Before diving into everything fans think WandaVision did wrong, it’s only fair to acknowledge everything the show did right. Now that Wanda is going to be one of the major heroes making a return during Marvel’s Phase 4, her character development and antihero arc in WandaVision set her up for true heroism and the chance to right her wrongs in future films, similar to other fan favorites Natasha Romanoff and Bucky Barnes.
The show itself wasn’t necessarily bad, but fans did a lot of theorizing before its release, so they were disappointed when WandaVision didn’t include any of these theories at all. One major letdown for some viewers was that the Fantastic Four and X-Men never showed up to aid Wanda with her grieving, and truly make themselves part of the MCU. Even though the series performed well and gained a lot of positive feedback, the biggest letdown was that there wasn’t too much of a “shock factor” in terms of dramatic reveals, or crazy plot twists. Living up to fan expectations can be hard to do after a MCU project has been in development for so long, and the Spider-Man: No Way Home film is facing the same obstacles.
There have already been some pretty intense fan theories about Peter Parker’s return to the big screen, most of which have included speculation about the inclusion of an alternate timeline. Marvel’s Phase 4 has focused a lot on the multiverse so far, and future projects like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness will continue to explore how heroes travel throughout alternate dimensions.
Just like fans wanted to see former Marvel characters make an appearance during WandaVision, there has been a lot of hopeful wishes that Spider-Man: No Way Home will herald the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker once again, to bring the Spider-Man movies a bit deeper into the MCU multiverse. Given that there has been a lot of emphasis placed on the multiverse in recent Marvel projects, it only makes sense that Peter Parker get his fill of all the different timelines, especially since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has already managed to establish that the Peter Parkers of the world are fully capable of running into each other.
Unfortunately, Andrew Garfield seems to have shut this rumor down and is laughing at fans who basked in the possibility of there being more than one Spider-Man in the MCU, even after the announcements made about former Spider-Man villains returning to the franchise for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Since Phase 4 is so focused on the multiverse, throwing in a film that has no connection to any of it would stand out amongst the rest, but not in a good way. The MCU has done a pretty good job of keeping all its projects cohesive, so there’s still hope that Spider-Man: No Way Home will have some time travel elements, even though some rumors have already been shut down.
Despite Garfield’s dismissal of these rumors, fans are still speculating about the inclusion of Tobey Maguire, or even a brand new Spider-Man, in the next installment. There has been no word from any of the other actors as to who is or is not going to be featured in the new film, so there’s still a possibility for previous web-slingers to make their way back into the spotlight. With that being said, a lot of fans are so adamant about there being multiple Peter Parkers in Spider-Man: No Way Home because of the theory that at least one Peter Parker is going to die.
Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man hasn’t been as devastating as preceding films, most likely because there has been a huge lack of emphasis on Peter’s parents and his Uncle Ben. Since Tom Holland’s Peter Parker never went through the stages of grief after losing his loved ones on-screen, his time in the MCU has been pretty peaceful.
Aside from Tony Stark dying in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel’s newest Spider-Man has yet to suffer through the reality of death and even managed to maintain a relatively positive outlook on the world after his mentor was gone. Killing off a character in Spider-Man: No Way Home would definitely add some more emotional depth to the franchise, and it’s very rare for a Marvel hero to make it through an entire series of solo films without someone they love dying.
Although it’s hard to pinpoint which direction Marvel plans to take Peter Parker in the next film, his chances of encountering outer space villains, or characters from a different universe, are still quite high. Given the amount of theorizing fans have done, the MCU will have to deliver an extremely compelling story in order to satiate all the crazy (but totally plausible) ideas that viewers have had while waiting for the film's release. For now, though, it’s safe to say that fans are both curious and a little disappointed about what Peter Parker has in store next.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released December 17, 2021.