The MCU introduced Peter Parker/Spider-Man during the events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War, and Spidey has since gotten three standalone movies. In the first, Peter had to figure out his relationship with his father figure Tony Stark, and in the second, he had to grapple with the implications of Tony's death. Then No Way Home came along.
The third solo Spider-Man movie upped the stakes and introduced challenges well beyond those its predecessors introduced, and absolutely everything and everyone Peter held dear was threatened. By the movie's end, everything was different for Peter Parker, and not for the better. Spider-Man is still fighting the good fight, but more than a few things are now missing.
Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home ahead.
10 Peter Can't Hang Out With Ned Leeds Anymore
Many of Peter's lost options are personal ones since Doctor Strange cast a spell to make absolutely everyone forget that Peter is Spider-Man. This even affected his good friend Ned Leeds, who discovered the truth back in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Ned's still around, and Peter can say hi to him in passing, but Ned doesn't even know who Peter is anymore. Their friendship is over, and it seems there's no way to get it back, so Peter has one less person to hang out with. That's a real shame since these boys got along so well and understood one another. Every superhero needs a real friend for support.
9 Peter Can't Date MJ Any Longer
The new Mary Jane, known simply as MJ, is portrayed by actress Zendaya and had some surprising chemistry with Peter Parker in these movies. At first, they weren't exactly lovers, but they grew much closer, especially in Europe, and they were inseparable in No Way Home.
Tragically, this budding young romance is over. MJ forgot who Peter is, along with Ned, and she sees Peter as just some nice guy who visits her shop every now and then. For now, Spider-Man is loveless, and he has to live with that.
8 Peter Can't Turn To Aunt May For Comfort & Guidance
In many iterations of Spider-Man lore, Aunt May is Peter Parker's emotional bedrock and #1 fan, and Peter relies on her more than ever after Uncle Ben's tragic murder. Tom Holland's Spider-Man had already lost Uncle Ben by the time he met Tony Stark, and Aunt May was the sole parental figure in his life.
Aunt May perished in No Way Home after the Green Goblin struck, and Peter was devastated by the loss. Now he must fight on without her, and if he's ever feeling vulnerable, he can't turn to her for comfort and guidance. That's a serious blow for Peter Parker.
7 Peter Can't Rely On Happy Hogan For Logistical Support
Many of the opportunities Peter has lost involve other people since he is a young hero who greatly relies on the logistical or emotional support of others. Superheroes such as Wolverine can go it alone for years on end, but not Peter. Losing important people in his life means losing a lot of options.
Peter used to rely greatly on Happy Hogan, who often complained but never failed to support Peter with anything he needed, even across the Atlantic in Europe. Happy could even provide a private jet and fresh Spider-Man suits when Peter needed them, but that option is now gone.
6 Peter Can't Ask Doctor Strange For Aid
This is yet another personal loss for Peter, and losing access to a key ally means losing all options that the other character provides. Doctor Stephen Strange was poised to take over as the new Tony Stark in Peter's life, but that relationship was cut shockingly short.
Doctor Strange could support Peter with his myriad spells and arcane knowledge and could even protect Peter from the Multiverse. But now, after the "everyone forgets Spider-Man" spell, Doctor Strange is totally absent from Peter's life and can't help him at all. No more wizard dad for Peter.
5 Peter Can't Access The Avengers' Many Resources
Some superheroes tried to go it alone, such as Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, but even they sometimes needed support from their fellow heroes. Nick Fury decided to form the Avengers and pool everyone's resources and knowledge, and they became Earth's mightiest heroes. Since the Avengers were formed, the members always had a team to turn to, and Spider-Man had a chance to join them.
Spider-Man wasn't quite a veteran Avenger like Captain America or the mighty Thor, but for a time, he likely could have accessed some Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. resources to help him on a mission, especially if other Avengers were involved. Now, however, Peter has no chance of doing that.
4 Peter Can't Use Stark Tech
Whether or not Peter could access Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. resources, he could at least tap into Tony Stark's bottomless well of money and technology to boost his career along. Spidey's original suit was little more than a way to hide his identity, so Tony gave him some proper suits for combat.
In short, Peter was bankrolled by Tony Stark during his time with the Avengers, and his suits were more of Tony's design than his own. Now, after the events of No Way Home, Peter has zero access to Stark tech or funding, so he must make his own suits with a sewing machine. It's a real downgrade for Spider-Man.
3 Peter Can't Consult The Other Peter Parkers
For a brief time, Tom Holland's Peter Parker was friends with both Tobey Maguire's and Andrew Garfield's versions of the character, and three Peters are certainly better than one. This was never going to be a long-term arrangement, but it sure worked out against their many enemies.
The three Spider-Men fought well against their assembled enemies to cure them, but soon enough, Doctor Strange had to send them back to their own realities, never to be seen again. Now Tom Holland's Peter is solo once again, but at least he got some much-needed emotional support from the other Peters before then.
2 Peter Can't Use Tony's A.I. Glasses Anymore
Tony Stark had more than Iron Man suits and J.A.R.V.I.S. to his name. He also had a pair of ultra-high-tech glasses that housed an A.I., which allowed the wearer to do all kinds of things, even call down remote drone strikes from a Stark satellite in orbit. Those are no ordinary Ray-Bans.
Peter had access to these glasses in Europe for a brief time before he gave them to Mysterio. By now, after the end of No Way Home, Peter has no hope of using these glasses and their vast resources ever again.
1 Peter Can't Get Ideas From Doctor Octopus
At first, the fearsome Doctor Octopus was a villain in No Way Home, but that was only because of the rogue A.I. interfering with his mind. Once Peter replaced the A.I. inhibitor chip, Dr. Otto Octavius was back to his old self, a benign scientist who just wanted to help humanity.
Dr. Octavius was once a mentor to Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker. In theory, he could have mentored Tom Holland's Peter and given him some new ideas on fusion or any other topic if he stuck around. Peter no longer has that option since Dr. Octavius is firmly back in his own reality.