For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero’s identity is revealed to the world, bringing his life as a 17-year-old high school senior – as well as the lives of his loved ones – into the public eye. The danger and chaos that surrounds Spider-Man end up costing Peter – and MJ and Ned (who the media cast as Spider-Man’s accomplices) – their chance at a promised future. Unable to stand by and watch his friends’ dreams dashed.
The culmination of the Homecoming trilogy was an emotional endeavor for the filmmaking team from the very outset. With the character of Peter Parker in his last year of high school and the eyes of the world on him, it was clear that Spider-Man: No Way Home would be the final chapter in Peter Parker’s coming of age story.
“In Civil War, Stark says, ‘Are you the spider-boy?’ In the previous films, Peter really has been the spider-boy, and this film is about him becoming the Spider-Man; but what is a Spider-Man?
“With great power comes great responsibility.” In every exploration of Peter Parker’s life – from the comic books to the television series to the Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi to the two The Amazing Spider-Man™ films directed by Marc Webb to the MCU films – these words have been more than a motto; they have been a rite of passage, a call to action and an end to childhood.
It’s never been more difficult for Peter to figure out what’s right than right now. While each journey of Peter Parker takes its own path, what if No Way Home’s Peter Parker didn’t have to go at it alone. What if he had a brotherhood who knew exactly what he was going through?
In one of the most euphoric moments in cinematic history, Spider-Man: No Way Home brought together the two previous Spider-Men from the SONY-verse to not only lend today’s Peter Parker a helping hand but to their shoulder to help carry the burden.
In an interview by Variety, they spoke to Oscar nominee hopeful Andrew Garfield (who is having a hell of a year) about the moment he got the call and if he’ll return to more.
“I wasn’t expecting to ever have a conversation again about potentially playing Peter Parker. I felt very excited to just to be a fan again. But I got this call from Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige and Jon Watts with this idea. It was immediately undeniable. It sounded incredibly fun, incredibly spiritual — trippy and thematically interesting. On a base level, as a Spider-Man fan, just the idea of seeing three Spider-Men in the same frame was enough.
“The pitch was really, really enticing. They said, “You played this character in your way and what would you want to explore if you had an opportunity? If you were dumped into this other universe and faced with this younger you and this older you, how will you respond?'”
During the conversation, “We talked a lot about mentorship. We talked a lot about brotherhood and about what it is to be the older brother, younger brother and the middle brother. There’s also a thing of seeing someone you love walking down a path that you’ve already walked down, and you know it doesn’t lead the place where you ultimately meant to go.”
“That character is isolated in his emotional experience and physical experience. But what happens when that aloneness gets blasted open, and you come to realize that you’ve never been alone and there are other brothers going through the exact same thing? That’s a big spiritual journey to go on, man. And then we just milked out all the fun that we could possibly have.”
While Garfield held onto his Spidey secret (lying to the press for months), the Garfield found redemption for his Spider-Man whose Gwen Stacey laid dead in his arms when he failed to catch her in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Describing the moment as sealing their brotherhood bond when Garfield’s Spider-Man saved Zendaya’s MJ.
“We were shooting for two weeks, Toby and I, but I think we managed to achieve something that is not just showing up and going, “Hi! Bye!” My Spider-Man got to save his younger brother’s romantic relationship, potentially. And to heal the most traumatic moment of his own life through doing it for his younger brother. Making sure that he didn’t have the same fate, there’s something cosmically beautiful about that. It meant getting a second chance at saving Gwen [Stacy, Garfield’s love interest in “The Amazing Spider-Man” played by Emma Stone].”
“You know, the spirit that Zendaya brings to MJ is so heartfelt and pure and loving, and Emma brought that similar unique spirit to Gwen.”
“There’s a line I improvised in the movie, looking at [Maguire and Holland] and I tell them I love them. That was just me loving them.”
“I am so grateful. I’m just really, really grateful that I got to tie up some loose ends for the Peter that I was playing. I love that character and I’m grateful that I got to work with these incredible actors, this incredible director, and Marvel in conjunction with Sony. It was joyful, and a feeling of closure for me. There was so many unanswered questions for my Peter, where we left it. I got to step back in and get some healing for him. And also, really supporting [Holland’s] Peter, and honoring his character completing that trilogy, not distracting or detracting from it.”
As fans continue to petition SONY to make the Amazing Spider-Man 3, Garfield would love to return to the role to explore what happened to Peter after the death of Gwen and what new adventures awaits. Maybe we even could see a reunion of the Spider-Men that continues the bond of lost and hope.
Fans received a spark of hope when Garfield’s stuntman, William Spencer, responded to a comment on Instagram last week. Someone congratulated Spencer under a recent video for “getting the call to work on TASM3.” He thanked that fan, and, unsurprisingly, the internet was abuzz. Did Spencer confirm the existence of an unannounced Spider-Man movie? Was an official announcement from Sony going to come sooner than anyone could have anticipated? Is The Amazing Spider-Man 3 happening?
However, after his comment began making headlines, Spencer returned to Instagram to clear the mess up. He claims he was responding to all of the nice comments and failed to read this one carefully enough. Stating he doesn’t know anything about any other Spider-Man movies starring Andrew Garfield. But years have taught fans anyone involved would be sworn to secrecy.
“I mean, yes, [I’m] definitely open to something if it felt right. Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many. He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that, if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently in theaters.
