The Most Heartbreaking Moments In Spider-Man: No Way Home Ranked
Spoilers ahead for "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Few Marvel heroes have suffered as much as Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. His origin story involves the death of Uncle Ben, who tells him that with great power comes great responsibility. It's a motto Peter tries to live up to each and every day. The loss of Uncle Ben isn't the only tragedy, either; Peter has lost his aunt, girlfriends, and good friends along the way.
The idea that tragedy follows Peter Parker everywhere he goes is a trait that's followed the character onto the big screen. Both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of the character have lost loved ones throughout their respective "Spider-Man" film franchises. However, with three movies now under his belt, it's safe to say that Tom Holland's version of the hero has them both beat in terms of the sheer volume of tragedy. Not only is it implied that Uncle Ben died off-screen, but the MCU's Peter Parker has had to pick up the pieces following the loss of his mentor-father figure, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), at the end of "Avengers: Endgame."
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" may just be the most emotionally devastating "Spider-Man" film yet, with numerous moments that will make you shed a tear. In fact, at a certain point in the film's 148-minute runtime, you may not be able to help yourself from crying for the remainder of the movie. Here's what we believe to be the most heartbreaking moments in "No Way Home," ranked. Get the tissues ready.
5. Holland's Peter Parker says goodbye to the other Peters
Many fan theories people had about "Spider-Man: No Way Home" proved to be accurate, especially the many variations of the theory that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would reprise their respective Spider-Men in this thrilling threequel. They don't spend a ton of time mixed up in the action of "No Way Home"; they are brought into the fold toward the beginning of the movie's third act.
From the time they arrive, the Maguire and Garfield Spider-Men serve as mentors of sorts to Tom Holland's Peter Parker, teaching him that they've also experienced immense losses. Fortunately, they'll be by his side when it comes to fighting off the remaining villains and curing them of their various ailments. As expected, they save the day, albeit at a high cost. Holland's Spider-Man asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make the universe forget about him. That means everyone he's ever known will forget about his existence. He'll be a stranger the next time he meets his close allies. So, before Strange performs the spell, he goes to say goodbye to those who helped him, starting with these other Spider-Men.
It's a heartwrenching moment because it's at this point we know it's quite possibly the last time we'll see the three live-action Spider-Men share the screen. There's always the chance they could return in a future "Spider-Man" installment, but that's far from a sure thing at this point. For now, it's just goodbye. After months of speculation that all three of them would share the screen together, it actually happened, and just as quickly as it was confirmed, it went away.
4. Peter says goodbye to MJ and Ned
Saying goodbye to the other Spider-Men is tough for audiences to watch, but what comes next is far more devastating. After all, the MCU's Peter Parker has only known these other heroes for a few hours. He's been friends with Ned (Jacob Batalon) for years. He's dated MJ (Zendaya) for a brief, but still meaningful, period of time and has also known her for years by this point. But, as a result of Doctor Strange's spell, his two best friends will ultimately forget about him.
It's far more emotional than what Peter originally wanted to happen when he asked Strange for help. At the beginning of the film, Peter merely asks the sorcerer to make everyone forget that he's Spider-Man. He still could've been with MJ, but she wouldn't have known about his secret identity. With this new spell, which is necessary to prevent forces from other dimensions from entering their world, she has to forget about Peter entirely.
Peter hugs Ned goodbye and kisses MJ, knowing this is the last time they'll know about one another. He has to say goodbye to the best thing that happened to him in recent memory, and he struggles to part with her. MJ insists he should find her after the spell is performed, but that's easier said than done.
3. Peter can't bring himself to tell MJ he loves her
Near the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," MJ insists that Peter find her after Doctor Strange performs his spell. Peter then goes to the coffee shop she works, complete with a prepared speech about his feelings for her. Admittedly, it's a strange way to go about telling someone something monumental. Peter's plan basically hinges on telling MJ, who doesn't recognize him at this point, that he loves her. We're betting that no amount of reminiscing would allow her to recall who Peter Parker is, either. However, it's how this scene unfolds that's genuinely gut-wrenching to witness.
Peter is prepared to tell MJ who he is, but he notices a wound on her forehead. He doesn't say it, but we, as the audience, can tell what he is thinking. He knows that if he tells MJ he's Spider-Man and continues dating her, he'll only put her in more danger. After all, she almost died when she fell off the side of the new Statue of Liberty. If Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man wasn't there to catch her, she would've died.
Peter recognizes the best thing for MJ is not to know who he is, so he takes his coffee and walks away. It's a scene that embodies everything about the mythos of Spider-Man. He frequently has to cast aside what he wants for himself and do what is good for the rest of the world. Viewers just want Peter to be happy, but that's rarely in the cards for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
2. Three Spider-Men bond over their pain
There's a significant moment more than halfway through "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Tom Holland's Peter loses someone close to him, and as a result, he's hesitant to carry on his mission of curing the villains before sending them back to their realities. He talks about a person he loved who lost their life as a result of his actions, and the Maguire and Garfield Spider-Men are there to tell him that he's not alone.
Holland's character tries to tell them they don't know what he's going through, but little does he know, they have experienced all of the same things. Garfield's Spider-Man tells the story of how he failed to catch Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) during a climactic battle, as seen at the end of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." He then describes how his failure caused him to act more violently — to the point that he barely recognized himself.
Tobey's Peter Parker then shares the story of his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) and how he was also responsible for letting the man who ultimately killed his uncle escape after they fought. He then recalls how he went down a path of revenge, tracking down the man and killing him. To be Peter Parker is to have gone through unimaginable pain. These heartbreaking stories give Holland's Spider-Man the courage necessary to continue with his plan to save the villains rather than outright killing them.
1. The death of Aunt May
The MCU "Spider-Man" films made the decision not to show the death of Uncle Ben on-screen. It's alluded to at various points, leaving fans to believe that, in doing so, the franchise would simply skip over Ben's whole "With great power comes great responsibility" speech right before his dramatic death. This isn't necessarily the case, thanks to one pivotal Aunt May scene.
When the villains decide to ambush Tom Holland's Spider-Man, they really put him through the wringer. The fight concludes with Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) throwing one of his signature Pumpkin Bombs at Peter and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Despite his best efforts to stop the bomb, it goes off and injures them. Peter goes to make sure his aunt is all right. When he tells her he wants to abandon the plan, Aunt May reminds him that, with great power, there comes great responsibility. It's heartbreaking because the audience more than likely knows what happens next.
Aunt May's injuries are too severe, and it's not long until she succumbs to her wounds. She dies in Peter's arms, and he can't stay there to properly grieve because the police are on his tail, believing he's the one responsible for all of the damage. He runs into the night with his biggest supporter no longer there. What makes this unexpected event even sadder is the fact that, at the end of the day, Peter really tried to do the right thing, but it backfired horribly.