Spider-Man: No Way Home was a stunning conclusion for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy and one of Marvel Studios' biggest hits ever!
The 2021 movie picks up immediately after the shocking cliffhanger to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is horrified when the late Mysterio manages to release a doctored video blaming Spidey for Mysterio's own crimes. It also has him revealing his true identity as Peter Parker. That has Peter briefly arrested.
Thankfully, with aid from Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Peter was exonerated from crimes but still dealing with everyone knowing who he was. That put pressure on him, MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon) and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Peter was convinced that MIT wouldn't accept him or his friends because of this and needed help.
Caution: This article contains obvious SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home
The Doctor's bad medicine
Peter Parker sought out Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to ask him to find a way to make everyone forget his identity. Strange agreed but during the spellcasting, Peter's interruptions to insist that some folks remember threw things off. This caused a break in the multiverse, bringing in anyone who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man from other worlds. Specifically those from the Sam Raimi trilogy of movies and the Marc Webb Amazing Spider-Man films.
Thus, Peter found himself clashing with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and the Lizard (Rhys Ifans). He worked with MJ and Ned to track them down for Strange but the villains - and the heroes - soon realized they'd been plucked from the moment just before their deaths.
Strange wanted to send them all back to their fates but Peter wanted to help them. He and Strange then fought, with Spider-Man managing to trap Strange in the mirror dimension, taking his "sling ring." He then offered to help "fix" the baddies, which seemed to work with Doctor Octopus.
Sadly, Norman's darker Goblin persona took over, and he launched an attack that culminated in Aunt May being mortally wounded. She gave Peter the iconic line of "with great power comes great responsibility," before dying in his arms, driving Peter into grief.
Enter the Spider-Men
At Ned's home, he and MJ wanted to help Peter, with Ned realizing he could make Strange's sling ring work. He tried to use this magic to "find Peter Parker."
And so, we got the moment that fans had long dreamed of but never thought would actually happen. Through two portals come two more Peter Parkers: Peter-3 (Andrew Garfield) and Peter-2 (Tobey Maguire), who briefly compete in firing webs at each other.
The pair find Peter and use their own experiences (Peter-3's loss of Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and both of their losses of their own Uncle Bens) to bond with him. They also bring up Uncle Ben's own "great power" line to inspire Peter to do what May would want and stop the villains. So we have all three Spider-Men finally teaming up (complete with acknowledging some memes).
The big battle
Peter uses J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) to draw the villains to the Statue of Liberty. The initial fight goes poorly, with MJ and Ned dragged into the action. The Spider-Men soon figure out how to work together and, one by one, are able to cure each of the villains, with Doctor Octopus giving them aid.
Strange returned just as the Green Goblin launched an attack that knocked MJ off the statue. Garfield's Peter-3 saved her, thus redeeming his failure to save Gwen. Peter attacks the Goblin, wanting to kill him until Maguire's Spidey stopped him - only to get stabbed by the Goblin himself. However, Garfield's Peter was able to cure Norman of his madness.
The skies started to darken with Strange warning Peter that the multiverse would break if they couldn't fix it. The only way to do it is to remake the spell and have everyone forget who Peter is. Peter bid farewell to MJ, Ned, and the other Peters before Strange casts the spell. The other Peters and their villains vanish back to their universes as the world is restored.
What happens to Peter?
With no one remembering him, Peter has to adjust to a new life. He visits Aunt May's grave for a talk with Happy Hogan. Peter is tempted to remind MJ and Ned who he is, but after seeing how happy they are together, he decides they're both better off not knowing his secret.
The main film ends with Peter at a small apartment, crafting a brand-new costume resembling his classic Spider-suit. The final shot has Spider-Man swinging across a snowy New York City, ready for his new time as a crime fighter.
With fans always wondering why the MCU's Spider-Man was constantly involved in larger-than-life missions, this was the franchise's way of showing us a Peter Parker ready to be more of a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, just like he is in the comics. How long it will last for, we don't know, but with nobody remembering who Peter Parker is, all that is left for him right now is Spider-Man.
Spider-Man's Venom post-credits scene, explained
Of course, there's a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home. At a small bar, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who was dragged into this world at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, is going over notes with his "Other" half. Just as they're figuring this world out, attempting to understand who and what Thanos was, they're pulled back into their own reality… with a piece of the alien symbiote left behind.
So the film ends with Spider-Man going "back to basics" with his own suit, struggling to make ends meet and ready to embark on a new life as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The stinger has a hint that a version of Venom may pop up in this reality down the road. And with a new Spider-Man trilogy to come next, anything is possible.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was a fantastic adventure that brought all the Spider-Man films together while expanding the multiverse and it remains one of the best MCU films ever.
Spider-Man: No Way Home available to rent or buy on Prime Video and Apple TV+.