Spider-Man: No Way Home is a rollercoaster ride of emotions ranging from excitement, to surprise, to excitement, showing off menacing villains, hilarity, excitement, heart wrenching sadness, full circle fan contentment, and more excitement…yet with the returns of Spidey-movies alumni, people might forget that this love letter to Spider-Man fans also brings us back to the core of who Spider-Man is as a character.
Spider-Man: No Way Home brings Tom Holland’s MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Spider-Man back to being core Spidey, eliminating the complaints some fans have had with the MCU’s Iron Man-babysat Parker, back to showing that he is just a good kid on his own trying to do what’s right, acting out the balancing act of his “great power” to his “great responsibility,” on his own. Spider-Man: No Way Home is really about Holland’s Peter Parker coming into his own on his own, but it also shows what it means to “Love thy neighbor.”
SPOILER WARNING!
In No Way Home, this allegory of doing what’s right because it’s right, even when you’re on your own, is put on steroids. We get to not only see, but hear his predecessors – Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman and Andrew Garfield’s “Amazing” Spiderman – speak about good and bad experiences of their respective Spider-Man characters’ arcs from decades past, about how the decisions of their actions “in the years a man changes to the man he becomes the rest of his life” (to borrow the phrase from Cliff Robertson as our first on-screen Uncle Ben in 2002) shaped their character off-screen in the years since we saw them last playing their roles.
Yet, even before Maguire and Garfields’ Spider-Men show up to mentor Holland’s Spidey towards the end of the movie (effectively taking over that Ben Parker role of mentor themselves), Holland’s Spider-Man shows his moral character even before they show up during his time of need.
This is where I gloss over the plot so it gives those who haven’t seen it a chance to see it (because even if you know the spoilers and all the fan theories, No Way Home is worth watching more than once). The movie starts right where Far From Home left off, with the outing of Peter Parker as Spider-Man by a video of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio acquired by the one and only J. Jonah Jameson of the MCU’s version of The Daily Bugle.
Keeping others safe
With his secret no longer secret and “the court of public opinion” on his heels, as a familiar shades-wearing lawyer put it, Parker watches as being associated with him becomes bad news for Aunt May, Happy Hogan, Ned Leeds and MJ, making them targets for retaliation for the alleged murder of PR-darling Mysterio and instant celebrity status, complete with everyday gawkers and possible paparazzi.
As Parker becomes ‘the most famous guy in the world,’ rather than leaning into his fame like Tony Stark or hiding in the shadows for retirement like Steve Rogers, Parker utilizes his other superhero connections, asking fellow Titan-planet blipper Dr. Strange to turn back time to fix the mess, not for his sake, but for the sake of those he loves.
“It’s not about me,” he says to Strange. “My aunt, Happy, my best friend, my girlfriend’s lives are all ruined and they did nothing wrong.”
Without the time stone Strange can’t fulfill his request, but Wong gives Strange the idea to alter the memories of the world to forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Admittedly Parker’s overthinking and wanting to share his secret with those closest to him make the spell a huge mess, which enabled the alternate universe villains to enter the MCU’s universe, but reversing Mysterio’s doing, I think, shouldn’t be something counted against his character since it’s more about keeping them safe and not ruining their futures than his own personal happiness.
In No Way Home, Holland’s Peter Parker goes against even those he looks up to and respects – namely Dr. Strange – to help the returning and universe-displaced villains of Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Electro, The Lizard and the Green Goblin. Peter looks beyond their scaly, multi-armed, or shocking outward appearances as ‘villains’ down into their humanity as people: Otto Octavius, Flint Marko, Max Dillon, Kurt Connors and Norman Osborn.
As Peter/Spidey comes across the villains, after meeting Norman playing the angle of lost and in need of help and a talk with Aunt May, Holland’s Spider-Man goes from the “not my problem” trying to return them to their own universes attitude, to “I need to try” to help them after he learns that most of them die while fighting other Spider-Men.
Even though technically those villains were not Holland’s Spider-Man’s villains, he knows they are ‘bad guys’ from other universes, yet he tries to help them anyway, even fighting off Dr. Strange to try to help them be cured of the different things that, respectively, ail them.
He brings them to his new home/safe house – AKA: the bachelor pad of Happy Hogan – without much hesitation. His focus is on helping them, not shutting them out.
Loving thy Neighbor
“You heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” – (Matthew 5:43-45)
Peter is able to fabricate a new chip to restore Dr. Octavius’ control of his robotic arms rather than their artificial intelligence controlling him, which completely improves his mood and helps his psyche. All the while Doc Oc was literally fighting or verbally arguing that he didn’t want help, treating him less than nice, yet Peter still helped him.
Being that they are villains, a fight ensues after his first success, and being that it’s a Spider-Man movie, tragedy concerning his moral compass has to happen for his character growth.
One of the things that makes Spider-Man (as a whole) so likeable, I’ve always thought, is that he is so relatable, and the aftermath is no exception. The death of Aunt May is akin to the death of his parents for the MCU’s Peter Parker, so it is only natural in our fallen human nature that he would want to seek revenge against the Goblin for it. I’m not excusing it, I’m just saying it’s understandable, and probably relatable for anyone who has ever had a tragedy take one of their loved ones.
Yet advice from his two new Uncle Bens, namely the two Spider-Men from alternate (Sony) universes, set him back on the right track. And I find it brilliant that the two alt-Spider-Men are the ones that not only guide him, but guide him to be better versions of themselves, talking about their own baggage, regrets, and where they went wrong in their own stories.
Even though he wanted to give up completely and still wanted to ‘tear the Green Goblin apart,’ he ultimately makes the right choices to cure the villains rather than kill them or send them back to their respective alt-universe timeline death sentences. Each Peter Parker shows that they are trying to do good despite their personal shortcomings.
The Spider-Men team up in the third act of No Way Home in ways that will be talked about for years to come, but the part that most people don’t talk about is that it shows who Spider-Man is at his core through his moral compass.
Holland’s Spider-Man shows what it means to “Love your enemies,” to paraphrase Jones-Watson and Spidey-Maguire (respectively), “because that’s who he is” and “That’s what we do.”
As Happy and Peter speak at May’s grave, it brings the feels back to Tobey’s Spider-Man days and the sacrifices he is willing to make for the greater good of others, in this case, the memory of Peter Parker in the MCU.
Spider-Man: No Way Home – though not perfectly – makes strides in illustrating what morality can be derived from modern superheroes. Look beyond the revenge, to the actions of what took place and you’ll see that Peter Parker truly chose to love his enemies, even when they injured him greatly.
Even with May gone, Peter still chooses to be his own man, a now fully adult Spider-Man, in her honor. He lives out what it is to love his enemies but also love thy neighbor, as May taught him.
His morals are strong, as if set in the same stone of May’s grave: “When you help someone, you help everyone.” That’s something, at least this Catholic gent, can get behind.
Roman T. Flores
Roman T. Flores is a freelance writer/reporter for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego's official newspaper, The Southern Cross, as well as a freelance music minister within the Diocese for 15 years. He is a former Entertainment reporter for the Imperial Valley Press, with his articles having also appeared in Valley Women Magazine, EWTN affiliate St. John Paul II Catholic Radio's website and assorted sports blogs. Roman strives to be an active member of an assortment of other ministries including the Knights of Columbus, El Carmelo Retreat House, SCRC Annual Conventions, and ecumenical internationally traveling music missionaries Jon Stemkoski's Celebrant Singers.