The third instalment in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy swung into cinemas on Dec 15th.

Picking up right where Spidey’s last outing left off, Director Jon Watts’ No Way Home sees Peter Parker scrambling to find his feet following Mysterio’s crooked world-wide revelation: 

Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

With this reveal, eyebrows were raised as a core part of Spider-Man’s story, his anonymity, went up in smoke. Questions had already been asked about how Marvel could continue the classic Spider-Man story if, as an Avenger, not only did Parker have the power of Stark Industries at his disposal, but now the world knew his secret identity as well?

Realising that it’s not just his future that has been left in tatters, but also MJ and Ned’s too, Parker will do just about anything to set the world to rights. So he goes to see his old pal Dr. Strange, where as can be expected, it all goes wrong.

Previous MCU films have all been part of a bigger picture, as for over a decade they steered viewers into 2018’s shocking Infinity War. Spidey’s last outing in Far From Home even came in swinging on the coat-tails of 2019’s Endgame finale. 

The MCU Infinity Saga? That’s old news. 

Whilst it certainly opens doorways for future Marvel adventures, arguably the whole point of No Way Home is to introduce audiences to the Multiverse. Furthermore it answers questions that have been plaguing fans outside of the MCU as well. 

Following the nail-biting news reports of the Sony v Disney talks a few years back, the world held its breath as the very existence of Holland’s Spider-Man within the MCU seemed in jeopardy. 

Marvel’s bread and butter is Spiderman. So it’s no surprise that Sony wanted to cash in on the character, given they acquired the film rights to the character way back in 1999. Luckily, our prayers were answered as the two companies reached an agreement. But what was it? 

Whilst the current Spider-Man made his debut firmly in the MCU, Sony set to making their own superhero universe with the release of Venom in 2018. This asked the question: can a Spiderman universe exist without a Spiderman?

Sure, Sony has two film series under its belt already. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007) followed by the short-lived Amazing Spider-Man films (2012-2014) starring Andrew Garfield wowed cinema-goers. But had these two renditions of the character had become obsolete with the introduction of Holland in the MCU? 

Then, with the trailer for vampiric anti-hero Morbius hitting the screens, referencing Venom whilst revealing none other than Michael Keaton (The Vulture, Spider-Man: Homecoming) in the final moments, the question was asked again: What did this mean for the Sony-verse? And how the devil were they going to pull this off?

Well, with the introduction of supervillains from both of the previous film series, the combined might of Disney and Sony have hit the ball right out of the park. No Way Home gives audiences a firm concept of the Multiverse within the MCU, whilst simultaneously opening the eyes of the audience to how the Sony-verse will co-exist within it.

Holland’s performance is his best yet as he journeys the character beyond the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man we’ve all come to know and love. We see a bruised, battered and bloodied hero facing an earth-shattering crisis as a superhero and as a young man on the edge of adulthood. 

Joining the fray in No Way Home is Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr Strange. As the only responsible adult in the room, Time Stone-less Dr Strange’s decision to abandon his one job of ‘protecting your reality, douchebag’ at the whim of a high school graduate seems somewhat off-brand. Not what we expected from the ex-Sorcerer Supreme who went toe to toe with the Mad Titan himself. 

What does this say for the upcoming Dr Strange 2, Multiverse of Madness? Will we see a more cautious Strange, unable to foresee the outcomes and reverse his decisions? Or will the character’s new reckless abandon doom us all? 

Willem Dafoe returns as the Green Goblin.

Once again, Dafoe effortlessly channels the Green Goblin, taking us back all those years to Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man as he glides around lobbing goblin grenades at people. Oh. And did we ever think we would hear that cackle again? Dafoe, with the help of Alfred Molina’s returning Doc Oc really pave the way to make Spider-Man: No Way Home one of the MCU greatest hits.

All in all, it’s not hard to see why No Way Home has (at time of writing) been the 3rd highest grossing release ever. It gives the fans what they want with throwbacks, nods to real-world memes and of course our favourite baddies appearing from the Multiverse to cause us all some trouble. Fan service at its finest.

No Way Home sees Peter Parker outnumbered and alone overcoming his greatest challenge yet.

With no Avengers to help out, in his darkest moment who else can he turn to but himself?