Why Spider-Man: No Way Home's Mystery Scene Can’t Be Tobey Maguire
Tom Holland teased a mystery Marvel character showing up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and there's a reason he wasn't talking about Tobey Maguire. No Way Home is changing the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever. In the first trailer for the film, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is dealing with the fallout from the world learning that he's Spider-Man. And things aren't going great. To change the situation, Parker turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who sympathizes with the web-slinger's plight. Despite being warned against it, Doctor Strange attempts a dangerous memory wipe spell, and it doesn't go as planned. Because of the enchantment, a hole opens in the Multiverse, and villains from previous Spider-Man films, such as Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx's Electro, enter the MCU.
Because of the past Spider-Man villains entering the MCU, fans expect past Peter Parkers to arrive as well. For weeks, there have been supposed leaks about actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield showing up in No Way Home. And the first trailer only added to the rumors. In addition to the villains, Easter eggs seem to tease Maguire's arrival. Several fans even believe Marvel intentionally changed the trailer footage to hide Maguire's and Garfield's involvement. After all, the studio previously edited footage to hide Holland's involvement in Captain America: Civil War.
Holland is now teasing a mystery character appearing in a No Way Home scene, but it's unlikely that he's referring to Maguire. In an interview (via Empire), Holland discussed "one of the coolest scenes" he's ever shot, which involved a discussion between four characters about what it means to be a hero. According to Holland, the scene involves Peter Parker, Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May, Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan, and a mystery character. Holland said his jaw was "on the floor" when he watched the scene. The interview sparked speculation about Maguire being the mystery person; however, there are a few reasons that's not the case.
If Maguire is involved in the film, Marvel is desperately trying to keep it under wraps, and Holland would respect that. No Way Home has already been hit with leaks, as an unfinished trailer previously made its way to the internet ahead of the film's official trailer release. Additionally, other leaks have supposedly already confirmed Maguire and Garfield's involvement. Of course, Marvel wants to save the big surprise of previous Spider-Man heroes for the big screen, so it's doubtful that Holland would tease an actor he wasn't supposed to.
Holland isn't as spoiler-happy as fans think. The actor has gained a reputation for letting spoilers slip over the years, but the supposed slips are usually reasonably innocuous. For instance, Holland gets blowback for confirming that there would be a Spider-Man trilogy in the MCU, but confirming a trilogy isn't spoiling anything that's happening in the movies. Holland also previously confirmed an Iron Man 2 fan theory about Spider-Man. But that film came out in 2010, so confirming an Iron Man 2 fan theory isn't spoiling anything either. When it comes to Tobey Maguire's or Andrew Garfield's involvement in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland has flat denied it. There's no way he'd spoil it now.