Each of the different Phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a goal for its various films to strive for. Our disparate heroes were brought together by the first, but two and three showed them to be fractured and eventually reassembled for a saga of infinite proportions. The power of a global Pandemic in 2020 threw the plans for Phase Four out of order. If the current crop of content for Spider-Man: No Way Home, in particular, tell us anything, it is that Phase Four is more interested in stroking the egos of the characters than anything else.
No Way Home gave us our first look at the villains of Spider-Man past. The most curious of this near-sexuplet aren't classic foes like Doc Ock and Green Goblin, but the lower rungs of cinematic Spidey baddies. The aim is to give those old villains and potential heroes a chance to get it right, so that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire can get in on some last hurrahs. No Way Home is the most naked attempt at this yet, and it has an objective that has hovered over the joint custody like a weird smell. Unlike with comics, there is no illusion of change, just a confidence that it can skate by on giving fans what they have been demanding and poorly photoshopping for three years.
The world said no to the second Spider-Man movie, so the companies decided to start from scratch with Holland as the real Spider-Man. When the deal was announced in 2015, many said they could do Spider-Man right. Fans took the company's side during the Sony custody fight because of the oversight over its biggest A-lister. This came after the success of both Spider-Verse and the original Venom, and it is funnier now since Venom 2 has done well as well. The first two Home films are solid and Holland is good in both of them. The high points of those movies can't hide the fact that these films outclass their predecessors. Two solo movies and three crossovers show how toothless Peter is compared to those who came before him, and even the ones he proudly stands beside. There are no character development or overarching statements about who Peter is here.
It would be a bitter pill to swallow, but it is part of a larger trend of overcorrecting to the point of desperation. Black Widow feels like a late, awkward apology, even though Wandavision needed to do the work to make that relationship feel real. Making the Mandarin a tragic figure was needed, as was bringing back Iron Man 3's fake Mandarin to mock, but it felt like a studio trying to have its cake and eat it too. These moments come off as silly at best or at the very worst self- Congratulation.
It is all for the fans, a phrase that will wear out its welcome long before the Fantastic Four and Mutants enter the picture. The reboots won't be able to reuse characters that weren't as popular in Fox's hands under the banner of the Marvel Studios. Is it worth having to deal with an eventual third go at the Phoenix Saga if you get Doctor Doom the way you want? If we are already tired of seeing the Waynes being shot, it has to be a close second or third by now. Do you want these characters to be given a better hand, or do you just want to bring them up, without having to add caveats, as fans of the original Star Wars had to do up until recently? When the studio is high on its own bullshit, it is often when it is at its worst, that the two properties will see them so high they will be touching Mars.
There will be some fun in watching the three Spiders and other multiversal visitors fight the Sinister Six. It doesn't feel like No Way Home exists to further Peter's story or celebrate the history of Spider-Man. It feels like Sony is lording over the rest of the world because they don't have the rights to include previously used characters and villains. If they are going to enter a dick measuring contest, they should have it behind closed doors.
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