Is "No Way Home" the most emotionally devastating "Spider-Man" film to date?
No doubt about it.
Keep watching for a rundown of the film's most emotional moments.
Major spoilers ahead!
Many fan theories about "Spider-Man: No Way Home" proved to be accurate, especially that
Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would appear.
From the time they arrive, Maguire and Garfield serve as mentors to Tom Holland's Peter Parker,
teaching him that they've also experienced immense losses.
Fortunately, they'll be by his side when it comes to fighting off the remaining villains
and curing them of their various ailments.
As expected, they save the day, but sadly it's at a high cost.
Holland's Spider-Man asks Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, to make the
universe forget about him.
That means everyone he's ever known will forget about his existence.
So, before Strange performs the spell, Peter Parker goes to say goodbye to those who helped
him, starting with the other Spider-Men.
It's a heart-wrenching moment because it's at this point we know it's quite possibly
the last time we'll see the three live-action Spider-Men share the screen.
There's always the chance they could return in a future installment, but that's far from
a sure thing at this point.
For now, it's just goodbye.
After months of speculation that all three of them would share the screen together, it
actually happened, and just as quickly as it was confirmed, it went away.
Losing Friends
Saying goodbye to the other Spider-Men is tough for audiences to watch, but what comes
next is far more devastating.
After all, the MCU's Peter Parker has only known these other heroes for a few hours.
Meanwhile, he's been friends with Ned for years, and dated MJ for a brief, but still
meaningful, period of time.
But, as a result of Doctor Strange's spell, his two best friends will ultimately forget
about him.
It's far more emotional than what Peter originally wanted to happen when he asked Strange for
help.
At the beginning of the film, Peter merely asks the sorcerer to make everyone forget
that he's Spider-Man.
He still could've been with MJ, but she wouldn't have known about his secret identity.
With this new spell, which is necessary to prevent forces from other dimensions from
entering their world, she has to forget about Peter entirely.
Peter hugs Ned goodbye and kisses MJ, knowing this is the last time they'll know about one
another.
He has to say goodbye to the best thing that happened to him in recent memory, and he struggles
to part with her.
Near the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," MJ insists that Peter find her after Doctor
Strange performs his spell.
Peter then goes to the coffee shop where she works, complete with a prepared speech about
his feelings for her.
Admittedly, it's a strange way to go about telling someone something monumental.
Peter's plan basically hinges on telling MJ, who doesn't recognize him at this point, that
he loves her.
We're betting that no amount of reminiscing would allow her to recall who Peter Parker
is, either.
However, it's how this scene unfolds that's genuinely gut-wrenching to witness.
Peter is prepared to tell MJ who he is, but he notices a wound on her forehead.
He doesn't say it, but we, as the audience, can tell what he is thinking.
He knows that if he tells MJ he's Spider-Man and continues dating her, he'll only put her
in more danger.
After all, she almost died when she fell off the side of the new Statue of Liberty.
Peter recognizes the best thing for MJ is not to know who he is, so he takes his coffee
and walks away.
It's a scene that embodies everything about the mythos of Spider-Man.
He frequently has to cast aside what he wants for himself and do what is good for the rest
of the world.
There's a significant moment more than halfway through "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
Tom Holland's Peter loses someone close to him, and as a result, he's hesitant to carry
on his mission of curing the villains before sending them back to their realities.
He talks about a person he loved who lost their life as a result of his actions, and
both Maguire and Garfield are there to tell him that he's not alone.
"I can't save everyone."
Holland's character tries to tell them they don't know what he's going through, but little
does he know, they have experienced all of the same things.
Garfield's Spider-Man tells the story of how he failed to catch Gwen Stacy during a climactic
battle, as seen at the end of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."
He then describes how his failure caused him to act more violently, to the point that he
barely recognized himself.
Macguire's Peter Parker then shares the story of his Uncle Ben's murder.
He recalls how he went down a path of revenge, tracking down the man responsible and killing
him.
To be Peter Parker is to have gone through unimaginable pain.
These heartbreaking stories give Holland's Spider-Man the courage necessary to continue
with his plan to save the villains rather than outright killing them.
The MCU "Spider-Man" films made the decision not to show the death of Uncle Ben on-screen.
It's alluded to at various points, leaving fans to believe that, in doing so, the franchise
would simply skip over Ben's whole, "With great power comes great responsibility" speech
right before his dramatic death.
This isn't necessarily the case, thanks to one pivotal Aunt May scene.
When the villains decide to ambush Tom Holland's Spider-Man, they really put him through the
wringer.
The fight concludes with the Green Goblin throwing one of his signature Pumpkin Bombs
at Peter and Aunt May.
Peter goes to make sure his aunt is all right.
When he tells her he wants to abandon the plan, Aunt May reminds him that, With great
power, there must also come great responsibility.
It's heartbreaking because the audience can guess what's going to happen next.
Aunt May's injuries are too severe, and she dies in Peter's arms.
He can't stay there to properly grieve because the police are on his tail, believing he's
the one responsible for all of the damage.
He runs into the night with his biggest supporter no longer there.
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