Spider-Man: No Way Home marks a surprising first for the MCU. No, not that it properly delves into the multiverse for the first time, or that it crosses over with other franchises. The fact that Jon Watts returned to helm this movie means that he’s the very first filmmaker to guide an entire trilogy from start to finish in the MCU.
This interesting fact was shared by u/coneyislandhorneri01 on the r/MarvelStudios subreddit. Following 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, Watts is now the first MCU director to bring the story they kicked off to a close. As the fan points out, the next two to get the opportunity to do the same are Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn and Ant-Man‘s Peyton Reed.
Speaking of Gunn, fans pointed out in the comments to this post that all of Watts’ films were released in between Guardians Vol. 2 and Guardians Vol. 3. Gunn would’ve been the one to claim Watts’ accolade if he wasn’t temporarily fired by Marvel and made The Suicide Squad for DC.
Likewise, it’s clear that the Tom Holland Spidey trilogy has only happened with the speed of Quicksilver because Sony pushed for Marvel to make the movies as swiftly as possible.
To clarify this stat, Joe and Anthony Russo have directed more Marvel movies than Watts, having helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame, but they weren’t behind the camera for either The First Avenger or The Avengers, so they never managed to complete a franchise like Watts.
Gunn will belatedly conclude his Guardians trilogy when Vol. 3 hits cinemas in May 2023. Peyton Reed, after helming 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, will then do the same when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows a couple of months later in July 2023.
As for Watts, he’s remaining with Marvel Studios but is jumping ship to another corner of the MCU after Spider-Man: No Way Home. He’s set to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, which is also due to start shooting in 2023.
Published: Dec 27, 2021 10:32 am