Now that the second Spider-Man: No Way Home's multiverse story means an opportunity to link the MCU to past iterations of Spider-Man.
Tom Holland's MCU Spider-Man is the third version of the character to appear in movies. Tobey Maguire originally helped bring Peter Parker to life on the big screen with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy in the 2000s. Maguire is highly regarded for his interpretation of Peter Parker and was close to appearing in a fourth solo film too. Instead of making Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4, Sony rebooted their iconic Marvel superhero in the 2010s. This led to Andrew Garfield taking over the role in two The Amazing Spider-Man movies. His time wearing the Spider-Man suit was cut short due to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 not living up to Sony's expectations. This paved the way for Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios to help reboot Spider-Man as part of the MCU and Tom Holland landing the role of a lifetime.
Several years after both Maguire and Garfield last suited up as Spider-Man, rumors have run rampant that they'll appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fans have obsessed over the possibility of seeing all three live-action movie Spider-Men in the same movie. This created an ongoing debate about whether or not Spider-Man: No Way Home's marketing should show Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. That didn't happen in the film's second trailer, but it's possible they were absent because Marvel Studios and Sony edited them out.
Are Andrew Garfield And Tobey Maguire In Spider-Man: No Way Home?
Many fans are convinced that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but their appearances have never been confirmed. Anyone officially involved with the movie has downplayed the likelihood of that happening. Tom Holland has repeatedly claimed that if Maguire and Garfield are in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it will be news to him as he isn't aware of such a development. Meanwhile, Andrew Garfield has been adamant about him not appearing. He's said that the rumors about him and Maguire appearing create expectations that will only let down fans. Maguire has remained mostly silent on the matter for his part, as Garfield has been in the unfortunate place (given the circumstances) of promoting multiple projects throughout Spider-Man: No Way Home's development.
The actors' quotes may be the result of Marvel's strict NDAs that will find them in legal trouble if they officially spoil their involvement, especially given all the other leaks pointing towards Maguire and Garfield appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home. One of these such leaks was a video of Andrew Garfield on the set surrounded by blue screen and construction scaffolding. This was originally thought to be a possible DeepFake video, but Sony copyright claims led to it being taken down. However, Garfield's surroundings in the video do seem to line up with Spider-Man: No Way Home's climactic battle of Spider-Man fighting Electro, Sandman, and The Lizard atop a reconstructed Statue of Liberty. The leaks became more serious prior to the new trailer launch thanks to a photo showing Maguire, Garfield, and Holland's versions of Spider-Man all standing together. The origin of these photos was quickly deleted but not before they spread all over the internet.
No Way Home's Brazilian Trailer Includes An Invisible Lizard Punch
One curious moment from the Lizard jumped forward at nothing instead of converging on Holland's Spider-Man. It's possible that Lizard is supposed to be on the receiving end of a punch from Maguire or Garfield's Spider-Man. In that scenario, they could've been removed from the scene, but Sony and Marvel might have forgotten to remove Lizard's reaction to the punch.
Did No Way Home Delete Tobey Maguire From The Freeway Battle?
The original Spider-Man: No Way Home also led to a prominent theory that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man was deleted from Doc Ock's freeway battle. Fans came to this conclusion after Otto Octavious surfaced and said, "Hello, Peter." The trailer made it seem as though he was talking to Tom Holland's Spider-Man, but many wondered if this was misdirection on Marvel's part. These suspicions arose because the Peter Parker in Doc Ock's universe looks like Tobey Maguire, so it would make the most sense for him to address Maguire as Peter instead of Holland. While the MCU's Peter Parker's face being plastered everywhere could make it easy for Doc Ock to recognize him, that didn't stop fans from guessing the truth to this scene was that Maguire was somehow involved.
for this theory has faded over time due to the heavy focus Doc Ock and Spider-Man's freeway battle has received in the marketing. Marvel and Sony have shown a lot of this attack, and while they could've removed Maguire's Spider-Man from all of these moments, that seems less likely. Spider-Man: No Way Home's second trailer appeared to debunk this theory even more. During the trailer, Doc Ock is surprised to see Holland's face underneath the Iron Spider suit. He even says, "You're not Peter Parker," which highlights that he expected Maguire to be under the suit, despite its very different look from Spider-Man 2.
Every Shot In No Way Home Of A Cut Spider-Man
There are multiple shots in Spider-Man: No Way Home's trailers that might have been digitally altered to hide other Spider-Men, such as the one featured above. Fans have speculated that the wide shot of Holland's Peter Parker wearing the Iron Spider suit could have removed Tobey Maguire and/or Andrew Garfield from standing behind him. The marketing has mostly focused on Peter fighting Doc Ock during this sequence, but it also appears that this is where Green Goblin attacks. Doc Ock and Green Goblin teaming up could be too much for a single Spider-Man to handle, so the secret inclusion of another to Holland is certainly possible.
It's also possible that the new trailer concealed all three versions of Spider-Man swinging above the trees together. The distance of the shot above makes it impossible to know which Spider-Man is featured here, but it is presumably Tom Holland's. The skyline shot might just be a stylistic choice by director Jon Watts, or it could've been selected because two other versions of Spider-Man are also swinging alongside Holland. This shot from Spider-Man: No Way Home's second trailer could potentially have Maguire and Garfield trailing Holland as they go to the movie's final battle. Since the expected big fight appears to happen at night, this scene could also be the three Spider-Men swinging together as the sun rises after saving the day.
Footage from Spider-Man: No Way Home's second trailer also showed Tom Holland's Spider-Man strike a heroic pose on top of the Statue of Liberty. He does so on the head of the statue, but there's a chance that other Spider-Man are secretly with him. They might not be right next to him on the Statue of Liberty's crown, though. Marvel may have manipulated this footage to change the framing of the shot, possibly shrinking it to only show Holland's Spider-Man land. Even though the superhero landing has now become a bit of a joke in superhero movies, it still won't be surprising to see Spider-Man: No Way Home include a moment where all three land side-by-side-by-side. Sony and Marvel wouldn't want to show this in the trailer, which could explain why they'd alter this shot in such a way.
The most likely Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer scene to edit Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield out is the one pictured above. As mentioned before, it doesn't appear that Electro or The Lizard are focusing their attention on Tom Holland's Spider-Man in midair. The Lizard's phantom punch is a great sign that Maguire and Garfield's versions of Spider-Man are taking part in this Sinister Six battle. Holland is going after Sandman at the start of this fight it appears, which leaves Maguire and Garfield to take on Electro and The Lizard. Either villain will give Garfield's Spider-Man a rematch, while Maguire's Spider-Man will fight someone new. Since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies did include Curt Connors, Maguire might feel a bit more of a connection to The Lizard after seeing what his former teacher became in another universe. Either way, Spider-Man: No Way Home's trailers are teasing a few moments Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield could be part of.
