Who Are The Silhouettes At The End Of Spider-Man: No Way Home?
The following article contains major spoilers for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" might just have one of the most emotionally devastating endings out of any film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that's really saying something when considering "Avengers: Infinity War."
"No Way Home" concludes with the multiverse breaking apart and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) doing everything in his power to stop it from crumbling. Cracks form in the sky, and we can see the silhouettes of various characters ready to enter this dimension. It's at this point Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has a revelation; they can prevent the multiverse from breaking by having Strange perform an alteration of the spell he was supposed to do at the beginning of the movie. However, making the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man won't be enough; the wizard has to make it so that the world forgets about Peter entirely, including those he loves most.
After a tearful goodbye to M.J. (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), the spell completes, sealing the entryways into our reality and making Peter a nobody. Amid all the tears viewers undoubtedly had while watching the sequence, it's understandable if you missed some of the cameos within the interdimensional doorways. They're hard to make out, but if you look closely enough, you may be able to catch a few surprising appearances upon a rewatch.
Rhino, Scorpion, and Kraven the Hunter are just some of the silhouettes you'll find
As of this writing, there's no confirmation about who exactly we're seeing in the cracks in reality. At first glance, they may even appear as intentionally distorted images designed to give the impression they could be anyone. However, for the keen comic book observer, some of those silhouettes definitely seem more recognizable than others.
The figure most likely to stand out in fans' minds is an image of Rhino, bearing a striking resemblance to the version of the character we saw in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" played by Paul Giamatti. This seems to suggest that rather than just the few villains we see in the flesh in "No Way Home," like Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), and Electro (Jamie Foxx), we would've gotten every antagonist from every conceivable dimension. There is another famous baddie whose silhouette is also a little more obvious like Rhino's, and he's set to appear in a Sony flick in the very near future.
Kraven and Scorpion loom above
ComicBookMovie.com reported that some other villains they saw included Scorpion and Kraven the Hunter. While these foes haven't suited up quite yet, there have been teases they could enter the live-action sphere any day now. Kraven, aka Sergei Kravinoff, is one of the more obvious figures, thanks to the spear the silhouette appears to be holding. The weapon is the signature paraphernalia of the villain (part-time antihero?), as is the lion pelt he sports on his shoulders and chest. There is some thickness around this silhouette's shoulders and head, which could be the mane of the tiger pelt.
The scorpion figure is a little more challenging to discern, but it all becomes clear once it's pointed out. This villain appears to be bent over, with a tail that curves just behind him. It looks like Scorpion is crawling as opposed to standing up. This silhouette very much resembles the Scorpius constellation in a way.
Kraven is getting his own movie, while Scorpion was hinted at in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Mac Gargan (Michael Mando), a.k.a. Scorpion, appears in the post-credits scene for the movie where he tries to learn Spider-Man's real identity through Vulture (Michael Keaton). Seeing how "No Way Home" ends in an area where more Spider-Man stories are possible, it's entirely within the realm of reason for Scorpion to pop up as a proper villain at some point.
Who else is up there?
While Kraven, Scorpion, and Rhino have been the three most discussed villains from the crackling sky scene, a few other famous comic book characters are suspected of appearing as silhouettes as well. One of them is Black Cat, according to Comic Book. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise since "Spider-Man" producer Amy Pascal revealed to ScreenRant in 2019 that there are some plans for the famous Marvel thief on the big screen.
There have been some other obscure guesses about who is hiding in the sky, with some fans suggesting Madame Web is the figure who appears to be sitting in a chair (via SEN on YouTube). According to MovieWeb, Tom Holland has mentioned wanting to go up against the mutant in a future film. Morlun has also been suggested to be a villain in the sky, which would make sense given he is one of the more popular Spidey bad guys.