At long, long last, Spider-Man: No Way Home has made its debut in cinemas.

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Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony Pictures films in both the United States of America and the United Kingdom can now book tickets to see Spider-Man: No Way Home, with the film out in the UK and releasing on Friday 17th December in the US.

And there’s plenty to get excited about. The sequel film sees Tom Holland reprise his role as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, while we can also look forward to seeing returning cast members in the form of Dune star Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds.

The latest Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer also confirmed the return of classic villains Green Goblin and Doc Ock, but failed to highlight other potential cast members from previous Spider-Man incarnations returning.

Even before the multiversal madness of Disney Plus series Loki, it has been long-rumoured that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield could appear as their previous incarnations of Peter Parker.

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The latest clip of the film also shows a crossover with Hawkeye by showing a reference to the Steve Rogers musical.

Elsewhere, it had also long been suggested that Charlie Cox will return as Daredevil/Matt Murdock in the capacity of Peter's lawyer, marking the first crossover for the Netflix Marvel series into the big-screen MCU.

In fact, some thought they have already spotted him in the first trailer.

A brand new poster further teased the presence of the Sinister Six, which could include Electro and Sandman after it was already confirmed that Alfred Molina is returning as Doctor Octopus/Otto Octavius and Jamie Foxx is back as Electro/Max Dillon.

The second trailer now appears to have confirmed Dafoe's return - even if just as a voice.

If you want to keep their potential involvement, and anyone else's, a surprise, we recommend you look away now as there are further spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home's returning cast members ahead.

In the meantime, you can catch up with the Spider-Man films in order and as the trailer also revealed Doctor Strange will have a pretty impactful role in No Way Home, here's how to watch the Marvel movies in order if you fancy a marathon.

With Spider-Man: No Way Home already out in UK cinemas and coming to the US soon, why not check out the movie’s latest streaming information.

Or, if you’re happy to read spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home, why not check out our guide to No Way Home’s end credits scenes, or read about who dies in the MCU spectacular? (Again, full spoilers!)

Elsewhere, here is all you need to know about the other upcoming Marvel movies.

Read more: Marvel movies in order

Spider-Man No Way Home UK release date

Spider-Man: No Way Home was released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 15th December 2021.

This release date was two days earlier than was previously announced and two days earlier than the US release date on 17th December 2021.

The film was previously due for release in July this year before being moved to 5th November and then again to December, with the last change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While COVID-19 has wreaked on virtually every aspect of modern life, it has also affected the entire Marvel phase four release schedule, but this is one Marvel Cinematic Universe film that has been released as planned.

Production wrapped and seemed to go relatively smoothly, barring a minor knee injury suffered by Tom Holland which required him to take a few days off to rest (via Den of Geek).

Spider-Man: No Way Home is unlikely to arrive on Netflix, after the streaming service signed a content deal with Sony Pictures to host its 2022 releases – but since No Way Home is a 2021 release it will instead arrive on Starz via Amazon Prime Video following its cinema stint.

The MCU Spidey films will eventually be available on Disney Plus, after the deal with Netflix ends in 2026...

We'll keep this page updated with the latest information on Spider-Man: No Way Home's streaming release date as it comes in.

Spider-Man: No Way Home running time

Spider-Man: No Way Home runs for 148 minutes or 2 hours 28 minutes.

This runs longer than the previous two entries in the Tom Holland series of Spider-Man films.

Spider-Man: Homecoming ran for 133 minutes or 2 hours 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Far From Home ran for 129 minutes or 2 hours 9 minutes.

Spider-Man: No Way Home age rating

Spider-Man No Way Home
Sony Pictures/Marvel

Spider-Man: No Way Home has been rated a 12A by the British Board of Film Classifications.

A 12A states: "No-one younger than 12 may see a '12A' film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult.

"Responsibility for allowing under-12s to view lies with the accompanying or supervising adult."

So, children can see the film but an adult should go with them and also judge whether it is appropriate for them.

Spider-Man: No Way Home first reactions and reviews

The first reactions and reviews to Spider Man: No Way Home are in and they aren't half bad.

The movie is also scoring very high on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes following early reviews.

Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood concluded: “Holland, Zendaya, and Batalon are a priceless trio, and the various villains and ‘others’ who pop in and out make this pure movie fun of the highest order. Fans will be in heaven.”

Hammond added: “This film will make a billion, and it deserves to. Franchise movies, Marvel Movies, Comic Book Movies – you name it – just don’t get much better than this.”

Amelia Emberwing of IGN also gave the film a positive review and a score of eight out of 10, penning: “Spider-Man: No Way Home hits all the right notes as the MCU’s latest entry. Its impact on the universe as a whole, as well as the overall emotional beats, all feel earned.

“Stellar performances meet what feels like a Saturday morning cartoon rife with all the devastating punches we’ve come to expect from this sneaky universe. Though it struggles with some tired superhero tropes, everything else about it will leave fans grinning ear-to-ear.”

Benjamin Lee of the Guardian was less gushing, but still awarded the film three out of five stars, penning: “It’s flawed for sure but still moves with more deftness than most (arriving after Eternals is a blessing for any Marvel film) and there’s an ending that suggests an awareness of its roots (post-credits scene aside), hinting at a promising way forward rather than back. Consider the curse of sorts sort of broken.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home Rotten Tomatoes Score

With reviews for Spider-Man: No Way Home already having flooded in, the new web-slinging movie is scoring very high on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie is currently rocking a 94% “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes with 141 critic reviews in.

The critical consensus reads: “A bigger, bolder Spider-Man sequel, No Way Home expands the franchise’s scope and stakes without losing sight of its humour and heart.”

The current score takes No Way Home a notch above Spider-Man: Homecoming, which has a score of 92%, and Spider-Man: Far from Home, which is rocking a 90% rating.

When do Spider-Man tickets go on sale?

Spider-Man: No Way Home tickets are now on sale in both the UK and the US.

The release of the tickets occurred on "Spider-Monday" on November 29, 2021.

The purchase of tickets comes as the film is released two days earlier in the UK compared to the US.

The film will be released exclusively in cinemas for a yet to be confirmed period.

Where can I book tickets in the UK?

Where can I book tickets in the US?

Spider-Man No Way Home running time

The running time of Spider-Man: No Way Home has been confirmed as 148 minutes or 2 hours 28 minutes.

This makes the film the fourth-longest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The three longer films are Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and Eternals.

We aren't surprised considering the multiversal madness to come!

Spider-Man No Way Home posters

There has been a flurry of posters released to get fans excited for the upcoming film.

One release includes Spidey, Doctor Strange, MJ and a Goblin on a glider - could this be the confirmation of Willem Dafoe in a new costume.

The poster also includes Electro/Max Dillon, Lizard, the arms of Doctor Octopus and a spiralling portal.

We really are in a multiverse of madness now.

Are Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the new Spider-Man movie?

Fans were disappointed to realise that Spider-Man: No Way Home’s second trailer does not feature appearances from Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t returning for the film.

Since the beginning of the year, speculation has been rife that Maguire and Garfield will be returning for a live-action Spider-Verse storyline, despite both actor’s best attempts to dismiss the rumours.

Culture Crave notes that in the Brazilian version of the No Way Home trailer, there’s a misleading moment when Spidey villain Lizard is whacked in the face by thin air, suggesting the presence of another character to be on-hand to fight the Sinister Six. It would make sense for this to be Garfield’s Peter Parker, given that Lizard first appeared in 2021’s The Amazing Spider-Man.

It’s also thought that Doc Ock’s line “Hello Peter” in the movie’s first trailer, which was released back in August 2021, may actually be aimed at Maguire’s Spider-Man.

However, with Maguire and Garfield’s return yet to be confirmed, fans will have to wait to find out whether the rumours are true.

At least, Tom Holland is pleased to spend time and speak to Andrew Garfield, according to a recent interview with Hollamd and Zendaya with BBC Radio 1.

It was also revealed that the Holland has a Whatsapp group chat with both Garfield and Maguire.

Spider-Man No Way Home in IMAX

Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released in IMAX cinemas around the world.

There has also been some exclusive IMAX artwork released for the film.

This Multiverse-inspired poster can be found below.

SNWH027INTL_Exclusive_Art_ENG_864x1280_V1_R2

Similarly to the general release, Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released in IMAX cinemas in the UK on December 15, 2022.

The IMAX format offers a 1.90 aspect ratio, providing 26% more picture than the majority of cinema screens.

Tickets are now on sale for this, with a link to the IMAX website here.

Spider-Man No Way Home confirmed cast

We have a number of confirmed cast members returning for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Tom Holland is, of course, back as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the new instalment of the Marvel Studios franchise.

Also returning are Zendaya as Peter's girlfriend Michelle "MJ "Jones and Jacob Batalon as his best friend, Ned Leeds.

Other Marvel regulars making appearances include Benedict Cumberbatch in a major role as Doctor Stephen Strange and Benedict Wong as his sorcerer sidekick, Wong.

The pair's appearances here come ahead of the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Elsewhere, Jon Favreau will be back once again as Peter's friend and confidante Harold "Happy" Hogan, while Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei will return as Peter's aunt, May Parker.

You can expect more from Peter, Ned and MJ's fellow high school students, played by Angourie Rice and Tony Revolori, while JB Smoove has confirmed that he will also be returning as their well-meaning (but incompetent) teacher Mr Dell.

The second trailer also confirmed the return of J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson following his appearance in the Spider-Man: Far From Home end credits scene cliffhanger.

But of course, the announcements that have gained the most attention are the return of two Spidey villains from previous films set outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jamie Foxx is confirmed to be returning as Electro (from 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and Alfred Molina will reprise his Doctor Octopus role (from 2004's Spider-Man 2).

"It was really fun to watch him see how technology has advanced," Holland told Entertainment Weekly on the Doc Ock scenes. "When he was making these films, the arms were puppets, and when we did it, they're all imaginary and CG. It was quite cool to see him relive it, but also relearn it."
When speaking to The Wrap, Dafoe said “no comment” when questioned about whether he had a role in the film.

Lizard is back in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Lizard is back in Spider-Man: No Way Home YouTube/Marvel

He added: "I got lots of stuff happening now. And, you know, I always feel like when a film comes out, that’s when it’s time to talk about it."

The second trailer confirmed Dafoe's return - at least as a voice - while we do see the Goblin in costume (even if it is not Dafoe inside it).

Meanwhile, Thomas Haden Church's Sandman/Flint Marko from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and Rhys Ifans' Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man could also be spotted in the trailer.

Spider-Man No Way Home cast rumours

This has only furtherer sparked rumours that Marvel could be looking to crossover its pre-MCU films for a Spider-Verse story, with original Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield widely speculated to also be involved.

Director Jon Watts only deepened speculation that Maguire and Garfield would be suiting back up when he invited comparisons between Spider-Man: No Way Home and the biggest movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame.

Speaking to Extra TV (via Hindustan Times) Garfield said of the films: "I really love what that whole team have done with the character. Like, I really love what Jon Watts has done, what Tom has done, what Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige have done with this incarnation of the character, and they have given it so much soul and so much fun and joy and it is so true to the character."

He added: "I will say this: I’m very excited to see what they’ve done with their third instalment."

Tom Holland in Spider-Man No Way Home
Tom Holland in Spider-Man No Way Home Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures

Garfield then joked: "I blinked a little bit, but it was totally accidental. I take no ownership over it!"

Speaking to Empire Magazine, Watts even went as far as to call Spider-Man: No Way Home "Spider-Man: Endgame."

"We're definitely trying to be ambitious," he added.

If you don't want to know any more about it, look away now as there are SPOILERS AHEAD.

A recently leaked picture that shows Maguire and Garfield standing alongside Tom Holland's Spidey has been doing the rounds on social media. Of course, it's very possible said picture could be fake, but at this point, it would be more surprising if Garfield and Maguire weren't in the Spider-Man threequel.

As if that weren't enough, industry pundit Grace Randolph tweeted claims that Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone could also return as love interests, Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.

Speaking to Variety, Kirsten Dunst said of a return as her MJ: “I would do it. Why not? That would be fun."

Yet, the Power of the Dog actress added: "I’d be old MJ at this point with little Spidey babies."

Spider-Man (2002) stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst
Could Spider-Man (2002) stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst both be back? SEAC

However, in its latest statement on the matter, Sony Pictures said that any potential No Way Home casting is not yet confirmed, so fans should take these reports with a pinch of salt for now.

Speaking to Collider, the actor said: "There is a distinct chance, there have been discussions, and I’m not going to say anything definitive because I don’t know if I’m allowed to. But yes, I’m very optimistic that I’ll have some more JJJ in my future.”

Less optimistic is Paul Giamatti, who briefly played Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and told ComicBook.com that he was happy to "just leave it all", showing little interest in returning to the super villain role.

Spider-Man No Way Home trailer 2

The second trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home has now been released online and contains more moments for fans to speculate about.

The new clip confirmed the appearance of J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, Willem Dafoe as at least the voice of the Green Goblin, plus appearances from the Sandman and the Lizard.

Those Sinister Six rumours almost seem to be confirmed right about now.

Catch the trailer below.

A special fan event was held in Los Angeles on November 16 at 5pm PT where a select few got to witness the trailer in person.

Prior to the premiere of the trailer, Sony teased its release with a video of Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon watching the unseen clip.

Ahead of the release of the new footage, Sony Pictures released a video of Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon reacting to the news footage.

Spider-Man No Way Home trailer 1

The first trailer was released back in August after a very energetic fan campaign and showed off a great deal of footage that teased the plot of the new outing.

The trailer begins with the fallout from Far from Home's shock cliffhanger, which saw Mysterio reveal Spider-Man's secret identity and frame him for murder - leading to scenes of Peter's arrest, questioning and what looks to be a trial.

However, the biggest takeaway from the trailer is the confirmation of the multiverse in the film, seemingly caused by Doctor Strange after a spell to restore Spider-Man's secret identity goes awry.

This then explains the appearance of Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus at the end of the trailer – the first footage of Molina in the role since 2004's Spider-Man 2.

A brief bolt of lightning also seems to tease Jamie Foxx's Electro from 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, who is also confirmed to be returning - and several fans are convinced that Sandman and Lizard can be seen in murky shots of the trailer also, though we'd take that with a big pinch of salt for now.

The appearance of a pumpkin bomb in the trailer also sparked speculation that the Green Goblin would be making a return, with a brand new movie poster since confirming the rumours.

With so many evildoers involved, the trailer adds further weight to the theory that the film will set up a multiversal Sinister Six, a villain team-up made up of Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro and three other unconfirmed characters.

If that wasn't enough returning characters, there's debate whether or not Charlie Cox's Daredevil (or at least his arms) can be seen in the trailer also during Peter's questioning – with the Man Without Fear rumoured to become Peter's lawyer.

Spider-Man: No Way Home plot

Tom Holland in Spider-Man No Way Home
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures

Picking up following the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker has been exposed to the world as Spider-Man which puts his everyday life and the lives of those he loves - including girlfriend MJ, best friend Ned and his beloved aunt May in danger.

Unhappy with the constant scrutiny and danger, Peter turns to the sorcerer supreme himself, Doctor Stephen Strange, to help him fix his complicated life.

However, Peter gets more than he bargained for when Strange's spell opens up his world to a multiverse of evil as different villains from different realities (and Spider-Man franchises) arrive and could harm those he loves most.

Spider-Man No Way Home plot theories

As is typical for an MCU movie, plot details are few and far between right now, although there is heavy fan speculation that we could get a live-action Spider-Verse storyline in this third outing.

The return of Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, Jamie Foxx's Electro and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange very much fuelled this fan theory, with the trailer later revealing that the Sorcerer Supreme would indeed be guiding Peter Parker through the multiverse.

Speaking about how Doctor Octopus would be able to return despite his death in Spider-Man 2, Molina explained that he was told by director Jon Watts, "In this universe, no one really dies" and that his storyline would pick up from his drowning in the East River at the end of the 2004 film.

Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: No Way Home Sony Pictures Entertainment

Both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire have been associated with this blockbuster sequel too, but they remain unconfirmed at the time of writing and Holland has also denied their involvement.

Besides, there may not be time for a full Spider-Verse saga when the sequel will also have to resolve the cliffhanger ending of Far from Home, which saw Peter Parker unmasked as Spider-Man in a viral report by conspiracy theorist J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons).

If that wasn't bad enough, he was also framed as a murderer in doctored footage leaked by the late Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), with the trailer showing Peter being questioned by the police.

Another possibility for the third film includes the prospect of the Sinister Six (Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman and Kraven the Hunter) appearing on-screen together, something which has been teased by producer Amy Pascal.

Given that Sony and Marvel's new deal currently only extends to one more solo movie, it could also be that the film will have to give a reason for Peter leaving the MCU after that. We're calling multiverse shenanigans again.

Will Spider-Man: No Way Home be Holland’s last outing as Peter Parker?

Spider-Man: No Way Home may very well not be Holland’s last hurrah in the MCU, but nothing is set in stone as yet.

In November, Sony Producer Amy Pascal revealed plans for another three films with Holland’s Peter Parker.

"We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel, it just isn't part of… we're thinking of this as three films, and now we're going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies," she teased.

However, ahead of Spider-Man No Way Home’s release date, Pascal seemingly backtracked. "As long as [Holland] wants to make Spider-Man movies, we will make Spider-Man movies," she told Variety, adding: "But I'm a producer, and I always think everything's going to work out."

Holland himself has been coy about what lies ahead, telling The Hollywood Reporter recently that he was “ready to say goodbye” to the character.

“There have been conversations about the future of Spider-Man,” he said. “Whether it will be with me, I’m not too sure yet. You know, maybe I’ll be a producer or something, I don’t know.

“I do know that I love this character and I would be sad to say goodbye, but I have achieved basically everything I wanted to achieve as this character,” he added, before joking, “I really think I’m gonna win the Oscar for this movie so that’s great!”

He concluded: “So I’m ready, I’m ready to say goodbye.”

Will Daredevil appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Charlie Cox plays Matt Murdock/Daredevil
Netflix

It has long been rumoured that Charlie Cox's crime-fighting lawyer Daredevil could finally make the jump from Netflix to the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home - but we're still agonisingly waiting for confirmation.

Back in April 2020, Cox responded to early speculation of his involvement with a firm rebuttal, even suggesting that Marvel could be recasting the role with another actor (via Comic Book).

However, in December 2020, fresh reports emerged that Cox would appear in No Way Home, accompanied by a flurry of all-new rumours that he could be in the running for a Disney Plus appearance.

The topic came up once again in February 2021, when Sony Pictures released a casting call for actors to appear in a courtroom scene in the upcoming blockbuster. Fans wasted no time connecting this to the hopeful return of the MCU's most prolific practising lawyer: Matt Murdock.

The trailer included a shot of a man dumping some paperwork in front of Peter during his questioning – and while the man's face was not revealed, this did not stop fans speculating whether this could be Cox's Murdock.

Now, the following section could contain a spoiler about a specific scene, so look away now if you don't want to know more.

A supposed leaked picture in November 2021 showed a scene in which Cox was sat at a table with Tom Holland's Peter Parker, Jon Favreau's Happy and Marisa Tomei's Aunt May.

Despite the possibility it could be a fake, the scene does seem to fit in with one described by Holland in a recent interview with Empire.

“It’s four people sitting at a table, having a conversation about what it’s like to be a superhero, and it was amazing,” Holland said, though he couldn't say who the fourth person was. “The other day we watched the scene, my brother and I, and our jaws were on the floor.”

Again, there's no official word yet on the return of Daredevil so you would be wise not to get your hopes up too high – although given how enthusiastic the response was on social media, it might be too late for that.

However, in December ahead of the film's release, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Charlie Cox would portray Daredevil when he makes his return appearance in the MCU.

Speaking to CinemaBlend, Feige revealed: “If you were to see Daredevil in upcoming things, Charlie Cox, yes, would be the actor playing Daredevil.”

He added: “Where we see that, how we see that, when we see that, remains to be seen.”

Meanwhile, Daredevil star Vincent D'Onofrio denied that he would be appearing in the film as Kingpin/Wilson Fisk on social media.

So, if you were hoping to see Fisk slug it out with Parker and Murdock you will be disappointed.

We'll just continue pining for further romantic Wilson/Vanessa Fisk content.

Spider-Man No Way Home sequels

Spider-Man fans will be thrilled to hear there are more films featuring the Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration of Spider-Man on the horizon.

Series co-producer Amy Pascal has revealed plans for a sequel to No Way Home that is set to feature Tom Holland as Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

Talking about the fourth outing for the MCU version of Spider-Man, Pascal told Fandango: “This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel – [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie.

“We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel. We’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go on to the next three.”

Pascal added: “This is not the last of our MCU movies.”

In addition, Sony Pictures is also releasing spin-offs to Spider-Man narratives in the form of the Venom film series and upcoming spin-off movie Morbius featuring Jared Leto.

Will there be a Spider-Man Sinister Six movie?

Jamie Foxx as Electro in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Jamie Foxx as Electro in Spider-Man: No Way Home YouTube/Marvel

Rumour has it that long-dead plans for a Sony movie based around the Sinister Six - a loose collection of Spider-Man villains that often includes Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio and Sandman - could be back on the cards.

Sony executive Amy Pascal has hinted that the presence of Vulture, Mysterio and sometime team member Shocker in the recent Spider-Man movies could point towards a team-up in the future.

"These villains we now have in our universe happen to be characters that are in the Sinister Six," Pascal said. "There may be something that happens with that."

With the trailer (and recently released poster) revealing that Green Goblin is also in the film along with Doctor Octopus and Electro, they are only three members short of a Sinister Six - which is where Vulture Mysterio and Shocker could come in.

Previously, Sony had worked on a script with writer-director Drew Goddard to be spun out of Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man incarnation, but when that film series was called off the idea was mothballed.

But as recently as last December Pascal had suggested she fancied bringing the idea back to life.

"I'm just waiting for Drew to be ready to direct it," Pascal told Vanity Fair. "I would do anything with Drew Goddard. I'm just waiting for him to tell me he wants to."

Spider-Man connections to Venom: Let There Be Carnage

While Spider-Man is part of the MCU, Sony has already been developing its own franchise of Spidey villains seemingly unconnected to that franchise, starting with Tom Hardy's Venom in 2018.

However, the latest Venom film included quite a surprising end credits scene that hints at more multiversal madness to come from both the Sony and Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

The scene featured Tom Hardy's anti-hero in a scene that appeared to connect to a previous Spider-Man film.

Read more about that Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits scene in our explainer here.

Spider-Man connections to Morbius

Michael Keaton as Vulture/Adrian Toomes in Morbius
Michael Keaton as Vulture/Adrian Toomes in Morbius Sony Pictures Entertainment

Additionally, the new trailer for Morbius hints at some surprising links to Spider-Man, which you can view below.

Morbius is a vampiric anti-hero that first appeared in the Spider-Man comics as an adversary before being an heroic figure in later scenes.

Oscar-winner Jared Leto stars as Michael Morbius, a scientist infected with a form of vampirism, while Doctor Who star Matt Smith portrays Loxias Crown - a friend of Morbius' who also suffers from the same rare blood disease.

The film also stars Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson as additional supporting characters.

However, most intriguingly, The Flash movie's Batman star Michael Keaton will reprise his role as Vulture/Adrian Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

What happened with Sony and Marvel?

Essentially what happened was that after three years of making Spider-Man movies together, Sony and Marvel’s coproduction deal fell apart, with sources suggesting Disney wanted a bigger slice of the profits than Sony were willing to give.

There was a huge fan backlash against the change with many pinning the blame on Sony, and for a while it seemed unlikely that a new deal would be made.

However, a few months later the two studios struck a new deal to create one last solo Spider-Man movie together, and to include Tom Holland's webbed wonder in at least one more MCU team-up movie. After that, who knows?

“I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it,” said Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige in a statement.

“Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”

“This is terrific," added Sony exec Amy Pascal. "Peter Parker’s story took a dramatic turn in Far From Home and I could not be happier we will all be working together as we see where his journey goes.

“This has been a winning partnership for the studios, the franchise and the fans and I’m overjoyed it will continue.”

In a surprise twist, it appears that it may have been Holland who saved the partnership, with reports suggesting the deal was "100 percent dead" until the young actor used his influence at Sony and Disney to thaw relations and get people back around the table (via Hollywood Reporter).

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Spider-Man: No Way Home is scheduled for release in cinemas in December 2021. Find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.

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