Fans were blown away by almost every aspect of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which somehow managed to deliver on the impossible expectations people had built up in their heads.
Of course, it helps when the multiversal superhero epic roped in a cavalcade of returning favorites to bring audiences fan service on a previously unimaginable scale, but the movie never lost sight of the emotional throughline, either.
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has been largely defined in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as someone who regularly finds themselves out of their depth, making mistakes as any teenager would do. However, the repercussions are a lot greater when you’re a superhero and Avenger, so his setbacks often have devastating effects on his nearest and dearest.
In an interview with Marvel, Zendaya admitted that she’d have much rather seen a happy ending to No Way Home after the fabric of reality was stitched back together by Doctor Strange, instead of the bittersweet finale we ended up getting instead.
“I actually hate we’re in these interviews like, ‘This movie’s so fun!’. I cried throughout the whole movie. And the first thing I said when we finished was, ‘This is awfully sad’…. Because it’s very much just bitter, Like I’m not getting the sweet part. He’s lost everyone he loves. I’m sorry, I wanted [Peter and MJ] to go to college together. There’s going to be a lot of really upset little kids.”
These wrongs may end up being righted by the time Spider-Man 4 rolls around, but for the time being, the final scene of No Way Home packed a hefty emotional punch. Peter may have saved the world again and ensured the safety of his loved ones, but it’s come at a huge personal cost.
