Spidey is back!
Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to release in theaters this December.
Fans are undoubtedly more excited than ever, as the film’s trailer accumulated an impressive 355.5 million views within the first 24 hours.
However, could this extensive fan excitement serve Spider-Man: No Way Home negatively?
Frankly, it could.
It’s been nearly three years since we’ve seen our favourite web slinger in his own solo movie.
We last left Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland in some hot water as his identity was revealed to the public along with the implication that Spider-Man is an anti-hero.
Spider-Man has always had a dedicated fan base, even when Peter Parker was strictly portrayed in 2-D. That die-hard fan base, mixed with the sheer anticipation this upcoming movie is accumulating, has caused elaborate fan theories to arise.
Some rather hopeful theories include the appearance of Spider-Man’s notorious villain group, The Sinister Six, in the film. There’s also the speculation that Peter Parker’s best friend, Ned Leeds will take on the role of Hobgoblin, another historic Marvel supervillain.
Yet, perhaps the most widespread theory regarding Spider-Man: No Way Home is the hope that previous Spider-Man actors, Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man Series) and Toby Maguire (Spider-Man Trilogy), will reprise their roles and appear alongside Holland in the movie.
This theory is not far-fetched at all. Marvel has been exploring the existence of the multiverse throughout their films, so essentially anything could happen — including the co-existence of three Spider-Men.
As amazing as having all three Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home would be, Marvel has yet to confirm any theories.
While director Jon Wattis, in an interview with Empire Magazine has only stated, “We’re trying to be ambitious … It’s Spider-Man: Endgame,” producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal have been quiet.
During an interview on The Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon slyly mentioned how photos have been circulating of Maguire and Garfield on the set of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Garfield replied with a swift, “I’m not sure about that.”
Even with rumors continually being denied, fans will not take no for an answer. Spidey’s fan base still believes all their No Way Home hopes and dreams will come true.
While fan theories are thoroughly thought out and completely plausible, it’s unlikely Marvel will meet everybody’s expectations.
Unfortunately, when expectations are not met, negative reviews, low scores and overall audience disenjoyment will occur. Much like the let down fans experienced following Marvel’s WandaVision series finale.
Similarly, fans had created extensive theories about the series finale of WandaVision, only to be upset when their expectations were not met. This caused bad reviews to arise following WandaVision’s trail of positive fan feedback.
If Garfield and Maguire don’t end up swinging across the theater screen, once eager fans will be returning home disappointed; and that is of no fault but their own.
Hopefully, fans will be able to let go of these theories in time for Peter Parker’s return on Dec. 17 and thoroughly enjoy the film for what it is.