Hey! Hallie here!
I can’t say I’m surprised we have this trailer now! After it was leaked it was only a matter of time before they released the full thing officially. And with the major Sony event at CinemaCon occurring yesterday, it made sense we’d see this after it was screened there. I talked a little bit about this trailer in my last post, but I didn’t want to go too in depth. It was difficult to see what was going on because of how poor the footage was and I didn’t want to spoil anything for anyone due to the leak. But now it’s out and just about everyone has seen it! So let’s talk about this trailer and what it means for the MCU in the future!
‘No Way Home’ Trailer:
This trailer starts out with Peter and MJ spending time together on the roof of a building. From this scene we’re immediately hit with the repercussions of Peter’s secret identity being revealed at the end of the last movie. Not only is MJ reading a newspaper where they refer to Peter Parker by name, but the piece about him is already making crazy theories about what extra superpowers he may have. Weird. But at least we’re establishing MJ and Peter’s relationship right from the start. I love these two together and the trailer makes it seem like their relationship will definitely be important to the plot. In this beginning we also see some shots from the end of the last film, but all of these come together to get across a few major points. Peter’s being blamed for the death of Mysterio and he’s being harassed daily for hiding his identity. He expresses regret to MJ that he didn’t tell her his secret identity earlier, but aside from that he’s rightfully upset about his secret identity being revealed. Partly because it seems that those close to him, such as Ned and Aunt May, are also being taken into questioning because of the incident. So, as any super powered teen would do, he decides to go to a super powered adult to help him fix the problem. Enter Stephen Strange, who’s wearing a large jacket and a sweatshirt with the Cloak of Levitation. I love this combination so much. Also, the Sanctum Sanctorum is covered in snow for some reason. Stephen’s first order of business is to insist Peter stop calling him “sir”, which leads to an adorable interaction between the two where Peter calls him Stephen and Stephen decides it’s weird but acceptable. It’s probably the most wholesome Stephen Strange has ever been. Peter then asks Stephen to make it so that Mysterio never revealed his secret identity.
At this point Wong comes in to tell Stephen not to cast the spell. And, Stephen being Stephen, does it anyway. I’ve seen a few people complaining that this bit of the trailer seems out of character for Strange. But honestly, this is exactly the character we’ve seen established in the MCU so far. Stephen NEVER did what he was told while he was being trained by the ancient one. How else would he have gotten a hold of the Time Stone? Stephen stole books that were forbidden to him and his disregard for the rules was exactly the reason he didn’t get along with Mordo. Wong telling him not to do something and Strange going ahead with it anyway is basically their entire friendship. But anyway. Stephen casts the spell and Peter starts worrying about the fact that people like MJ, Aunt May, and Ned won’t remember he’s Spider-Man. Peter’s attempts to change the spell result in the whole thing going very wrong. When the dust settles, Strange and Peter have accidentally cracked open the Multiverse. At this point we get to see a whole bunch of Spider-Man/ Doctor Strange team-ups that look visually stunning. From the imagery of Spider-Man falling through a constantly shifting New York, to Doctor Strange shifting reality to move Spider-Man from a moving train, to Stephen forcing Peter’s astral form from his body. All of it’s intense. Meanwhile we hear Stephen criticizing Peter for living two different lives. We get to see the Iron Spider again, if you’re into that, as well as Happy Hogan looking very much like he’s in trouble. Also some lightning that is definitely a nod to Electro. And then the major hype moment in the trailer. We hear evil laughter as a green glowing bomb rolls into screen. Green Goblin, obviously. And with a final warning for Peter, a metallic tentacle buries itself in the concrete and pulls back to reveal Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. Yes please. It looks like we’re getting the Sinister Six in this movie and I can’t wait for it.
The Drawbacks:
This trailer looks amazing. But it doesn’t address any of my current worries when it comes to the next phase of the MCU. The Multiverse is a giant concept. In my opinion, it’s too big a concept. It feels like there’s no longer a solid reality in which the MCU is taking place. That will inevitably lead to a messy storyline. Especially because we’re tackling this idea of alternate realities and alternate characters from these realities while we’re also looking towards projects like ‘Secret Invasion’. ‘Secret Invasion’ and the continuity of Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau’s storylines will explore an already ginormous galaxy and the Skrulls, who can mimic any appearance at will. We’re coming to a point where we start asking questions like, is that really the character I know and love? Or is it a Variant? Or is it a Skrull pretending to be that character? Who knows at this point? That’s frightening to me. And with the sheer amount of characters we’re already seeing come into play, including ten new characters coming from ‘The Eternals’, it all seems like too much. I don’t want to criticize all of it before this next phase gets going, but I’m very concerned. I also feel like everyone needs to check some of their fan theories for ‘No Way Home’. I understand everyone wanted to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in this trailer. I also understand that it is by no means unlikely that they’re in this movie. But the people who are praising this movie specifically for two actors who aren’t even confirmed for it yet are acting a bit prematurely. Also, I saw a lot of really unfounded rumors that one of the shots in this trailer implies Venom’s involvement in the movie. As for this rumor, I sincerely doubt it. In other words, just make sure you’re not getting too excited about some rumors, everyone.
I usually finish posts like this by talking about how excited I am for the movie. And I am. I’m very excited for ‘No Way Home’. But all of the people begging for this trailer, and then talking about it nonstop on Twitter, buried ‘Shang-Chi’ and it’s over 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. ‘Shang-Chi’ is coming out NEXT WEEK. ‘No Way Home’ is exciting, but that excitement is small compared to what ‘Shang-Chi’ means to the entire Asian community. So, at least for now, please shift your focus onto ‘Shang-Chi’. There’s so much to be excited for there as well.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 