Considering the hype surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home, it comes as no surprise that audiences flocked to cinemas worldwide to witness the beloved superhero's return. Moviegoers were not disappointed as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, was joined by Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s versions, as well as their respective villains.
But as exciting as taking a trip down memory lane is, No Way Home's premise involves literally breaking the Multiverse. The characters in the movie make a lot of mistakes, some of which have devastating effects on reality itself.
WARNING: The following article contains heavy spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
10 Peter Approaches Doctor Strange With The Idea Of Time Travel
After his identity is revealed at the end of Spider-Man: Far from Home, Peter finds himself facing a challenge like no other. Not only is he blamed for Mysterio’s death and the London drone attacks, but his friends and family also suffer alongside Peter. Matt Murdock manages to clear him of criminal charges but his application, along with those of Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones, is still rejected by MIT.
At wits’ end, Peter approaches Doctor Strange. He suggests turning back time to make sure his identity reveal never happened. While his desire is understandable, destroying the time-space continuum for anything that isn't a world-ending threat isn’t an option Peter should have considered at all.
9 Doctor Strange Jumps Into An Incredibly Dangerous Spell Without Explaining The Full Consequences
The Sorcerer Supreme tells Peter he cannot turn back time, and not just because it is too risky. He doesn’t have the Time Stone anymore, so it’s not possible. However, he comes up with another option to help Peter—a spell that would make everyone forget Spider-Man’s true identity as Peter Parker.
Naturally, the relieved Peter jumps at the chance. The spell poses some serious ethical considerations and Strange doesn’t really take the time to explain anything to Peter. This will later prove to be disastrous for everyone involved.
8 Wong Leaves Stephen & Peter To Their Own Devices Despite Understanding The Risks
Strange’s friend and fellow sorcerer, Wong, doesn’t play a big role in NWH and that isn’t a good thing. When he learns about Doctor Strange’s plans, he warns Stephen about its dangers. Stephen disregards his comments, explaining that they had used the spell for less important things before. Of course, that is perhaps the whole problem, as the scheme involves removing a massive piece of information from the minds of everyone on the whole planet.
Wong clearly realizes the implications but instead of stopping Stephen, he simply leaves him and Peter to their own devices. Even if he had decided to give Stephen’s plan a chance, he should have stayed to supervise. If he had, the spell may not have gone awry. His reaction is made worse by the fact that he apparently was the Sorcerer Supreme after Stephen was killed in the Snap.
7 Doctor Strange Loses Control Of The Spell Due To Peter’s Interference
The plot is truly set in motion after Doctor Strange casts his spell. It is only then that Peter realizes the implications— his Aunt May, Ned, and MJ will also forget the truth. In his panic, he asks Strange to add his loved ones in as exceptions.
His reaction is understandable but extreme. While he could have told May, Ned, and MJ the truth again, they would have still forgotten everything they’d shared before, instances that had anchored Peter in his life as a hero. Because of Peter’s panic, Strange loses control of the spell, and it ends up dragging people into the MCU, just because they knew about Peter’s superheroic identity.
6 Peter Prioritizes The Well-Being Of The Villains Over The Multiverse's Stability
The Multiverse villains—the Lizard, Electro, Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Sandman—are eventually caught and imprisoned in Strange's New York Sanctum. They then realize that upon their return to their respective homes, most of them will die. Peter rejects that option.
Strange explains that any other options would endanger the Multiverse, but Peter ignores Strange’s warning. He steals the magic box that was supposed to be used to return the villains to their universes, then traps Dr. Strange in the Mirror Dimension.
5 Peter Brings Electro Within Reach Of An Arc Reactor
After Dr. Strange is no longer a problem, Peter sets out to help the Multiverse villains. To this end, he brings the group to Happy’s apartment, where he keeps the technology necessary to cure them. Unfortunately, one side effect of this decision is that he brings Electro within reach of an arc reactor.
Peter’s first meeting with Electro involved the villain feeding on a power source and attacking Peter. Considering that, one would think that Peter would be a little more cautious and not dangle the world’s most powerful source of energy in front of Electro. Even after the Mysterio debacle, Peter obviously hasn’t learned his lesson, and he is still much too trusting.
4 Electro Allows The Green Goblin To Manipulate Him
To give Peter credit, the Multiverse villains do originally seem at least partially open to the idea of being cured. Doctor Octopus constantly protests, commenting that he doesn’t need to be fixed. He quickly changes his tune when Peter replaces his Neural Inhibitor Chip, finally giving Otto his sanity back.
Unfortunately, that’s the only thing that goes according to plan. Norman Osborn, who had until then managed to be in control of his body, is replaced by his evil alter ego, the Green Goblin. The Goblin manipulates Electro into giving up the device that could have healed him. The battle that follows is devastating and ends with Aunt May's death.
3 Sandman Joins Forces With The Other Villains
One of the few villains who don’t actually desire power, Sandman just wants to go back home to his daughter. Peter is the obvious key to accomplishing that, and he always intended to return them to their rightful universes. In a baffling turn of events, Sandman ignores these facts and joins forces with the other villains. He appears to simply not want to wait and he may not have trusted Peter.
But in a way, his actions make no sense, as the villains he joins forces with aren’t even all that interested in going back. Electro and the Green Goblin, in particular, find this new world they are in full of potential and they want to make a name for themselves there. It’s dumbfounding that Sandman would fight for the people who aren’t even on his side.
2 J. Jonah Jameson Always Prioritizes His Hatred For Spider-Man
If there’s anything that has stayed the same in every universe Spider-Man has been in, it’s that J. Jonah Jameson hates him. He calls him a menace and a threat to public safety. His obsession with Spider-Man would be a running joke if it weren’t so disturbing.
It is the Daily Bugle that runs Mysterio’s story and perpetuates the belief that Peter is a murderer, when he’s only a teenager, a minor, and should have at least received some leniency because of his age. The comics explain that Jameson’s irrational reaction to Spidey is caused by envy. Regardless, it’s a mistake, and it doesn’t help Jameson or anyone else.
1 Doctor Strange Doesn’t Help Peter In His New Situation
NWH's finale ends Spider-Man’s first arc in the MCU with a bang. In order to seal the crack in the Multiverse, Doctor Strange casts a spell that wipes away all trace of Peter Parker from the world, including the memories of everyone who ever knew him.
This has devastating effects on the young hero, leaving him completely isolated. While Strange’s desire to prevent disaster is understandable, he should have found some way to provide Peter with support after the spell. NWH may have been meant as the story that makes Peter mature, but that doesn’t mean he had to lose everything in one fell swoop.