The lead-up to the much-anticipated release of Spider-Man: No Way Home has had fans grasping for every minuscule morsel of info they can find, and it looks like the latest attempt has involved an actual former Spider-Man himself. Although, depending on how one interprets the interaction, maybe "former" is no longer the most accurate descriptor to use. Who's ready to get recklessly optimistic?

Many avid Marvel fans out there might remember a recent potentially leaked video that appeared to show The Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield suited up once again as his version of the web-slinger. The internet quickly went abuzz with excitement, particularly due to the already heavily pushed rumors that Garfield would join Tobey Maguire in reprising their respective roles as Spider-Man for the upcoming Tom Holland-led Spider-Man: No Way Home. But Garfield quickly denied the rumors, dashing hopes for many who wished to see his underrated take on the character once again.

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Well, now it seems that he's chosen to be coy about things, and the possibility train is back up and running. While signing autographs at the world premiere of his latest film Tick, Tick... Boom!, Garfield encountered a fan casually musing about seeing him in No Way Home. "I hope you're in the new Spider-Man movie," the off-camera fan said, prompting Garfield to turn and respond "we'll see, man" while passing by.

On its own, this could seem like a simple shrugging off of the idea without committing either way. Actors have been known to do such things in order to avoid creating rumors, after all. But this comes after Garfield had denied the idea of appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home numerous times, even to the point where a VFX studio came in to debunk his claim that the aforementioned leaked video was a "Photoshop." So while his response here could easily just be his attempt at a safe answer, there are also other possibilities.

Maybe Garfield simply got tired of denying the idea over and over again. Sure, when Marvel and Disney want someone to keep a secret, they're going to have to stay resigned to the fact that that secret will be kept. But then again, Alfred Molina just came out and said he was coming back as Doc Ock, calling his return "the worst kept secret in Hollywood!" So it's entirely possible that Garfield, like Molina, felt there was no longer any need to keep holding that flimsy wool over the eyes of the fans.

So keep that optimism up, but maybe temper it a bit. Spider-Man: No Way Home is pretty close to release now, so the time for secrets is nearly at an end. However, there's nothing wrong with a little mystery here and there. Well, Spider-Man: Far From Home may have proved there might be a little bit wrong with too much mystery. But that's then and this is now.

Spider-Man: No Way Home will release in theaters on December 17th, 2021.

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Source: Spider-Man: No Way Home Updates/Twitter