The latest Spider-Man movie not only provides fans with plenty of MCU characters but also showcases some lost and forgotten heroes and villains from the previous Spider-Man universes. Despite the staggering number of cameos, fans appeared to love each and every one.
Fans were definitely more excited about some characters than others, but most Spider-Man fans appreciated how the characters were included in the film in a meaningful capacity rather than just pure fan service. This movie even managed to include a cameo or two from more than just the first five Spider-Man films.
WARNING: The following article contains heavy spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
13 J. Jonah Jameson From The Raimi-Verse, Kind Of
J.K. Simmons appears in the MCU as the hotheaded and impulsive J. Jonah Jameson of The Daily Bugle. While he also portrayed this character in the original Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, this iteration is slightly different from the Raimi version.
Rather than the man above who runs the newspaper called The Daily Bugle, he's running a web-based news outlet and is almost entirely bald with a slightly different mustache. However, Simmons showcased the same energy, personality, and disdain for Spider-Man that made the Raimi-Verse Variant so great.
12 Attorney Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil, From The Netflix Universe
The man without fear made a brief cameo in No Way Home as Peter's very good lawyer. He miraculously makes Peter's legal troubles go away and amazingly catches a brick coming through a window before Peter can.
Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock first appeared in Netflix's Daredevil adaptation but has been in limbo since the series' cancellation. It's unclear if the Netflix series is now MCU canon or if the character will be loosely based on the Netflix version, but having Cox return ensures that Daredevil is in good hands in the MCU.
11 Dr. Stephen Strange From The MCU
While Dr. Strange had been confirmed in trailer footage weeks before the film premiered, his name isn't in the title, so his prominent appearance should be considered an MCU cameo, much like Tony in Homecoming. Stephen's cameo is rather significant as he is the catalyst for the film's major conflict.
Strange has been in the MCU since 2016 and with half of the original six dead and/or gone, there is now plenty of room for new leadership among the Avengers. Strange may not be Sorcerer Supreme at the moment, but there is a pretty good chance he'll regain his title in his sequel film.
10 The Sorcerer Supreme, Wong, From The MCU
While Wong was also confirmed in trailer footage, his interaction with Stephen regarding the memory wipe spell is completely different from what was shown in the trailers. Wong tells him not to perform the spell in the trailer whereas in the movie he simply gave up trying to reason with Strange and said he didn't want any part of it, before leaving to Kamar-Taj.
Fans also learned that Wong is now the Sorcerer Supreme since Dr. Strange was dusted away in the Snap. This explains why Wong was the one contacting Shang-Chi and Katy and why he was handling the meeting between them and a few of the other Avengers.
9 Dr. Otto Octavius From Spider-Man 2 (Raimi-Verse)
The first non-MCU Spider-Man villain fans are introduced to is Alfred Molina's Dr. Otto Octavius from Spider-Man 2; a film many considered to be one of the greatest superhero films of all time (at the time). Even still, the second Raimi installment is fun to watch and is filled with plenty of jump scares and exciting visual effects.
In the newest Spider-Man film, once Otto's inhibitor chip is restored, the robotic arms no longer haunt his mind, which allows him to regain his sanity and rejoin the good side. Otto even plays a critical part in defeating Electro in the film's final battle.
8 Green Goblin From Spider-Man (Raimi-Verse)
Willem Dafoe's chilling portrayal of the Green Goblin is one of the best performances in the entire movie. His split personality is done brilliantly in such a way that fans can hate Dafoe's Goblin before immediately feeling bad for his Osborn. Some have compared his Osborn/Goblin performance to Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Dafoe is able to deliver the same eerie creepiness fans loved from the first Spider-Man movie while maintaining an air of innocence as Norman's true self wants nothing to do with the Goblin's violent agenda. After No Way Home's unbelievable success, fans certainly hope to see Dafoe's Green Goblin at least once more in the future.
7 Lizard From The Amazing Spider-Man (Webb-Verse)
While Lizard didn't get a whole lot of screen time, the creative team was successful in bringing back Rhys Ifans to reprise his role from The Amazing Spider-Man. It was hard to tell with the CGI lizard body, but after he was cured, his human form was that of Ifans.
Considering Lizard was so incredibly powerful and athletic in his first film, fans were disappointed that they didn't get to see his scuffle with Dr. Strange. However, he certainly showcased his Lizard abilities in the final fight before the Spider trio cured the cold-blooded scientist.
6 Electro From The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb-Verse)
Jamie Foxx returned as Electro, but (thankfully) his appearance was completely overhauled for the MCU. Foxx's Maxwell Dillon started out as a nerdy engineer that worked at Oscorp before falling into a tank of electrical eels. This accident gave Dillon incredible energy-based abilities as well as blue skin for some unknown reason.
Dillon maintains the same power set in the MCU but notes that he likes the way the MCU energy feels, suggesting it's different than the energy in his universe. He also has the ability to convert himself into pure energy while appearing as a normal human rather than maintaining a Megamind-like appearance at all times.
5 Sandman From Spider-Man 3 (Raimi-Verse)
Sandman is another villain who didn't get much screen time, but again, the original actor, Thomas Haden Church, was brought back to reprise his role as the classic Spidey villain. Church was another actor that wasn't truly revealed until his character was cured as the CGI for Sandman had changed quite a bit from the original design.
Church's Sandman starts out as an ally in this movie as he and Tobey Maguire's Peter were on good terms the last time they saw each other. However, after Tom Holland's Peter makes Electro disappear, he quickly turns on Peter, landing himself in the Undercroft.
4 Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man (Webb-Verse)
Despite the numerous rumors and leaks about Andrew Garfield's involvement in the film, fans were still incredibly excited to see Garfield's Spider-Man once again. His quirky personality and fun energy were just as fans remembered with the addition of some maturity due to his life experiences since 2014.
Garfield's Spider-Man was hilarious but fans still appreciated his dark insight into the period where he stopped pulling his punches after Gwen Stacy died. Fans also erupted with applause when he saved MJ from her fall, which was a poetic redemption for his character.
3 Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man (Raimi-Verse)
One of the best parts about Tobey Maguire's cameo was the fact that his Spider-Man had aged, significantly, providing an older brother dynamic with the other Spider-Men. Maguire still captured the same timidness and awkwardness that fans loved about his original Spider-Man, but he too managed to mature the character in a way that felt appropriate.
Another great moment was when Tobey revealed to the others that his webbing is self-produced rather than manufactured, which both shocks and disgusts his multiversal counterparts. Fans had a brief scare when Green Goblin impaled Maguire's Spidey in the final battle, but aside from some immense pain, he seemed to make it through the injury.
2 Tom Hardy's Venom From The Sony-Verse
Most fans assumed that Venom wouldn't be making an appearance once the villain lineup was introduced early in the film, making his mid-credits cameo all the more surprising. Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock is seen drinking at a bar, asking the bartender about all of the incredible super-powered people in the MCU. Just as Venom declares their drunkenness, they disappear back to their universe, leaving behind an unpaid tab and a small piece of Venom.
The implications of this scene would suggest that the MCU's Venom is coming relatively soon as a small piece can generate a whole new symbiote; as evidenced from the creation of Carnage in the Venom sequel. While it remains to be seen if the specifics will work the same between the Sony-Verse and MCU, fans are looking forward to an MCU canon version of Venom.
1 The Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Trailer Includes Some Additional MCU Alums
While the formal trailer for the Dr. Strange sequel isn't technically part of the Spider-Man movie, it was released in theaters as part of the film, suggesting that the events of No Way Home may play a fairly significant role in the coming multiversal adventure. Not only are Strange, Wong, Mordo, and Christine shown in the trailer, but Wanda Maximoff is prominently featured as well.
The trailer also introduces some new characters like America Chavez of the Utopian Parallel and the sea monster known as Gargantos. There is even an alternate Dr. Strange who many believe could be the live-action version of Strange Supreme from the What If...? series, though the one in the trailer seems much more evil. Some fans have even theorized that there will be several Dr. Strange Variants throughout the film, essentially doubling down on the concepts introduced in the Loki series.