Expectations are through the roof for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, and not just because it’s the latest solo adventure for a beloved comic book character that’s part of the most commercially successful multi-film series in the history of cinema.
Sony may be partnering up with Marvel for Tom Holland’s third solo outing, dipping into the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb back catalogues for inspiration to complement Jon Watts’ vision for good measure, but the studio have already set the bar very high for themselves when it comes to web-slinging adventures bringing in heroes and villains from multiple different realities to join forces and do battle.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse scored an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and won rave reviews from critics and fans alike, earning a fully deserved reputation as one of the finest comic book adaptations of the modern era. However, Kevin Feige claimed in an interview with Empire that No Way Home isn’t in direct competition.
“Spider-Verse helped to popularize the conceit of multiple universes with different characters in them. But it’s not about competing, necessarily. It’s about telling your own story.”
The Into the Spider-Verse sequel is currently in production ahead of an October 2022 release, by which time Spider-Man: No Way Home will have raised the stakes again. Competition is always healthy, especially when Sony is seeking to better its own content, which should hopefully bring the very best out of both projects.
