There are certain fictional characters that hold very significant personal meanings to their fans, regardless of what media they come from. This can be because we relate to, admire, idolize, or just simply adore these individuals. Spider-Man has always been one of those characters for me, as well as countless others. He’s been my favorite superhero for as long as I can remember. Growing up I had Spider-Man video games, movies, comics, toys, and any other memorabilia you can imagine. Over the years, I only fell more in love with the character of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker in all of his live-action, video game, and animated portrayals. While each live-action film franchise certainly has its own flaws, all three film portrayals of Peter Parker, from Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield, and most recently Tom Holland, all have enjoyable qualities. So when rumors began circulating that the first two could potentially make an appearance in Tom’s newest film Spider-Man: No Way Home, It made perfect sense as to why it became one of the most anticipated blockbusters of 2021.

Before entering the theater, I felt like a little kid, desperate to see my favorite web-slinging superhero back on the big screen. I even did a complete re-watch of all the Spider-Man films about two weeks before seeing Spider-Man: No Way Home (NWH). Despite all my excitement, in the back of my mind, I was afraid that my expectations were too high and I would leave disappointed. After now having seen it twice, I can confidently say that not only did it meet my ridiculously high expectations, but somehow managed to surpass them, providing one of the most enjoyable movie viewing experiences I have had in a very long time. From this point forward, there will be spoilers for those who have somehow not watched Spider-Man: No Way Home yet, so be warned.

Before getting into the movie itself, I do briefly want to say that the viewing experience in my theater was amazing. The energy was fantastic, from roaring cheers and laughs to audible despair, with everyone in the theater experiencing the film together. Spider-Man: No Way Home is both an absolute emotional roller coaster and a phenomenal piece of cinema.

NWH is littered with nostalgia, callbacks, and Easter eggs, which is one of the things that made it such a memorable and entertaining experience, especially for long-time fans. While it would be impossible to list them all, some of my favorites included references to Miles Morales with Electro saying, “Maybe there’s a universe with a Black Spider-Man,” Tobey’s back pain reference from Spider-Man 2, mentions of Venom and Thanos/The Avengers, and of course the re-enactment of the viral Spider-Man pointing meme between the three Spider-Men. It's astounding to think of the sheer amount of Spider-Man lore that this film incorporates and expands on from multiple film franchises. It's equally impressive that Marvel was able to deliver this amount of complexity and fan service without distracting from the film's own narrative, which thankfully remains the core and best part of NWH.

Picking up where Spider-Man: Far From Home left off in the MCU, Peter’s identity as Spider-Man is revealed to the world and he is framed for Mysterio’s attack in London. This sends Peter’s life spiraling and those closest to him suffer as a result. Then a brief but incredibly enjoyable cameo from Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) of Netflix’s phenomenal Daredevil series (now part of the MCU), appearing to help Peter out with his legal woes. Peter then reaches out to fellow avenger Dr. Strange to help make the world forget that Peter is Spider-Man, but the spell malfunctions, bringing villains from other universes into the MCU. Peter’s life descends into complete chaos as he desperately tries to fix the mess he’s made before it's too late.

Before NWH, I and many other Spider-Man fans have both praised and critiqued the MCU’s portrayal of the character up to that point. I’ve always liked Tom Holland as an actor, but his portrayals of Peter Parker were certainly not perfect. I did enjoy his debut solo film Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as his cameos in Captain America: Civil War and both Avengers films. Even Spider-Man: Far From Home has enjoyable elements despite its flaws; but these films always seemed to fail at truly capturing the essence of Spider-Man as a character, and more importantly, Peter Parker. This is something I knew needed to be addressed if I was truly going to enjoy Spider-Man: No Way Home. Thankfully, Marvel Studios knocked it out of the park, essentially “fixing” Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.

The film directly addresses many of the biggest critiques of Tom Holland’s portrayal. It provided much-needed character development, backstory, and core themes that had been lacking in his previous appearances. One of the most common critiques of Tom’s Peter is that he had not suffered or been “put to the test” nearly as much as his predecessors, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. This is certainly not true anymore. Over the course of the film, not only is he beaten, bruised, and broken physically and emotionally by his enemies, but he suffers tremendous loss and feels responsible for the pain of those closest to him, most notably, his Aunt May.

By the end, his best friend, Ned, and Girlfriend, MJ, do not even remember who he is, as he agreed to have Dr. Strange cast his original spell in order to prevent even more interdimensional villains from entering their world. This misery and grief make for one of the most intense, dark, and impactful Spider-Man stories ever as Peter overcomes these monumental obstacles on his own. This completes Tom’s character arc beautifully as he grows from the immature and kind-hearted teen of Homecoming and Civil War, stuck in Tony Stark’s shadow, to the lost and grief-ridden Peter in Far From Home, and eventually, to a mature adult who understands what it truly means to be a hero, and the sacrifices that come along with it.

Sacrifice has always been a big theme in Spider-Man films, as well as selflessness, and of course… responsibility. Peter Parker is the kind of person who is always going to try and save someone in trouble, even if he knows it will come at great personal cost. This idea is a core theme in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Holland’s Peter seeks to cure the multiversal villains he encounters, beautifully embodying everything that makes Peter Parker who he is. This idea is epitomized perfectly when Aunt May recites the famous line: “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.”  This is exactly what had been missing from Tom’s Peter Parker. Although he had fought formidable villains and saved many people, it’s the feeling and weight of a responsibility to use his abilities to help others that truly defines the character. Regardless of how it affects his personal life, he continues to choose to be Spider-Man because he knows it is the right thing to do. The very best Spider-Man films hone in on this fundamental belief. Marvel Studios managed to deliver a film with some of the deepest/profound themes, and emotionally compelling moments from any MCU film to date. What makes Spider-Man: No Way Home so great is that despite all its heroic fights, fancy suits/visuals, menacing villains, and web-slinging cameos, it is not a Spider-Man story at its core, but a Peter Parker story.

This character development is also perfectly cemented with the NWH’s bittersweet ending. Peter decides to remain a stranger to Ned and MJ, despite promising to find them and “make them remember him.” It is precisely because he cares about them so much that he decides to spare them the pain associated with being a part of his life, making for one of the most heartbreaking and selfless endings possible. The film does end on a hopeful note, however, as Peter begins his new life as a broke college student in his own apartment. At the very end, we see him flexing a brand new (beautifully comic book accurate) Spidey-suit as he swings headfirst into an exciting new chapter in his life, both as Peter Parker and NYC’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Despite Tom Holland’s Peter Parker being the main protagonist and center of the story, there is much more in Spider-Man: No Way Home to unpack and enjoy. The entire supporting cast of allies and enemies provides the platform for many iconic moments. While some appearances were more impactful than others, and some confirmed beforehand while others remained speculation up until the film’s opening night, they all provided pure joy and satisfaction for generations of Spider-Man fans. Seeing so many familiar faces from previous Spider-Man franchises make their way into the MCU will certainly make NWH go down as one of the most ambitious superhero films of all time.

We saw five (technically six with Tom Hardy’s Venom appearing in a post-credit scene) iconic foes from past Spider-Man films. Flint Marco (Sandman), Dr.Connors (Lizard), and Max Dillon (Electro) are given slightly smaller roles but were still awesome to see. Alongside them, Dr.Octavius (Doc Ock) and Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) are given much more integral roles. Dr.Octavius initially confronts Tom’s Peter but is eventually cured, becoming an important ally to Spider-Man. Seeing all of these actors reprise their villainous roles was a dream come true. Willem Dafoe absolutely stole the show as Norman Osborn (Green Goblin), delivering one of the best villain performances in a comic book movie that I’ve ever seen. Initially returning as a lost and emotionally damaged man, Norman continues to battle with the “Goblin” personality that plagued him in Raimi’s original Spider-Man. He decides to reject the Goblin and even seeks out Tom’s Peter for help, befriending him in the process. Unfortunately, Norman succumbs to the Goblin at the worst possible moment and wreaks absolute havoc. The way that Dafoe embodies these two distinctly opposing personalities so convincingly was breathtaking. Instantly shifting from a feeble old man to a menacing monster. The Green Goblin serves as the main antagonist to Tom’s Peter, pushing him to the edge right until the very end.

On the other side of the cameos, fans were treated to one of the most iconic moments in movie history when Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire appeared on screen (thanks to Ned’s newfound abilities discovered while searching for his Peter). After a quick altercation between the two Peters, they all go to a grieving MCU Peter to provide support in his absolute lowest moment. The scenes of Tom Holland in the rain, beaten and bloodied, standing in front of a J. Jonah Jameson news board slandering his name were beautifully shot and incredibly moving.

It's worth noting that the versions of Peter Parker that we see Andrew and Tobey portray in Spider-Man: No Way Home are not the same ones we left off with in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. Time has passed and they have both grown and matured, continuing to deal with the burdens of heroism. Garfield’s Peter describes how he has grown bitter/angry since losing Gwen, and Tobey describes how seeking revenge for Uncle Ben’s death didn’t bring him the comfort he thought it would. They empathize with Tom in ways that no one else possibly could, offering wisdom and guidance so that he may avoid making the mistakes they made, which I found to be quite poetic. On a lighter note, the chemistry the three actors shared on-screen was sensational. Countless hilarious moments and remarks created a lovable, brother-like dynamic between the three. Both Maguire and Garfield’s Peter had great character development in NWH as well, with Maguire being able to save his villains, work things out with Mary Jane, and seemingly find a balance between his life as Peter and Spider-Man. Garfield also gets redemption as he saves Tom’s MJ from falling to her death in one of the most heartbreaking moments of the entire film. Garfield even begins tearing up after saving MJ, after having not been able to save his own love interest Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) from falling to her death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  

All in all, Spider-Man: No Way Home is sure to go down as one of the most iconic blockbuster films in cinematic history, already surpassing Jurassic World and The Lion King to become the 6th highest-grossing film of all time. It seemed as if for a moment, Spider-Man fans of all ages, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds came together to share in a unifying film experience, which is something I feel is desperately needed in today’s world. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, NWH is a film for Spider-Man fans of decades and first-timers. It masterfully executes the incorporation of complex lore, numerous cameo appearances, and fan service without losing focus of the story it's trying to tell, perfectly completing Tom Holland’s origin trilogy in the MCU with a thrilling multiversal adventure. It is full of all the key themes, concepts, and emotions needed to do justice to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s original creation. The young boy in me that grew up idolizing Peter Parker could not have been happier. Needless to say, Spider-Man: No Way Home certainly lived up to the hype, and Marvel Studios has once again provided a moment in cinematic history that will not be soon forgotten.

Written by: Bryan Herrera
Art by: Judah Bachmann | Instagram