“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is expected to bring in the masses

The long awaited Spider-Man film is rumored to have cameos of past Spider-Men.

By Natalie Metcalf, Staff Writer

Tom Holland (left) and Benedict Cumberbatch (right) will star in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” coming exclusively to theaters on Dec. 17 2021. (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” swung into action Nov. 29, as pre-order ticket sales reached 150,000 on the first day alone.

The new Spider-Man film is scheduled to release Dec. 17. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” will be the third movie starring Tom Holland as the webbed hero. Holland’s co-stars include Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange, Zendaya, who plays MJ, and Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned. Audiences are ecstatic at the possibility of past versions of Spider-Man, such as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

“You’re not Peter Parker,” said Doctor Otto Octavuis to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, in the official trailer. This line leaves fans theorizing that past versions of Spider-Man will return in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

An essential part of being able to explain the return of Maguire and Garfield is because of Doctor Strange’s powers. After “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” the world knows of Spider-Man’s identity. Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange to perform a spell that will restore Parker’s secret. Somehow, the spell goes terribly wrong causing the multiverse to open and cause the return of past villains — and possibly past heroes — from the multiverse.

The multiverse, according to Marvel comics, is the collection of alternate universes that share a universal purpose. The new Spider-Man film will also feature The Sinister Six, a collection of villains Spider-man fights in the comics.

In the trailer, Alfred Molina returns as Doctor Otto Octavius. But the remaining five members of The Sinister Six are rumored to appear in the film; Jamie Foxx as Electro, Thomas Haden as Sandman, Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curtis Conners (or The Lizard) and William Dafoe as Green Goblin. Fans of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” are wondering if Dane Dehaan will make an appearance as his portrayal of the Green Goblin.

The three-minute trailer added to fan theories and excitement about the upcoming flick. Fans theorize that MJ (Zendaya) will end up dying, creating a parallel between Gwen Stacy’s cause of death in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and MJ’s rumored demise.

“I will watch it because it’s Marvel and it’s Spider-Man,” said Carmen Dominguez, dean of academic affairs, arts, and media design. “[Maguire and Garfield] in it just makes it icing on the cake.”

Maguire’s and Garfield’s version of Spider-Man were extremely popular, bringing in millions of dollars in box office revenue. As of 2019, “Spider-Man” accumulated $821.7 million in the box office worldwide. “Spider-Man 2” followed at $783.8 million and “Spider-Man 3” made $890.9 million. “The Amazing Spider-Man” collected $757.9 million, while “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” earned $709 million worldwide.

Even though Maguire and Garfield are not reportedly in the cast list, fans are hoping and waiting for their return. It is possible that fans only plan on seeing the movie in hopes of the past heroes’ homecoming.

“Despite not knowing much about Marvel, I love Spider-Man,” said first year student Mallory Hesen, who is a theater tech major. “I’ve been going off most of the other theories of [how] it has all three of them.”