The first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home has shown that Peter Parker's next adventure will take the young hero on an adventure into the Marvel multiverse. After the cliffhanger ending of the last film, the web-slinger's secret identity was revealed to the world. To mitigate the damage, Peter called on Doctor Strange to help him by using powerful magic to alter reality. Unfortunately, the spell was interrupted and seems to have torn open a rift to other worlds.
The big reveal at the end of the No Way Home trailer showed the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Peter Parker facing off against Doctor Octopus, played by actor Alfred Molina, who previously depicted the iconic supervillain in Sam Raimi's 2004 film Spider-Man 2. However, what many fans may have missed is that No Way Home also opens up the possibility for Miles Morales to finally make his MCU debut.
It was revealed some time back that both Spider-Man and Doctor Strange would deal with the multiverse in their newest films. As seen in the No Way Home trailer, Strange cast a spell to make the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, this went awry when Peter's anxiety interrupted the spellcasting, which leads him to encounter villains from another world entirely, notably that of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, with Molina's Doc Ock making a dramatic appearance.
Whether these villains travel to the MCU or Peter enters their respective worlds, there is no reason to think that the MCU's Peter Parker would only encounter characters from one alternate timeline. In fact, by showcasing Spider-Man 2's Doc Ock, the trailer was able to excite fans who had enjoyed the original movies, while leaving the door open for other big reveals. For years, fans have been asking for the popular character Miles Morales to make an appearance in the MCU, and No Way Home could be the perfect opportunity to introduce him.
Spider-Man: Homecoming planted the seeds for Miles to appear in the MCU when Aaron Davis (Donald Glover) referenced his nephew. In the comics, Davis is the supervillain known as the Prowler, who has a complicated relationship with his nephew Miles (the Ultimate Universe's new Spider-Man). The scene with Davis shows that Miles Morales is in fact part of the MCU. However, he has yet to appear on-screen, in or out of costume. Considering he took up the mantle after Peter Parker's death, it may still be a while before the MCU's Miles becomes Spider-Man if he ever does.
Consequently, there are three ways that No Way Home could introduce Miles as Spider-Man. The first is pretty straightforward: Peter Parker could travel to another reality where Miles -- not Peter -- is the web-slinging costumed hero. This seems to be a likely possibility, but it would also reduce Miles's role to a mere cameo. Alternatively, a version of Miles from another universe could travel to the MCU, which would open up the potential for him to remain there at the end of the movie.
Finally, there is a chance that when Doctor Strange's spell opened up other universes, he also altered his own reality. After all, the original point of the spell was to make the world forget that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Perhaps the timeline was altered in such a way that Miles Morales retroactively became the MCU's Spider-Man. This could cement the character in the main timeline and ensure that he stuck around for future films. Whatever the case, Miles is long overdue for his debut in the MCU.
To see if Miles Morales makes his MCU debut, watch Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters Dec. 17.