No Way Home is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man alongside Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire. In the film, Parker asks Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) to make his identity as Spider-Man a secret again with magic following its public revelation in Far From Home, but this breaks open the multiverse, allowing supervillains from alternate realities who have fought alternate versions of Parker to enter his universe.
A third MCU Spider-Man film was planned during the production of Homecoming in 2017. By August 2019, negotiations between Sony and Marvel Studios to alter their deal—in which they produce the Spider-Man films together—ended with Marvel Studios leaving the project; however, a negative fan reaction led to a new deal between the companies a month later. Watts, McKenna, Sommers, and Holland were set to return at that time. Filming began in October 2020 in New York City before moving to Atlanta that month and wrapping in March 2021. No Way Home explores the concept of the multiverse and ties the MCU to past Spider-Man film series, with numerous actors—including previous Spider-Man actors Maguire and Garfield—reprising their roles from the Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi and Marc Webb. The return of Maguire and Garfield was the subject of speculation, and Sony, Marvel, and the cast attempted to conceal their involvement despite numerous leaks.
One week after Quentin Beck's attack in Europe, doctored footage of the attack by Beck is broadcasted around the world showing Peter Parker commencing the drone attacks while Beck outing his identity as Spider-Man to the public before his death, much to Peter's shock. Peter, his girlfriend Michelle Jones Watson, his best friend Ned Leeds, and his Aunt May Parker are interrogated by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), although with help from lawyer Matt Murdock, all their charges are dropped.
After Peter, Michelle, and Ned's university applications to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are rejected due to recent controversy, Peter visits Stephen Strange at the Sanctum Sanctorum to cast a spell to make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. Despite Wong's warning of consequences, Stephen begins casting the spell anyway. During the casting of the spell, Peter damages it when he wants everyone who knew before Beck to still know, but Stephen manages to shut it down and exiles Peter out. Peter then goes to convince an MIT administrative to accept Michelle and Ned's applications. Suddenly, Peter is attacked by a man with mechanical tentacles, who rips out Peter's nanotechnology from his suit which bond with the man's tentacles, although allows Peter control over the man's tentacles. Just before a mysterious goblin figure can attack Peter also, Stephen teleports Peter and Octavius back to the Sanctum where the man is imprisoned and Stephen had captured a lizard creature.
Stephen explains to Peter that the spell summoned visitors from other parts of the multiverse who know Spider-Man's identity, and orders Peter, Michelle, and Ned to capture the remaining visitors. The man introduces himself as Dr. Otto Octavius and identifies the goblin figure as Dr. Norman Osborn, a deceased scientist from his universe. After the trio find and capture Flint Marko and Max Dillon, May contacts Peter and discovers Norman is at May's F.E.A.S.T. shelter and brings Norman back to the Sanctum. While Norman and Otto reunite, Max realizes the lizard as Dr. Curt Connors from his universe, and Flint recalls that Otto and Norman died fighting their Spider-Man as did Max, and were all bought into this universe moments before their deaths while Curt and Flint were bought in as they know their Spider-Man's identity.
Stephen returns back to the Sanctum with a device known as the Machina de Kadavus which sends the visitors back to their respective universes to die, although, Peter is reluctant and wants to help cure them, leading to a fight between Peter and Stephen. Stephen takes the battle to the Mirror Dimension in which Peter manages to overpower Stephen using math and imprison him there, returning back to the Sanctum with his sling ring that he gives to Ned. Following the battle, Peter takes the visitors to Happy Hogan's apartment where Peter works with Norman to create the cures. After Peter successfully cures Otto, Norman's Green Goblin persona takes over and engages Peter in a battle, that results in May's death while the others flee.
Using the sling ring that was given to him, Ned creates a portal while attempting to find Peter, however, the portals instead locate two alternate versions of Peter Parker, who help Michelle and Ned find their Peter and comfort him after learning of May's death. The three Peters finish the cures and lure the visitors at the Statue of Liberty. The three Peters plan a coordinative attack, taking down Flint first. Otto then arrives to help cure Max, while Curt is also cured. Norman then arrives as an enraged Peter almost kills him but Norman's Peter arrives to stop him, and Peter cures Norman.
When the multiverse begins to tear open, Peter realizes that the only way to stop it is that Stephen casts a spell to make everyone in his universe forget Peter is Spider-Man. Stephen does so and the Peters and other visitors, including a universe-displaced Eddie Brock who unknowingly leaves a drop of his Venom symbiote behind, return to their respective universes. Peter bids farewell to Michelle and Ned and promises he would find them afterwards. In the aftermath, Peter visits Michelle and Ned but decides not to reveal their past life. Peter then visits May's grave where he sees Happy and is inspired on to move forward without his identity, making a new suit, and resuming his career as Spider-Man.
Casting
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:A teenager and Avenger who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. The film explores the fallout of Spider-Man: Far From Home's (2019) mid-credits scene, in which Parker's identity as Spider-Man is exposed, and Parker is more pessimistic in contrast to previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. Holland said Parker feels defeated and insecure and was excited to explore the darker side of the character. The adjustment back to portraying Parker, including raising his voice pitch and returning to the mindset of a "naïve, charming teenager", was strange for Holland after taking on more mature roles such as in Cherry (2021).
- Zendaya as Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson:
Parker's classmate and girlfriend. The character's full name is revealed in the film, having previously just been known as Michelle Jones, bringing her closer to the comics counterpart Mary Jane Watson.
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange:A neurosurgeon who became a Master of the Mystic Arts following a career-ending car accident. Holland felt Strange was not a mentor to Parker, unlike Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), but instead saw them as "colleagues" and noted their relationship breaks down throughout the course of the film. Cumberbatch felt there was a close relationship between Strange and Parker because both are "neighborhood superheroes" with a shared history.
- Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds: Parker's best friend. Batalon lost 102 pounds (46 kg) for his role in this film.Jon Favreau as Harold "Happy" Hogan: The head of security for Stark Industries and former driver and bodyguard of Tony Stark, who looks after Parker.
- Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon / Electro:An Oscorp electrical engineer from an alternate reality who gained electric powers after an accident involving genetically-modified electric eels. Foxx reprises his role from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). The character was redesigned for No Way Home, foregoing his original blue Ultimate Marvel-based design in favor of a more yellow one similar to his mainstream comic appearance.
- Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin:A scientist and the CEO of Oscorp from an alternate reality who tested an unstable strength enhancer on himself and developed an insane alternate personality while using advanced Oscorp armor and equipment. Dafoe reprises his role from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Dafoe felt Green Goblin was "further down the line" with "a few more tricks up sleeves" compared to his portrayal in Spider-Man (2002). The character also obtains upgrades to his costume to make him more closely resemble his comic book counterpart.
- Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus:A scientist from an alternate reality with four artificially intelligent mechanical tentacles fused to his body after an accident. Molina reprises his role from Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (2004). with this film continuing from the character's story prior to his death in that film. Molina was surprised by this approach because he had aged in the years since he made that film and no longer had the same physicality; digital de-aging was used to make him look physically the same as in Spider-Man 2. The mechanical tentacles were created completely through CGI, rather than a blend of puppetry and CGI as in Spider-Man 2.
- Benedict Wong as Wong:
Strange's mentor and friend who became the new Sorcerer Supreme during Strange's absence in the Blip.
- Tony Revolori as Eugene "Flash" Thompson: Parker's classmate and former rival.
- Marisa Tomei as May Parker: Parker's aunt.
- Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:An alternate version of Parker who is haunted by his failure to save his deceased girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. Garfield reprises his role from Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films. The other Spider-Men refer to him as "Peter-Three".
- Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man: An alternate version of Parker who utilizes organic webbing. Maguire reprises his role from Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. The other Spider-Men refer to him as "Peter-Two".
Additionally, Rhys Ifans reprises his role as Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard, an Oscorp scientist from an alternate reality who attempted to engineer a regeneration serum to help regrow limbs and human tissue, but transformed into a large reptilian monster, from Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), while Thomas Haden Church reprises his role as Flint Marko / Sandman, a small-time crook from an alternate reality who received sand-like abilities following an accident, from Raimi's Spider-Man 3 (2007). Tom Hardy appears uncredited in the mid-credits scene as Eddie Brock / Venom, reprising his role from Sony's Spider-Man Universe.
Reprising their roles from previous MCU Spider-Man films are Angourie Rice as Betty Brant, Parker's classmate and Leeds' ex-girlfriend; Hannibal Buress as Coach Wilson, Midtown School of Science and Technology's gym teacher; Martin Starr as Roger Harrington, Parker's academic decathlon teacher; J. B. Smoove as Julius Dell, Parker's teacher; and J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, the host of TheDailyBugle.net. Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock from Marvel Television's Netflix series, while Jake Gyllenhaal appears as Quentin Beck / Mysterio via archive footage from Far From Home. Paula Newsome, Arian Moayed, and Cristo Fernández appear as an MIT administrator, DODC Agent Cleary, and a bartender serving Brock, respectively. Holland's brother Harry was set to make a cameo appearance as a drug dealer, after doing the same in Cherry, but his scenes were not in the theatrical release. Lexi Rabe, who portrayed Tony Stark's daughter Morgan in Avengers: Endgame (2019), also had an appearance that was not included in the theatrical release.
During production on Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), two sequels were being planned by Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. In June 2017, star Tom Holland said the third film would take place during Peter Parker / Spider-Man's senior year of high school. In July 2019, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said the third film would feature "a Peter Parker story that has never been done before on film" due to the ending of the second film, Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), which publicly revealed that Parker is Spider-Man. Homecoming and Far From Home director Jon Watts expressed interest in Kraven the Hunter being the main antagonist of the third film, having pitched Holland on the idea.
By August 2019, development on two new Spider-Man films had begun with Sony hoping Watts and Holland would return for both; Holland was contracted to return for one more film, while Watts had completed his two-film deal and would need to sign on for any more films. By then, Marvel Studios and its parent company The Walt Disney Studios had spent several months discussing expanding their deal with Sony. The existing deal had Marvel and Feige produce the Spider-Man films for Sony and receive 5% of their revenue. Sony wanted to expand the deal to include more films than had initially been agreed on while keeping the same terms of the original agreement. Disney expressed concern with Feige's workload producing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise already and asked for a 25–50% stake in any future films Feige produced for Sony. Unable to come to an agreement, Sony announced that it would be moving forward on the next Spider-Man film without Feige or Marvel's involvement. Their statement acknowledged that this could change in the future, thanked Feige for his work on the first two films, and said they appreciated "the path [Feige] has helped put us on, which we will continue."
Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers were writing the screenplay for the third film by the time of Sony's announcement, after also doing so for Far From Home, but Watts was receiving offers to direct large films for other studios instead of returning to the franchise, including potentially working on a different property for Marvel Studios and Feige. In September, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Tony Vinciquerra said that "for the moment the door is closed" on Spider-Man returning to the MCU, and confirmed that the character would be integrated with Sony's own shared universe—Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU)—moving forward. Responding to backlash from fans following the announcement, Vinciquerra added that "the Marvel people are terrific people, we have great respect for them, but on the other hand we have some pretty terrific people of our own. [Feige] didn't do all the work ... we're pretty capable of doing what we have to do here." However, after this fan reaction continued at Disney's biennial convention D23, and at the urging of Holland who personally spoke to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman, the companies returned to negotiations.
Sony and Disney announced a new agreement at the end of September 2019 which would allow Marvel Studios and Feige to produce another Spider-Man film for Sony with Amy Pascal, scheduled for July 16, 2021, keeping the character in the MCU. Disney was reported to be co-financing 25% of the film in exchange for 25% of the film's profits, while retaining the merchandising rights to the character. The agreement also allowed Holland's Spider-Man to appear in a future Marvel Studios film. Feige stated, "I am thrilled that Spidey's journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it." He added that moving forward the MCU's Spider-Man would be able to "cross cinematic universes" and appear in Sony's own shared universe as well. This interaction was said to be "a 'call and answer' between the two franchises as they acknowledge details between the two in what would loosely be described as a shared detailed universe". Sony described their previous films with Marvel Studios as a "great collaboration", and said "our mutual desire to continue was equal to that of the many fans." At the time of the new agreement, Watts was in final negotiations to direct the film.
Discussing the new deal in October, Iger attributed it to the efforts of Holland as well as the fan response to the end of the original deal, saying, "I felt for [Holland], and it was clear the fans wanted this to happen." He added that while negotiating the deal both Sony and Disney had forgotten "there are other people who actually matter." Rothman added that he felt the deal was a "win-win-win. A win for Sony, a win for Disney, a win for the fans." Speaking back to the August reports of the negotiating breaking down, Rothman said that revelations in the media of discussions such as the negotiations do not necessarily line up with the actual discussions taking place, and he felt that the final deal would have eventuated without the reports and fan discourse, saying, "We would have gotten there, and the news got ahead of some things." Also in October, Zendaya was confirmed to be reprising her role as MJ from the previous films in the sequel. By the end of the year, filming was expected to begin in mid-2020.
In April 2020, Sony rescheduled No Way Home's release date to November 5, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the film was originally meant to be set after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), aspects of the plot were rewritten after the release date of the latter film was delayed. In June, Marisa Tomei confirmed she would return as May Parker along with Watts as director. She was hopeful that May's work as a community organizer would be featured in the film. The next month, Holland said production was planned to take place from late 2020 to February 2021, and Sony shifted the film's release date to December 17, 2021. Tony Revolori was also confirmed to be reprising his role as Flash Thompson.
In early October, Jacob Batalon and Benedict Cumberbatch were set to reprise their MCU roles of Ned Leeds and Dr. Stephen Strange, while Jamie Foxx was set to return as Max Dillon / Electro from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), with filming beginning later in the month. Graeme McMillan from The Hollywood Reporter felt that Strange's inclusion was not a coincidence considering the character's connection to the multiverse and the casting of past Spider-Man film actors like Foxx. Immediately prior to the beginning of filming, several other key actors in the film had yet to sign on. According to Holland, the film needed "all or none" of the actors in order to be produced.
Second unit filming occurred from October 14 to 16, 2020 in New York City, under the working title Serenity Now, to capture visual effects plates and establishing shots. Filming occurred in the Astoria, Sunnyside, and Long Island City neighborhoods in Queens. On October 23, filming occurred in Greenwich Village in Manhattan.
The production moved to Atlanta by October 25, with Holland, Batalon, and Zendaya joining for principal photography, after Holland finished shooting Sony's Uncharted (2022) two days earlier. Mauro Fiore served as cinematographer on the film, replacing original cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, who had to leave the production after contracting COVID-19. McGarvey also had a conflict with the film Cyrano (2021) following No Way Home's pandemic-caused production delay, with principal photography originally planned to start in July 2020. Shooting in Atlanta occurred at Trilith Studios, with strict safety measures in place on the soundstages to prevent exposure to COVID-19. To reduce interactions between cast and crew members on set during the pandemic and prevent further shut downs, the production reportedly relied on "innovative new technology" that scanned actors into a visual effects system that can apply make-up and costumes to actors during post-production. A light system was also in-place to signal when the cast could take off their masks for filming and when masks would be required for the cast and crew members to wear while set work was being done. Cumberbatch began shooting his scenes in Atlanta by late November, before beginning work on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which began filming that month in London. Filming ran for seven-to-eight weeks using the working titles Serenity Now and The November Project, before a break during the Christmas season.
By December 2020, Alfred Molina was set to reprise his role as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (2004). By then, Collider reported that Andrew Garfield would return as his Peter Parker / Spider-Man from Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films along with Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson from Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy, and that Tobey Maguire was in talks to return as his Peter Parker / Spider-Man from the latter films and Emma Stone was also expected to return as Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spider-Man films. Discussing the return of actors from previous Spider-Man iterations, Newby felt a crossover-style film could "lessen the impact" of Sony's successful animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). McMillan compared the "Spider-Verse" to the DC Comics comic event Crisis on Infinite Earths, saying "a multiversal storyline offers Marvel the opportunity to clean up some loose ends while setting up the future of its cinematic universe, and fulfill some fan dreams in the process". He felt it was possible for other Spider-Men to cameo in the film, including characters from Into the Spider-Verse, actor Nicholas Hammond from the 1970s television series, or Takuya Yamashiro, the Toei Spider-Man. McMillan also referenced the contract negotiations between Marvel and Sony when he suggested that the film could be used to separate Spider-Man from the MCU. /Film's Hoai-Tran Bui feared the film was becoming "seriously over-crowded" and wished that Holland could "hold his own without a bigger A-list star showing him the ropes", but was not opposed to having "some good old banter between Holland, Garfield, and Maguire", while Adam B. Vary of Variety noted these reports were not confirmed and raised uncertainty if the actors would appear outside of cameos. Shortly after, Holland denied that Maguire and Garfield would appear in the film to his knowledge, while Feige confirmed the film would have connections with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Many of the actors returning from previous Spider-Man films were brought to set in cloaks in order to help prevent their involvements in the films from leaking.
Feige acknowledged in January 2021 that the film was being referred to by some as Spider-Man 3, and said that Marvel was internally referring to it as Homecoming 3 though that was not its actual title. By then, Charlie Cox, who portrayed Matt Murdock / Daredevil in Marvel Television's Netflix series, had shot material for the film, while an Atlanta set photo indicated the film would occur during the Christmas season. Filming occurred at Frederick Douglass High School from January 22 to 24. The next month, Holland described it as "the most ambitious standalone superhero" film, and denied the rumors that Maguire and Garfield would appear in the film. At the end of February 2021, the film's title was revealed to be Spider-Man: No Way Home, continuing the naming convention of the past two films of featuring "home" in the title. Filming took place at Midtown High School from March 19 to 21. The Atlanta Public Schools system had stopped allowing buildings in the district for use as filming locations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but gave this film an exception since both the Frederick Douglass and Midtown schools were previously used as filming locations in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Hannibal Buress was revealed to reprise his role as gym teacher Coach Wilson by then, with Buress releasing a music video in August 2021 revealing he had filmed scenes in Atlanta. Holland believed No Way Home had "more visceral" fight sequences than the previous two films, as well as more hand-to-hand combat. Filming wrapped on March 26, 2021. Filming was also expected to occur in Los Angeles and Iceland.
In May 2020, Sony entered a promotional partnership with Hyundai Motor Group to showcase their new models and technologies in the film. Hyundai released a commercial in November 2021, titled "Only Way Home", promoting the film and the Ioniq 5 electric-powered SUV, starring Holland and Batalon, with Watts directing. The Ioniq 5 and Hyundai Tucson are featured in the film. In late February 2021, Holland, Batalon, and Zendaya released three stills featuring their characters from the film alongside fake logos with the titles Spider-Man: Phone Home, Spider-Man: Home-Wrecker, and Spider-Man: Home Slice, respectively. The film's official title was announced the next day with a video showing Holland, Batalon, and Zendaya leaving Watts' office (where they supposedly received the fake titles). Batalon and Zendaya note that Holland could not be trusted with the actual title since he had "accidentally" revealed the second film's title. The video ends on a whiteboard showing the film's true title, among various other titles featuring the word "home" that were apparently considered. Jennifer Bisset of CNET suggested the fake titles and logos could represent the villains in the film, including Foxx's Electro and Molina's Doctor Octopus, while TheWrap's Umberto Gonzalez called them funny "bait-and-switch fakes", and noted the Phone Home title referenced a line from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Gregory Lawrence of Collider felt the Home-Wrecker title could point to the film feeling like a 1990s thriller film, and said the fake titles were a "solid goof" to excite fans. He also compared the stills to the "terrifying/awe-inspiring wonder" of Steven Spielberg films and The Goonies (1985), while Germain Lussier from io9 said they gave off "subtle National Treasure, Indiana Jones vibes". In July 2021, Marvel revealed various toys and figurines for the film, including Funko Pops, Marvel Legends figures, and Lego sets.
By the end of August 2021, when asked about the lack of trailer and official images or descriptions for the film, Feige believed the film was not being "any more or less secret than any of our other projects" and reaffirmed that a trailer would be released before the film's premiere in theaters. Though Sony handles the marketing for the film, their marketing team is in coordination with Disney's to ensure each knows when the other is releasing MCU-related content so it is a "win-win for everybody". On August 22, an apparent leak of the first trailer was shared on social media, which The Hollywood Reporter deemed "legitimate", with Sony working to have various copies of the trailer taken down. Adam Chitwood at Collider noted the built up online "fervor" surrounding the trailer, and felt regardless of when it was released and what was shown, it would not "live up to the hype fans have built up in their minds". Chitwood continued that the other 2021 film releases from Marvel Studios had not seen a similar level of demand as No Way Home, pointing out that all of the rumored castings had positioned the film to be "a once-in-a-lifetime moviegoing experience" if they were accurate. As well, he wondered if Sony was wary of committing marketing that noted the film's December 2021 release date amid the resurgence of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
The teaser trailer was officially released on August 23 during Sony's CinemaCon 2021 panel. Entertainment Weekly's Devan Coggan noted the trailer confirmed the multiverse's role in the film, including elements from the Raimi and Webb films, while Ethan Anderton from /Film called the trailer "nothing short of thrilling" since it confirmed many of the previous rumors about the film. Austen Goslin at Polygon conversely felt much of what had been rumored did not get revealed in the trailer, feeling then that the rumors were false or Marvel was still intending to keep them a secret. Anderton's colleague Joshua Meyer called the trailer "a doozy... packed with jaw-dropping moments" and noted how the film would be adapting the "One More Day" comic book storyline; Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter had previously noted the apparent adaption of "One More Day" and "One Moment in Time" storylines following the reveal of Cumberbatch's casting. Many commentators noted the possible teases of Spider-Man villains Sandman and the Lizard in the trailer as an indication of the Sinister Six forming in the film. Vinnie Mancuso at Collider was excited to see the return of Molina and the potential for Dafoe's involvement, but called it a "cheap pop" since it was doing "a disservice to the stories you're trying to tell in the present by reminding the audience how much better things used to be". He also felt the trailer played into "Marvel's ongoing reluctance to let Tom Holland's Spider-Man star in his own Spider-Man movies" since the trailer gave Parker "zero memorable moments" amongst all of its elements. The trailer had 355.5 million global views in its first 24 hours, becoming the most viewed trailer in that time period, surpassing the record of Avengers: Endgame (2019) (289 million views) and more than double the views for the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer (135 million). It also generated the largest 24-hour social media conversation volume of all-time globally with 4.5 million mentions, made up of 2.91 million in the United States, and 1.5 million internationally; these both exceeded Avengers: Endgame's mentions (1.94 million in the United States, 1.38 million internationally).
The second official trailer premiered at a fan screening at the Regal Sherman Oaks theater in Los Angeles on November 16, 2021. Goslin felt that the trailer "reveals the full extent of Marvel's Spider-Man multiverse", while his colleague Matt Patches noted the missing appearance of Maguire's or Garfield's Spider-Man in the trailer but felt that it was "entirely possible the actors appear in No Way Home". Jason Robbins of Collider was disappointed by the trailer, saying it was "what we expected, but less", since there were no confirmation of Maguire or Garfield or "further insight into the multiverse; just straight-up villains from other Spider-Man incarnation movies that we expected to see". Some commentators said parts of the trailer appeared as though Maguire and Garfield had been edited out of the footage, such as a shot in which the Lizard appears to be struck by an invisible force. On November 24, 2021, Sony began releasing several videos on TikTok for TheDailyBugle.net featuring Simmons and Rice. In December 2021, the one-minute opening scene of the film premiered exclusively on Late Night with Seth Meyers, while a newsstand for The Daily Bugle was set up in New York City in partnership with Liberty Mutual to promote the film. Other marketing partners include the video games Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, which featured special in-game Spider-Man themed props and costumes, Asus, whose Republic of Gamers (ROG) laptop is used by Ned in the film, Xiaomi, imoo, Continental AG, and Tampico Beverages. All in all, the film had a total promotional marketing value of $202 million.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 94%, with an average score of 7.9/10, based on 299 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "A bigger, bolder Spider-Man sequel, No Way Home expands the franchise's scope and stakes without losing sight of its humor and heart." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 57 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade on an A+ to F scale, the first live-action Spider-Man film and the fourth MCU film overall to earn the score after The Avengers (2012), Black Panther (2018), and Avengers: Endgame. PostTrak reported 95% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 89% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Amelia Emberwing of IGN gave the film 8 out of 10, stating that its "impact on the universe as a whole, as well as the overall emotional beats, all feel earned" while praising the performances of Dafoe, Molina, and Foxx. Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood praised Watts' direction and wrote, "Holland, Zendaya, and Batalon are a priceless trio, and the various villains and 'others' who pop in and out make this pure movie fun of the highest order. Fans will be in heaven". Peter Debruge of Variety praised Garfield's and Maguire's performances and felt the film "provides enough resolution for the past two decades of Spider-Man adventures that audiences who've tuned out along the way will be rewarded for giving this one a shot". Writing for Den of Geek, Don Kaye gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, praising the cinematography, action sequences, and performances and chemistry of the cast, stating that "No Way Home channels the entire spectrum of Spider-Man movies while setting the character on a course all his own at last". Jennifer Bisset of CNET praised the action sequences, performances, cinematography, and dialogue, writing: "A Russo Brothers influence can almost be felt ushering Holland's third Spider-Man movie into new, weightier territory. If the character is to become the next Tony Stark, this is the way to etch a few more scars into a more interesting hero's facade. If you came for the biggest movie of the year, you'll definitely leave satisfied".
Kevin Maher of The Times gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, saying that it was "As satisfying to watch as it is perilous to discuss", and described it as "a dynamite blast of smarty-pants postmodernism that never once abandons its emotional core." Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, praising Watts for "bringing back numerous baddies from the previous Spider-Man universes, delivering a propulsive, slickly choreographed adventure that will appease a broad fanbase this Christmas" but feeling that the script "lacks the expected fizz, that sense of shaggy fun struggling to break through a more robotic plot". Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "B–", feeling that Watts' work was "satisfying, emotional, and occasionally unsteady". She found that the script spent "far too long dwelling on the machinations of people and plans we already know, throwing in some awkward misdirection and simply delaying the inevitable". The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore felt that the inclusion of "multiversal mayhem" addressed the "Iron Man-ification of the character" that made Holland-centric films "least fun".
CNN's Brian Lowry praised the humor and wrote, "What's already apparent, though, is that this movie was conceived to be savored and enjoyed. And in what has become an increasingly elusive phenomenon, that will include whoops and hollers from appreciative fans in theaters, where "Spider-Man" will first reveal its secrets, and then, more than likely, shows off its legs." Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 and praised the performances of Holland and Zendaya, writing: "There's nothing new or particularly memorable about the serviceable CGI and practical effects, but we remain invested in the outcome in large part because Holland remains the best of the cinematic Spider-Men, while Zendaya lends heart and smarts and warmth to every moment she's onscreen. We continue to root for these two to make it, even if the multi-verse isn't always on their side." In contrast, Bilge Ebiri of Vulture called the film "aggressively mediocre," but praised Dafoe – whom he said "once again gets to have some modest fun with his character’s divided self" – and Garfield, calling him a "genuine delight" and naming his the film's best performance.
By August 2019, a fourth film in the franchise was in development alongside No Way Home. In February 2021, Holland said that while No Way Home was the final film under his contract with Marvel and Sony, he hoped to continue playing Spider-Man in the future if asked. That July, Zendaya said she was unaware if another Spider-Man film would be made. In October, Holland said that No Way Home was treated as "the end of a franchise" that began with Spider-Man: Homecoming, and that any additional solo films featuring the MCU Spider-Man characters would be different from this trilogy of films, building "something different" with a tonal change, in part due to Parker being stripped of his real-world identity at the end of No Way Home.
The following month, Holland said that he was unsure if he should continue making Spider-Man films, that he is hoping for a film to be focused on Miles Morales instead of Parker, and that continuing to play the character in his thirties may have been a sign that he had "done something wrong". Despite this, Pascal stated that she hopes to continue working with Holland on future Spider-Man films and later clarified that Sony and Marvel Studios were intending to make at least three more Spider-Man films starring Holland, with Marvel and Sony getting ready to begin on the first of these films by the end of November 2021. However, The Hollywood Reporter noted that there were no official plans for a new trilogy, despite the strong working relationship between the studios. The following month, Feige said that he, Pascal, Disney, and Sony were "actively beginning to develop" the next Spider-Man story, assuring that there would not be any "separation trauma" that occurred between Far From Home and No Way Home.
