parker (Tom Holland) exists because of a spell cast in an attempt to repair the unstable multiverse. As we watch Peter long for his old life and struggle to keep the world from literally falling apart, we can see how Spider-Man: No Way Home’s resolution is the twisted answer to Peter’s wish for privacy and safety for both himself and his friends.

Peter Parker Misses His Secret Identity in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

Picking up immediately where Spider-Man: Far From Home leaves off, Spider-Man: No Way Home begins with Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) not only revealing Spider-Man to be Peter Parker but framing him for the drone attacks in London and for Mysterio’s own death. Instantly, Peter goes from a relatively normal life to one of overwhelming celebrity, with paparazzi swarming Midtown High, and hoards of fans and haters harassing him and his loved ones. While all of this chaos unfolds around him, Peter yearns for the solitude that his secret identity provided him, and the whole plot hinges on the idea that Peter wants to be anonymous again.

Beyond dealing with the ramifications of Peter’s newfound fame, much of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s plot revolves around the typical teen struggle of applying to colleges with your friends. Peter, his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), young brainiacs that they are, dream of going to MIT and escaping the media circus that now suffocates them in New York. The movie emphasizes this idea of “a fresh start” — which as we know, Peter gets in the end. When Peter learns that Ned and MJ are being rejected from MIT because of their association with a controversial figure like Spider-Man, he realizes how much his friends stand to lose just by knowing him. For better or worse, the only way for Ned and MJ to lead a normal life is if they don’t know Spider-Man, and therefore, Peter.

Dr. Strange’s Spell Is Meant to Erase Spider-Man’s Identity

Upon seeing the impact that his superhero identity is having on those he cares about, Peter enlists the help of Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make the world forget that he’s Spider-Man. When Peter realizes the enormity of his wish and asks if some people can still remember who he is, Strange iterates to him that that isn’t how the spell works. At the end of the day, Strange’s spell was meant to erase Spider-Man’s identity even before the multiverse got involved, and in the climax of the movie, that’s exactly what happens. Even if wasn’t what they had in mind, the spell ultimately did what it was intended to do.

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men End Up Alone

Next, as we all remember, Spider-Man: No Way Home cemented its place among cinema’s best crossover projects when it brought in not only the villains but the heroes from other Spider-Man franchises. Joining an already tangled web, Tobey Maguire from the Raimiverse and Andrew Garfield from the Webbverse came in hot as “Peter 2” and “Peter 3,” respectively. They taught Peter some valuable Spider-lessons, but also reminded us that, sadly, a Spider-Man’s life is normally one of solitude.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man came into the MCU so carefree and optimistic that it’s easy to forget that in most universes, Peter Parker is a pretty lonely guy. While Peter 1 has a guy in the chair and a kick-ass girlfriend to help him solve his problems, the other Spider-Men pretty much fly — or swing — solo. As noted in No Way Home, in most universes, Spider-Man doesn’t even have the Avengers. Garfield’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy uses her smarts and resources from Oscorp to help Spider-Man out in the Webbverse, but we all remember how that turned out, and Maguire’s best friend Harry succumbs to the dark side and winds up dead too. Garfield’s Peter laments that love isn’t really in the cards for guys like them, even though Maguire urges him not to lose hope. At least in the examples laid out by Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men, the masked hero is pretty much destined to end up alone, which sadly, Holland’s Peter does.

In ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Peter Learns That With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility

Between the nature of Strange’s spell, Peter’s desire for anonymity, and the reminder of Spider-Man’s loner tendencies, Spider-Man: No Way Home was telling us all along that Peter was going to end up losing himself, and his life was never going to be the way that it was before. Even the title itself, “No Way Home,” indicates just that — there’s no going back. Unfortunately for Peter, he got what he wanted, but just not in the way that he ever expected. By watching Peter sacrifice his identity to save the universe, we see that Spider-Man: No Way Home’s bittersweet ending is the ultimate manifestation that with great power, there must also come great responsibility.