'Spider-Man: No Way Home': Who are the villains? Is Strange OK?

Zendaya and Tom Holland as Spider-Man jump off a bridge in a scene from "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

By Tracy BrownStaff Writer

Nov. 10, 2021 9 AM PT

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, how will you ever get out of this jam?

Picking up after the events of 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” the friendly neighborhood hero’s next adventure will see him facing the repercussions of not only having his secret identity revealed to the public, but also being falsely accused of killing Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Directed by Jon Watts, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” out Dec. 17, reportedly marks the end of a trilogy that launched with 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” — which reintroduced Peter Parker (Tom Holland) trying to juggle high school with his secret life as a web-slinging crime-fighter. In a recent interview with Empire, Watts has even described the film as “Spider-Man: Endgame.”

Although not much has been officially revealed about the highly anticipated installment, “No Way Home” is expected to showcase the multiversal might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We do know that Peter turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for a way out of his current predicament, but unfortunately, things don’t go quite as planned. Amid the fallout, Peter will have to face a number of fan-favorite foes from across Sony’s various “Spider-Man” franchises — adventure befitting the only superhero that can cross freely between the MCU and Sony’s Spider-Man universe.

Here are a few of the biggest questions we have about “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Will Venom make an appearance?

Tom Hardy in “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”

One of the biggest surprises in October’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” comes during the film’s mid-credits scene. As Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom are enjoying their island getaway together, something happens, and suddenly the television is tuned to a broadcast of the Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) revealing the identity of Spider-Man. This means that, at least from that moment, Eddie and Venom are within the same cinematic universe as “No Way Home.”

As if that franchise-hopping move isn’t enough, Venom also implies his familiarity with Spider-Man. All of this happens after the symbiote explains to Eddie that his consciousness is connected to a multiversal alien hivemind. Could this Venom be linked to the Venom from “Spider-Man 3”? Would that make Venom a Nexus being?

And since this Eddie and Venom are now in Peter Parker’s neighborhood, could they show up in “No Way Home”?

Exactly how many villains will Peter Parker face?

“No Way Home” will definitely see the return of villains from Sony’s previous “Spider-Man” franchises including Doc Ock, played once again by “Spider-Man 2” (2004) actor Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx’s Electro, from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014). And it seems Peter Parker will also face Green Goblin, though no actor has yet been officially confirmed for the role (the character was played by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy).

That’s already three villains from the Spider-Man rogues’ gallery. But could there be more?

There are plenty of (wishful) rumors swirling around other possible appearances, including a return of Rhys Ifans’ Lizard from “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman from “Spider-Man 3” (2007).

Tom Holland stars as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures' SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME.

And those are just from previous “Spider-Man” franchises. Could MCU Spidey foes such as “Homecoming’s” Vulture (Michael Keaton) or “Far From Home’s” Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) be possible factors? And, again, what about Venom?

It all might seem like too many villains for one adventure, but in the comics, Spider-Man has faced off against a group that teamed up against him called the Sinister Six. Originally led by Doc Ock, members of the various incarnations have included Electro, Mysterio, Vulture, Sandman, Lizard ... and even Venom.

Seriously, is Doctor Strange OK?

One of the few things known about the plot of “No Way Home” is that in the midst of his crisis, Peter turns to the Sorcerer Supreme for help. Doctor Strange, against the recommendations of Wong (Benedict Wong), agrees to cast some sort of intricate spell for Peter to make the world forget he is Spider-Man, but things appear to go a bit awry.

It’s not necessarily out of character for Doctor Stephen Strange to believe that he is capable of pulling off some miraculous feat, or that he knows better than his advisors. But so far the glimpses of Strange and his Sanctum Sanctorum raise a couple of flags.

In teaser footage, it appears the Sanctum is covered in snow. Doctor Strange is even shown wearing a comfy-looking sweatshirt under his cloak. What happened? Is this just routine seasonal weather in the Sanctum or is there something else going on? Did Wong leave him? Considering other teaser footage where it is unclear whether Doctor Strange is fighting with or against Spider-Man, you can’t help but wonder how everything could lead into the next MCU film: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (due in May 2022).

Will there be other Spideys?

There has been no official indication that any other Peter Parkers or Spider-Men will appear in “No Way Home.” But the multiverse has burst open following the events of this summer’s Disney+ series “Loki” and the villains from other “Spider-Man” movies are definitely crossing planes to make their way into the MCU.

Is it that much of a stretch to believe the rumors that the Peter Parkers played by Toby Maguire in Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy and Andrew Garfield in Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” films — or other variants — could make an appearance too?

What timeline is this movie even set in?

One of the repercussions of a Marvel cinematic multiverse being in play is that it is not unreasonable to wonder which timeline or corner of the multiverse any given story is taking place in. Sure, it seems like “No Way Home” picks up right after the events of “Far From Home,” but when is it taking place in comparison with the events of “Loki” — where much of the story was outside of the normal flow of time?

And while we’re at it: Will Zendaya be in the movie for more than seven minutes?

Some Zendaya fans were disappointed to discover that despite her prominence in the “Dune” promotional cycle (as well as being one of the top-billed cast members), she only appeared in seven minutes of the two-hour, 35 minute space adventure. Will MJ’s “No Way Home” screen time fare any better, considering the film appears to be packed with other characters?