Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer breakdown: every villain, Easter egg, and surprise cameo
The 12 biggest takeaways from the new trailer
And… breathe. By now, you’ve likely seen the new trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. But have you scraped through every frame and unlocked every secret? In case you need a guiding hand to uncovering every Easter egg, Marvel reference, and surprise cameo in the second trailer’s runtime, we’ve put together a guide to all the key moments that jumped out at us from the teaser for the Spidey threequel – as well as the MCU-at-large. Enjoy!
Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer breakdown
"We started getting some visitors… from every universe"
It’s official: the multiverse has well and truly been cracked open. Sylvie may have done some serious damage in Loki after killing He Who Remains, but the after-effects of Doctor Strange’s identity-wiping spell is in danger of doing worse. Strange says as much by telling Peter that people are flooding in "from every universe." It’s also proof enough, in case we needed it, that it’s very much open season for the likes of Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Charlie Cox to appear in the movie – even if they aren’t shown in this trailer.
New black suit
Spider-Man has a new suit in No Way Home. It’s black, gold, and magic all over. There is some speculation that it’s simply Spidey’s Far From Home suit turned inside out, but that doesn’t account for the Doctor Strange upgrades glimpsed in the trailer. It’s not only a sleek new look for the webhead; he’s come equipped with new powers too. Case in point: the Strange-style magic bracelet on his wrist is surely packing a punch – if not a supernatural right hook. It's also the second black suit in Spider-Man's cinematic history, after Spider-Man 3's infamous black suit.
"You’re not Peter Parker"
We’ve already seen Spider-Man’s battle with Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus on a bridge out of New York. The trailer, too, goes deeper into that showdown. Action shots of the tentacled supervillain hunting down Spider-Man are littered throughout the trailer, but when he finally catches up to him, it’s one line that’s perhaps the most revealing: "You’re not Peter Parker."
Otto, it seems, is looking for his Peter Parker. In case you needed it, that’s the strongest evidence yet that Tobey Maguire will have a presence in the movie as his Spider-Man from the Sam Raimi trilogy.
Statue of Liberty, with a Captain America twist
The MCU’s answer to the Statue of Liberty has undergone a bit of a makeover if this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment rings true. Instead of its old design, it’s now decked out with Captain America’s iconic shield, as well as red, white and blue lighting.
It’s not clear for the time being whether it’s a tribute to Steve Rogers or a nod to the new Cap, Sam Wilson, after he took on the mantle in Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Either way it’s indicative of a society that is treating some of its superheroes with reverence, if not Spider-Man.
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The statue could have a big role to play in one of the movie's major set-pieces, too. A suspiciously shield-shaped object drops from some scaffolding later in the trailer, hinting that Spidey's battle with Sandman, Lizard, and Electro takes place on Liberty Island.
Electro
As if there was ever any doubt, Jamie Foxx’s Electro is in No Way Home. Unlike his more blue-tinged incarnation in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the electric-charged villain is wearing a costume that’s a little closer in tone to his comic book roots, complete with a lightning helmet. He also appears to form part of a major set-piece in the movie along with two other supervillains who we’ll get to shortly.
J. Jonah Jameson
Fresh off his shock jock appearance in Far From Home, JK Simmons is back as J. Jonah Jameson. He’s seen oh-so-briefly looking up as a wave of electricity eclipses the night sky.
If you ask us, this is the MCU JJJ and not the Raimi version. Why? Those Daily Bugle vans look far more like those seen in Far From Home’s post-credits scene. That would mean that Electro – and all the other supervillains – have now moved to the MCU, rather than Tom Holland’s Spider-Man heading through different universes to face them.
"They all died fighting Spider-Man"
One of the main gut punches of the No Way Home trailer is the Doc Ock/Doctor Strange one-two reveal that the foes Spider-Man has been fighting all died battling their own versions of Spider-Man.
That refers back to Otto’s demise in Spider-Man 2, Electro’s death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Green Goblin kicking the bucket in the original Spider-Man. Oddly, that doesn’t line up for all of them – Lizard and Sandman could still be very much alive (as far as we know) in their respective universes.
Stark Tech tentacles
Because it couldn’t be a Spider-Man movie without a reference to Tony Stark! We get a closer look at Doc Ock’s mechanical appendages later in the trailer, and they take a beat to let us all know that these bad boys are upgraded from their Spider-Man 2 counterparts. The color scheme and design all scream Stark, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest Octavius augmented his own design with some tech from the MCU.
Green Goblin
The pumpkin bomb in the previous trailer all-but-confirmed Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin was turning up – then the recent poster sealed the deal. Still, it’s nice to see him up close and personal in his get-up from 2002’s Spider-Man.
A... new Goblin?
Is that a new Goblin flying through the sky? While we don’t expect James Franco’s Spider-Man 3 iteration to turn up in the MCU, it certainly looks different to Dafoe’s interpretation of the character. What gives? If you ask us – and that’s why you’re here, after all – it could match up with the rumor that Green Goblin is going to get a new outfit from Doc Ock in No Way Home.
Lizard and Sandman
Rounding out the rogues’ gallery is Lizard, seemingly the Amazing Spider-Man iteration, and Spider-Man 3’s Sandman. It’s not yet known if Rhys Ifans or Thomas Haden Church will be back to reprise their roles, however, as nothing has been confirmed as of writing. Still, their presence seriously ups the ante – and gives Tom Holland one of his biggest threats yet.
Curiously, Lizard's face also appears to get punched by an invisible opponent in an alternate version of the trailer. Has Sony/Marvel been sneaky and airbrushed Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield out of the trailer?
A Gwen Stacy moment
One of the trailer’s final scenes sees Zendaya’s MJ plunge from a structure in a moment reminiscent of both Gwen Stacy’s in-comic death and the demise of Emma Stone’s version of the character in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Some fans think this is all set up to give Andrew Garfield’s Spidey a redemption arc after his failure to save Stacy.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to swing into cinemas on December 15 in the UK and December 17 in the US. For more on what MCU is cooking up, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4.
I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.