With the Marvel Cinematic Universe fracturing into a multiverse at the end of Loki, this explains the titles of a couple Phase Four films. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggests the Sorcerer Supreme will be trying to stitch reality together once more, while it seems like Spider-Man: No Way Home is about Tom Holland's Peter Parker getting lost in a realm where the Sinister Six will be teaming up again him. However, thanks to a new theory, the movie's title may hold a twist regarding its true plot.
Theories for the Sinister Six have ramped up now that some more villains have been teased in this clip. Fans already knew that Doctor Octopus would be appearing, with the trailer also showing Green Goblin's bomb and hinting at the likes of Sandman and Jamie Foxx's Electro. But courtesy of a theory from Erik Voss at New Rockstars, they might not actually be the villains of this story, but the victims.
The theory posits that in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter will actually be trying to help these villains get back to their respective universes, perhaps resetting the sinister deal Strange makes and reversing the mind-wipe spell from "One More Day." In the trailer, Wong warns Strange not to mess with space and time and erase people's knowledge of Peter's superhero identity, so this might be why Peter has to put the broken pieces back together and get everyone back to where they originated from.
It makes sense from a narrative perspective, as Peter hasn't faced off against these villains yet, who mostly existed before the MCU came into play. Thus, there's no emotional attachment to be gleaned from another Spidey, outside of Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield's versions, going at it with them. As such, it's not far-fetched to think Peter may see them as misunderstood or that they may genuinely seek redemption, just wanting to get back to atone for their sins.
Doc Ock already died doing just that in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, with the other villains also having sympathetic arcs. Electro was bullied and abused before he broke bad, Sandman became a victim of circumstance and faded away after breaking his promise to be a good father, while Norman Osborn, right at the end in Raimi's first movie, realized he failed by pursuing a path as Green Goblin. It could be that they saw the monsters they became when the Multiverse broke, providing Peter with this new challenge in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
It'd align with what he did with Michael Keaton's Vulture in his first solo MCU movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, saving the villain's life and inspiring him to want to be better. Of course, whether the variant villains would be open to his help and a second chance remains to be seen but ultimately, this fits Peter's selfless disposition.
What's also interesting is they may not be able to put the multiverse back to the way it was, which means if these characters get stranded in the MCU, they'll have "no way home" back to their respective realities. It could craft a unique story where they're now in this mainstream reality, wondering which paths to follow. It'd make Spidey's real test being if he can lure them to the light and prevent them from becoming the destroyers that fate carded them to be.
To find out what the title really means, see Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters on Dec. 17.