WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home, now playing in theaters.
Despite constant protestations that it wouldn't, Spider-Man: No Way Home did exactly what fans expected: bring together three generations of Spider-Men. Uniting Tom Holland's Webslinger with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions, the film is an absolute joy for Spidey fans. However, No Way Home is at its worst when everything is reduced to something worth laughing over, with one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest complaints ironically working the least with a character it should feel natural for. This MCU's humor distracts from emotional scenes, downplaying what should be dramatic moments with endless quips.
For instance, Peter, MJ and Ned are as jokey as ever in No Way Home, and it can become tiresome. The opening sequence, in which Peter tries to get MJ out of a crowd, only highlights one of the major faults of the MCU Spider-Man. This would be that he doesn't make jokes so much as he's put in situations that are supposed to be funny, which also underplays the stakes of said situation.
Likewise, MJ and Ned feel like they're used more for comedy than for truly being Peter's friends. As with many MCU films, their jokes and quips ruin the tension in certain scenes. An example is when Maguire's Peter relays the story of Harry Osborn's tragic death, a nostalgic scene ruined by Ned awkwardly pausing for humor. When Peter has to eventually make his sacrifice at the climax and erase their relationships, the impact is almost weighed down by the fact that these characters haven't really done much besides crack wise with each other.
The kids aren't the only ones whose humor negatively affects No Way Home, with other characters being there mostly for a good laugh. Happy Hogan is reduced mostly for a joke, becoming something of a lost, lovesick puppy for Aunt May. This is, of course, used for comedy, much like their surprise relationship was in Far From Home, and it weakens the film's climax when Peter, who has erased himself from everyone's memories, can not properly mourn May with Happy. Likewise, Dr. Strange mostly comes off like a teacher scolding a child while the audience laughs over his exacerbation.
Even the previous Spider-Men don't get off scot-free, as the MCU humor infects them, too. Maguire and Garfield's versions of Peter make more jokes than they ever did before, thus adding more humor to a film that can't go five minutes without quipping. In the end, this is perhaps what makes the movie's ending so strong, as it forces Holland's Spider-Man into a much different, darker place where he has to start from scratch as a hero.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters.