The Marvel Cinematic Universe will treat us to two more blockbusters before the New Year, ending with Jon Watts’ highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home. There are a ton of theories about how the multiverse will factor into the story, seemingly ripped open by Doctor Strange’s spell gone wrong. And Benedict Cumberbatch recently explained Strange’s relationship to Peter Parker in the upcoming threequel.
Spider-Man was introduced to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, and Tony Stark served as a mentor until his death in Avengers: Endgame. With Doctor Strange playing a role in No Way Home, fans are curious to see his relationship with Peter Parker change and grow throughout the movie’s runtime. Benedict Cumberbatch opened up about this dynamic, saying:
There's a shade of the [Tony] Stark relationship... It's not as intimate to begin with. Because of how experienced a superhero he is, it's a strange dynamic and it kind of shifts into something far more parental and corrective. And then it shifts again.
Well, I’m intrigued. It looks like we’ll be getting a unique give-and-take when Doctor Strange and Peter Parker reunite in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The limited footage has definitely shown off the paternal side of this relationship, but clearly things are going to evolve throughout the course of Tom Holland’s third solo flick.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s comments come from Empire Magazine (via Comic Book), in a long form piece about Spider-Man: No Way Home. In addition to confirming the inclusion of both Spider-Man 3’s Sandman and Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Lizard, we also got a tidbit more information about Doctor Strange’s role. Given the heroes’ age and power discrepancy, it should make for a wild experience on the big screen.
Doctor Strange and Spider-Man were introduced to each other in Avengers: Infinity War, working with Iron Man during a skirmish in New York as well as the epic battle on Titan. That’s no doubt an experience that has bonded the two heroes, especially after being snapped out of existence for five years. And now that Tony Stark is gone, perhaps Strange feels some responsibility toward Peter.
Given how many villains Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be facing off against in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he’s going to need all the help he can get. The first trailer confirmed the return of Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, and a number of other rogues are expected to pop up as well. As a reminder, you can check out the first trailer below,
This limited footage inspired more questions about Spider-Man: No Way Home than it answered, and fans are already hoping for another trailer to arrive soon. There are countless rumors about what might happen in the threequel, with Doctor Strange’s inclusion opening new narrative doors.
The most popular outstanding rumor is that the previous version of Spider-Man will also appear in No Way Home, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their roles. While this has been denied a number of times, fans are still holding out hope for this epic crossover event.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently expected to arrive in theaters on December 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
