The world watched in excitement and nostalgia as Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprised their roles and starred along with Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The multiversal story saw Holland’s Spider-Man invite Spider-Men and their villains from other realities after a spell from Dr. Strange goes wrong.
While the film was a huge success and was a crowd-pleaser, fans have since looked into the events of the film more deeply and have found some discrepancies in the film. A Reddit user recently put forth a theory that looked at the ending of the film and how Tom Holland’s actions as Spider-Man have ruined the characterization of the other two. Spoilers ahead.
What Happens In Spider-Man: No Way Home?
Teases regarding the ‘OG’ Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning in Spider-Man: No Way Home came early during production of the film. While none of the actors confirmed the appearances, the excitement among fans started building as many hints were being dropped including some leaked footage of Garfield as Spider-Man.
The film follows a multiversal story set after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, at the end of which the whole world knows that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The reveal results in Peter Parker being a pariah as Mysterio is considered to be a hero. Ned Leeds and MJ’s lives and careers are also affected due to their association with Peter.
Peter feels terrible about the effects of his issues on his friends’ lives and he goes to Dr. Strange and asks him to put a spell on the universe that makes everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. However, after Peter changes his mind about who he wants to exclude from the spell, the spell goes wrong and forms a crack in the multiverse. This results in villains and Spider-Men from alternative universes accidentally entering this reality.
While the gang tries to rectify this mistake, Holland’s Peter teams up with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men and tries to contain the villains. At the end of the film, Holland realizes that the only way to stop this is by putting a spell that makes the world forget who Peter Parker is. The spell works and the film ends on this melancholic note where he is forgotten by everyone he loves.
How Did MCU’s Spider-Men Ruin Toby Maguire And Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men?
The experience of watching all live-action iterations of Spider-Man in the same frame was one of the most talked about pop culture instances. The film was appreciated for creating moments that fans were waiting for as well as more depth to the characters that were rebooted. Hints of what happened to the other two Spider-Men after their last appearance were given in the film.
Recently, a Reddit user named r/Piccolo Major put forth an opinion that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man ruined the character arc and development of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield after deciding to let the whole world forget Spider-Man. Maguire and Garfield’s characters have come a long way since their last appearance, with many relationship milestones being crossed.
Also read: MCU Fans Should Not Be Excited About Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire Rumors For Avengers: Secret Wars
The reason for the villains and Spider-Men to cross into this universe was due to Holland’s spell which specified that anyone who knew who Spider-Man was Peter Parker would be called into this universe. The theory says that he could have used the same spell to remain close to his friends while sending the variants back. The theory states,
“Why change the spell? It would’ve worked! At least that way, Happy, MJ, and Ned would still have Peter as their close friend, they just wouldn’t know he was Spiderman…Tom’s Peter ruined the other Spidey’s lives and in the dumbest way. Tobey’s Peter finally makes it work with MJ and just gets forgotten. Tom’s Peter already had the right solution the first time, then changed it up for no reason at all.”
It has been revealed that the effects of Tom Holland’s final spell have also been transferred to other universes, making Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s close ones also forget who they are. This just makes Tom Holland’s decision at the end of the film needlessly complicated and messy without any regard for the lives of the only two people who would understand him.
Also read: Spider-Man: No Way Home Fixed a Major Doc Ock Plothole 17 Years After Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2
