Unlike his predecessor Tobey Maguire and his successor Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield never received the third installment for his run as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. Now that there is a new film for the web-slinging hero on the way, there's a huge opportunity for Garfield to get the closure he never received.
Marvel has done a lot of work over the course of the year to establish the opening of the Multiverse, and Spider-Man: No Way Home will be no different. The film's first trailer showed that in an attempt to help everyone forget that Peter is Spider-Man, Doctor Strange will cast a spell that doesn't go according to plan. When combined with events from WandaVision and Loki, the possibilities of No Way Home are endless, including an appearance from Garfield.
Both Maguire and Holland had well-constructed stories that explored their acclimation to their newfound superhero lifestyle. Garfield's origin story was well illustrated in The Amazing Spider-Man but its sequel began to introduce compelling elements of Peter's journey that never had the opportunity to be addressed again. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 kickstarted the stories of new characters that would have continued to bring out a new side of Garfield's Spider-Man. Following the tragedy that occurred in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Garfield's Spider-Man is already geared toward serious change and extracting some form of justice from those who are responsible. With No Way Home's dealing with the Multiverse, an appearance would allow Garfield to confront some of these foes.
Since The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins to bring new characters into the fold, the missing third film gives The Amazing Spider-Man franchise an unfinished feel. The second film's ending was the perfect segway into its final installment that unfortunately never came to fruition. However, The Amazing Spider-Man 2's ending also lends itself to the Multiverse and the villains that Spider-Man: No Way Home will utilize.
Introducing New Villains
Among the many characters that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 introduced, is Aleksei Sytsevich. Early in the film, Spider-Man helps capture Sytsevich shortly before his high school graduation. This event comes full circle by The Amazing Spider-Man 2's end, as Sytsevich reappears as Rhino. The film also brings Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) and Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) into the fold, shortly before they become their more infamously known villain counterparts. Max becomes Electro after a mishap at Oscorp and Harry transforms into the Green Goblin. Spider-Man squares off with both of these villains in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but the story between Peter and Harry is far from over. During the battle between the two long-term friends, the Green Goblin becomes responsible for Gwen Stacy's death, and the immense guilt that begins to cloud Peter afterward.
With the introduction of Harry Osborn comes two other pivotal characters fans of Spider-Man will recognize. First is Felicia Hardy, a young woman who is routinely spoken down to at Oscorp before Harry picks her to be his assistant. The two create a strange bond that becomes set in stone once Felicia provides Harry with information that is meant to save him from suffering the same fate as his father, Norman. While Felicia doesn't begin to take her commonly known form as the Black Cat in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the introduction of her character gave her plenty of momentum heading into the now axed third Amazing Spider-Man film.
Felicia and Harry also bring in Gustav Fiers, otherwise known as The Gentleman. Fiers meets with Harry after he has been locked up in Ravencroft, where the two discuss the formation of the Sinister Six now that Spider-Man has not been seen for some time. Fiers tells Harry that he has already made progress and that Sytsevich has eagerly agreed to join their cause. Harry tells him that everything Fiers needs to get the group started can be found at Oscorp. As Fiers walks through Oscop, there is a shot of Doc Ock's arms, the Vulture's wings, and the Rhino suit that is worn by Sytsevich in his second meeting with Spider-Man.
The Ending
This prison scene is the perfect lead-in for Garfield's potential return in Spider-Man: No Way Home. With the Multiverse bringing in villains from Maguire and Garfield's films, all three Spider-Mans have the potential to hash out grievances with some of their oldest feuds. Even if Dehaan's version of the Green Goblin doesn't appear in No Way Home, the mere presence of the villain gives Garfield's Spider-Man enough of an opportunity to hash out his grievances with the man responsible for Gwen's death. The hints toward Vulture (who was the sole villain in Holland's Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Doc Ock (who has already been revealed to be No Way Home) certainly give Garfield's Spider-Man even more reason to be in No Way Home.
Should Garfield appear in No Way Home, his Spider-Man still won't have the exact conclusion that Sony likely would've given him in his own trilogy. However, the closure that No Way Home could provide to the current open-ended nature of Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man films may actually help the longevity of Garfield's franchise going forward. It may be a long time before Marvel introduces characters like the Black Cat or Rhino into the fold, but by bringing Garfield's version of Spider-Man into the MCU, there is a lot that can be gained.
Spider-Man: No Way Home premieres in theaters on December 17, 2021.