Spider-Man: No Way Home starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker, otherwise known as Spider-Man, is all set to release on Dec. 17th. The movie is set to consider how the character Peter Parker deals with having a public identity. Issues that the movies will address include how Parker asks the well known character, Dr. Strange, to make his identity unknown again, only to face the hurdles of supervillains from different realities. 

Keeping in mind that this is a sequel to the much beloved movies Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, this third movie in the series has a large shadow to live up to. When Homecoming released in 2017, it saw the second-highest opening box office returns for a Spider-Man film ever. Critics hailed Tom Holland as a more than capable actor, and said that the movie was a great adventure which had its own place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), that it was a part of. A big positive for the movie was the focus on Peter Parker’s personal life, as it helped audiences actually connect more with his trials and tribulations as a superhero. 

As Far From Home released in 2019, it became the highest grossing film of its production house, Sony Pictures. It was the fourth highest superhero opening at the time. This is a wonder for a singular superhero led film, as most of the highest grossing superhero films have been group films, such as the Avengers. Critics once again responded well, and considered this film a part of the new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with is its continued use of humanizing superhuman characters. Most critics found the lighthearted teenage aspect of the movie to be charming, as it added to the superhuman aspect. 

Now though, with the third movie, No Way Home releasing, there are many story ends that the creators need to address. The continued characterization of Peter Parker is important, as many of his traits and characteristics are now beloved by the audiences that have grown with him. 

However, the movie also deals with a very different aspect of Parker’s life as Spider-Man, as he tries to reverse the revealing of his identity, which was mostly concealed in the previous movies. This is a new landscape for audiences, and the creators need to provide ample support to address this new element, while still maintaining the parts of the franchise that fans love. 

They need to keep the teenage banter alive, while still showing how Parker has grown as a person, and fully fleshing out his character arc. It is an idea of maintaining nostalgia while still bringing something new to the table which provides enough of an ending to leave audiences satisfied for a while. As such, No Way Home is not an easy endeavor, and we have yet to see if it meets the needed benchmarks to make it another success in the franchise.