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'Spider-Man: No Way Home' has 2 must-watch end-credits scenes. Here's what they mean for future Marvel movies.

Dec 17, 2021, 08:02 IST
Insider
Tom Holland and Benedict Cumberbatch in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."Sony Pictures
  • Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Marvel's "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
  • There are two extra scenes after the movie ends, one of which hints at Spider-Man taking on Venom.
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Marvel's latest movie, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," has two must-see end-credits scenes.

If you head out to see Jon Watts' film, which marks Tom Holland's sixth appearance as the webslinger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), make sure to stay until the very end for one end-credits scene and a teaser trailer — both of which hint at what's in store for Spidey and the MCU going forward.

If you left early or saw the scenes but are a bit puzzled, we have you covered.

In the first end-credits scene, Venom learns more about the MCU

Tom Hardy in "Venom: Let There Be Carnage."Sony

At the conclusion of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" we left Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his symbiotic pal Venom captivated by the sight of Spider-Man on a TV screen after they were suddenly transported from their Earth to the one in which Peter Parker (Tom Holland) resides.

Their multiverse trip, we now know, was due to the events that transpired in "No Way Home."

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In the first end-credits scene of "No Way Home," we find Brock at a bar peppering the bartender with questions about the MCU, the blip, and Thanos. A little tipsy, Venom wants to go skinny dipping in the pool when suddenly Brock/Venom disappear back to their Earth.

Clearly, the scene takes place just moments before Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts a spell that causes anyone from the multiverse to go back to their home timelines.

But we see that a piece of Venom was left behind on the bar. Now a bit of symbiote is in Parker's world. That can't be good.

So what's going to happen next?

Tom Holland as Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures

We learned from "Let There Be Carnage" that just a small piece of symbiote can cause major trouble. Cletus Kassady (Woody Harrelson) bit Brock in the movie causing him to ingest some of the alien goo and leading to the creation of Carnage.

It seems likely that the symbiote on the bar is going to get into someone's system and Spider-Man will have to confront it.

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But who will be the host? We have some ideas.

Is Ned going to become some form of Venom?

From left; Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Zendaya as MJ, and Jacob Batalon as Ned in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."Columbia Pictures

In "No Way Home" Ned (Jacob Batalon) vows to Peter that he'll never turn on him and become a villain. He says this after learning what happened to the best friend of Spider-Man in the Tobey Maguire movies — James Franco's Harry Osborn died in Spidey's arms. But that was before what Doctor Strange does in the movie's finale.

At the end of "No Way Home," to stop more multiverse characters from completely bum-rushing Manhattan, Strange casts a spell that makes everyone forget who Peter Parker is, including his best friend Ned.

So if we run with that, it tees things up perfectly for Ned to be the one who the piece of Venom symbiote latches onto and now Parker has to take on his best friend — who doesn't know he's best friends with Parker.

This also helps Sony/Marvel Studios milk another movie or two before Brock and Venom have to finally face off against Parker.

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However, a long-standing fan theory suggests that Ned will take inspiration from the comics and become well-known Spidey nemesis Hobgoblin.

Batalon, Holland, and Zendaya reacted to the theory in a promotional video for "No Way Home," shared ahead of the movie's release. The stars all laughed, but Holland said: "There's a moment, though."

Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon, and Zendaya in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."Sony Pictures

It's unclear what moment exactly Holland was referring to — perhaps the scene where Ned assures Peter that he won't turn into a supervillain and kill him, leading them to exchange weird looks — but Ned's storyline in "No Way Home" suggests that maybe his potential future in the MCU could involve magic.

In the film, there are a few details that could be laying the groundwork for a larger plot involving Ned.

Early in the movie when Ned steps inside the Sanctum Sanctorum for the first time, he mentions magic and says: "My Nana says we have it in our family."

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Elsewhere in the movie, we see knives mounted on a board on the wall of Ned's nana's home — which seems like an interesting design choice. The camera also lingers on a shot of a sewing machine with a green garment attached to it.

The movie leans heavily into the magic, so perhaps "NWH" is setting Ned up to be an amalgamation of Hobgoblin and a sorcerer.

He also uses Doctor Strange's sling ring to open portals, which lead to the returns of past Spider-Man actors Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Even the sorcerer is impressed to learn that Ned is able to open portals.

Later, when he falls from the Statue of Liberty construction during the big battle scene, Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation saves him and wraps around him. As Ned descends to the ground safely with the cloak on, he kind of looks like a sorcerer.

Coincidentally, in the comics, Ned teams up with the villainous sorcerer named Baron Mordo.

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Karl Mordo previously appeared in the MCU in 2016's "Doctor Strange," played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. The character became the villain by the end of the movie and will return in the upcoming sequel.

Could Flash Thompson become Agent Anti-Venom?

Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson in "Spider-Man: Far From Home."Sony

In the comics, Eddie Brock isn't the only person who becomes a host for the symbiote. Flash, Peter's high school bully, becomes Agent Venom as part of the Department of Homeland Security's plan to make a new super soldier.

He loses the symbiote, but later bonds with a new one, thus becoming Agent Anti-Venom.

In the MCU, Flash (played by Tony Revolori) appears in the "Spider-Man" movies in a minor capacity. He primarily just makes snide comments about Peter while praising Spider-Man, who he's desperate to befriend.

Brief moments in "Far From Home" and "No Way Home" suggest that maybe there's more to be unpacked in regards to Flash, at least in terms of what his family life is like.

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After all the credits roll, we get the 1st teaser trailer for 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'

Benedict Cumberbatch in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures

At the onset of the teaser trailer, we hear Doctor Strange's voice, as he explains that "the multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little." In case that line sounds familiar, it's because he said the same thing in "No Way Home."

We see a bunch of short scenes that give insight into what we can expect from the "Doctor Strange" sequel.

One moment shows people running in the background of a shot that's focused on Doctor Strange. Another shows the return of Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer. She's seen wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet as Stephen, dressed in a suit and tie, watches from a row in the crowd.

Wong (Benedict Wong) is seen with a bloody face and there's also a brief shot of the back of the Marvel character America Chavez/Miss America (played by Xochitl Gomez).

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Then the trailer takes a tonal shift to show Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) in a lush field, snipping blossoms off a tree branch.

"I knew sooner or later you'd show up. I made mistakes and people were hurt," Wanda tells Stephen, referring to the events of her standalone Disney+ show "WandaVision," in which she took control of the town of a town called Westview while processing her grief over the death of Vision.

"I'm not here to talk about Westview," Stephen replies, telling her that her help is needed. He specifically asks her what she knows about the multiverse.

Elizabeth Olsen on season one, episode nine of "WandaVision."Marvel Studios

The teaser then cuts to scenes showing the return of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo, who became Stephen's enemy by the end of "Doctor Strange."

We also see Wanda in her Scarlet Witch costume, sitting on a floor surrounded by candles and seemingly spell casting.

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Another scene shows a bus being thrown at Doctor Strange and America Chavez. Strange uses his magic to slice the bus in half, narrowly avoiding him or America getting injured.

Then, he's told, "I'm sorry Stephen. I hope you understand the greatest threat to our universe is you."

The trailer ends with Stephen coming face-to-face with what looks like an evil version of himself, who says: "Things just got out of hand."

The teaser concludes with a title card that reads, "Doctor Strange will return."

The teaser indicates how the multiverse will be a key component in the MCU going forward

Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."Sony Pictures

The events of the spell that Stephen casts at the end of "No Way Home," to make the entire world forget who Peter Parker is, will have ripple effects in the MCU. "Doctor Strange 2" will be helmed by Sam Raimi, who directed Tobey Maguire's "Spider-Man" trilogy, and is set for release on May 6, 2022.

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Recent Marvel projects released this year have introduced Marvel characters like Eli Bradley (on "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier") and Kate Bishop (on "Hawkeye"), leading to a theory that the MCU is setting up a group from the comics known as the Young Avengers. The debut of America Chavez in "Doctor Strange 2" further fuels that theory.

In the comics, she does join the Young Avengers, as well as another group called Teen Brigade. Miss America's powers include superhuman speed and strength; flight; teleportation; and bulletproof skin.

Fans have known for a while that Olsen's MCU journey would continue in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," so it's likely that the movie will further explore Wanda's witch powers. The movie is likely to address what exactly Wanda was up to during the end-credits scene of "WandaVision."

Olsen previously described the "Doctor Strange" sequel to Glamour UK as "a bonkers movie, they're definitely going for that horror show vibe."

The trailer alludes to the film's darker tone, namely through the appearance of a more sinister version of Doctor Strange.

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The inclusion of a darker Strange in the upcoming movie could also draw parallels to the Doctor Strange-centric episode of the animated Marvel series "What If...?" Season one, episode four of the Disney+ show focuses on the question: What if Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?"

An evil version of Marvel's Doctor Strange seen on season one of "What If…?"Marvel Studios/Disney+

The episode shows Stepehen struggling to deal with the death of Christine, which, he learns, is a fixed point in time that cannot be changed no matter how many attempts he makes to go back in time and undo it. Without her death, Stephen would never start his journey and become the sorcerer supreme. And saving Christine would create a temporal paradox that would in turn destroy that universe.

Against the Ancient One's advising, Stephen researches methods to gain more power, which would allow him to reverse this Absolute Point.

It's later revealed that the Ancient One drew on the power of the Dark Dimension to split the timeline and separate Stephen into two beings, allowing for two versions of him to exist simultaneously in the same universe.

One version accepts Christine's fate and moves on, while the other's grief leads him to seek out more power and become an evil version of himself, known as Strange Supreme. The two versions of Stephen do come face-to-face in the episode and fight each other.

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"What If...?" was initially believed to be a series that doesn't directly affect stories in the live-action MCU projects.

But executive producer Brad Winderbaum previously told Deadline: "Without going into great detail, I can tell you that 'What If...?' as a project, as a story that exists in the MCU, is as important as any other and is woven into that tapestry."

If "Doctor Strange 2" is taking inspiration from "What If...?" then watching the animated show could have a big payoff in the long run.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is in theaters now. Read Insider's review here.

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