Lines In Spider-Man: No Way Home That Mean More Than You Realize
The average screenplay contains somewhere between 7500 and 20,000 words. Some words, however, are more important than others.
It is with this thought that we reflect on "Spider-Man: No Way Home," seemingly destined to become one of the most successful films of the year. It is also burdened with the near-impossible task of not only tying up the Tom Holland "Home" films, but also expanding the MCU, furthering the stories of more than a dozen main characters and villains, and being stuffed with more guest stars, comic book references and Easter eggs than perhaps any other Marvel film to come before it.
A key word for "No Way Home," however, might be one that doesn't appear in the script: spoiler. If you're still concerned about them, please direct your eyeballs elsewhere until you've seen the film. If you're still reading, we're going to assume you are ready to read about the lines in "No Way Home" that point the way toward multiverses to be mined, characters new to the MCU, and forward-thinking plot points that reveal precious details about Spider-Man's impending reinvention.
I'm the most famous person in the entire world. And I'm still broke
For as long as there has been a Spider-Man, there has been a kid having difficulty — as YouTube influencers would say — monetizing his craft. In the comics, he's been a wrestler, a photographer, a teacher and more; in "Far From Home," he's a student and by the end ... he's essentially out on the street, forced to start anew in a cruddy, depressing, nondescript apartment.
It's an interesting dynamic in "No Way Home" that Holland's Peter Parker goes from being "the most famous person in the world" to someone who literally has no one left who knows he's alive. But whether he's famous or anonymous, the one constant is that Peter barely has two pennies to rub together.
Not that this matters to MJ. Her coffee shop job likely isn't bringing in big bucks, either, but with their big brains and MJ's MIT education imminent, better days might be ahead. With any luck, those days might just be together.
I don't have the Time Stone anymore
This is a key sentence, but one quickly tossed off by Doctor Strange as an explanation for why he and Peter can't simply jump through time (a la "Endgame"), fixing reality to suit their needs.
The green Time Stone, obviously, is one of the six Infinity Stones. It was contained in the Eye of Agamotto for many of Strange's early adventures, empowering him in moments like his now-legendary negotiations with Dormammu. Say it with us: "Dormammu, I have come to bargain."
Doctor Strange handed over the stone in exchange for Iron Man's life, and Thanos would later use the Time Stone to bring Vision back to life — just long enough to get his Mind Stone. It was later destroyed, but the Avengers Time Heist had Hulk convincing the Ancient One to give up the stone in 2012. After the world was saved, the Time Stone was returned by Captain America. Although alternate universes cloud the issue, for all intents and purposes our Doctor Strange (the one in the prime timeline) does not have the Time Stone.
Just leave me out of this
This is an interesting sentence, because much like how the "Infinity War" trailers made it look as if Hulk was going to be fighting in Wakanda (only to pull a switcheroo with Banner in the Hulkbuster), the "No Way Home" trailers avoid this sentence in an effort to make it seem as if Doctor Strange's librarian/assistant/confidante Wong is opposed to the whole "make the world forget who Spider-Man is" spell, when in actuality he's just turning a blind eye to it. Huge difference.
Essentially walking away from the problem, Wong leaves Strange and Peter to deal with it themselves. From there, things don't go so well, showing that Wong (Benedict Wong) did indeed know best. Although, to be fair, he really should have protested as emphatically as the trailers made it look like he would.
Can I ask you a question? Are these your LEGOs?
During a tense moment in the film when Peter has taken all the villains back to Happy Hogan's "Spiritual Oasis" to devise a plan, Electro asks this question of Tom Holland's Peter Parker. But although he seeks to belittle our hero, what Electro doesn't realize is that those LEGOs symbolize a lot more than mere playtime.
In "Spider-Man: Homecoming," that Death Star LEGO set is what brings Peter and Ned together for endless hours (3803 pieces!) of teen bonding. Ned uses The Emperor to approach Peter in one scene, and later when Ned sees Peter spider-walking across the ceiling, he drops the Death Star. Back when the first film was getting ready to come out, Tom Holland even cited the Death Star as his favorite prop.
"It was delicate. We only had seven of them," Holland said, justifying his answer. "Jacob kept breaking them too early, and it was hilarious."
"No Way Home" turns the Death Star into a callback to those original moments of friendly bonding, as the set is destroyed once again and lays in rubble for most of the film. But as a sweet reminder of their friendship, at the end of the movie when Ned's memory of Peter has been wiped (along with everyone else on the planet), one of the first items Peter places in his crummy new apartment is that LEGO minifigure of the Emperor.
The Avengers! That's great! What is that?
Asked by Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, the question is one of many that shines a light on what does and does not exist in the alternate universes these Spider-Men come from. Such questions also work on a second level, as perhaps a bit of jealousy that Tom Holland came of age when the entirety of the Marvel toybox was available to play with, not the restrictive "stick to your own studio" mindset when Maguire and Andrew Garfield were headlining the franchise.
In "No Way Home", Holland's Peter Parker cites his Avengers inclusion as proof that he's a team player. This is interesting because in most ways, the other two Spider-Men seem to be better experienced and more capable. But sure enough, when Holland's Parker draws up a plan, the other two fall in line behind him, perhaps sensing a more authoritative, battle-worn presence.
Best sandwiches in Queens
Okay, this one is cheating just a little bit, because technically that line was said in the first Tom Holland Spider-Man film, "Homecoming." But you might recall that Pete's favorite sandwich (a Number 5, with pickles, smooshed down real flat) came from Delmar's Deli-Grocery, a delicacy over which he later bonded with Aaron Davis (aka Prowler, played by Donald Glover). When Spidey took down the ATM robbers dressed as the Avengers, their weapons destroyed neighboring businesses, including Delmar's.
But lest you fear that Spidey might no longer be able to get his Number 5s, Delmar eventually set up a new, seemingly more-upscale business called "Delmar's Deli & Grill." In "Spider-Man: Far From Home," Peter Parker ducked in there to get some supplies before heading off to Europe.
Now, thanks to "No Way Home," sharp-eyed fans can see that Delmar's business empire is continuing to grow. Take a close look at the scene when Peter and MJ (Zendaya) emerge from the subway after fleeing an angry public. Behind them, you'll see a storefront whose signage reads "Delmar's III sandwiches."