Spider-Man: No Way Home: release date, trailers and more

After months of waiting, reading rumors and intense speculation, and leaked trailers, Spider-Man: No Way Home is nearly here. The next film on Marvel's Phase 4 slate, which the studio has co-developed with Sony Pictures, lands in theaters later this week. And, based on the reviews that have dropped since the film's December 13 premiere, it sounds like Marvel and Spider-Man fans are in for a wild, emotional and shocking ride.

So when is Spider-Man: No Way Home coming to cinemas? Well, it releases on December 17 in the US. But, for those in the UK, it's December 15. India and Australia-based fans, meanwhile, can check it out on December 16.

Regardless of when Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out where you live, Spidey may not be done with the MCU just yet. The 27th Marvel movie could be the final outing for current star Tom Holland, but there are lots projects involving the webhead that are in the pipeline. So we'll be getting more Spider-Man, which is always a win in our book.

There's also the possibility that Holland could reprise his role in animated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – something Holland is keen to do (per SyFy Wire), but we'll have to see if anything happens regarding this possibility.

For now, you'll want to know more about Spider-Man: No Way Home ahead of its release. Below, we've detailed everything that we know about Spider-Man: No Way Home, including its release date, sizeable cast, two trailers, potential plot points, other prominent leaks, future Spider-Man projects and more.

There are potentially big spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home, as well as some large spoilers for other Marvel properties including Loki and WandaVision below. Proceed with extreme caution if you're not caught up on the MCU.

Spider-Man: No Way Home release date

Spider-Man: No Way Home release date: December 17, 2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released exclusively in theaters on Friday, December 17 in the US, Wednesday, December 15 in the UK, and Thursday, December 16 in India and Australia.

It'll be the final release in what’s has been a jam-packed year for Marvel movies, with Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Eternals arriving before it. It'll be the last MCU flick for a while, too, with Doctor Strange 2 not landing in theaters until May 2022.

Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer

Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer: watch the final teaser

The second Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer is here (you can view it above), and it looks like it'll be the darkest, most action-packed Spidey film yet.

We get better looks at Doc Ock and Green Goblin's respective returns, while Electro, Sandman and Lizard's returns are also confirmed as part of the movie's villain-stacked cast.

We're also treated to more plot points that tease that breakdown in Spider-Man and Doctor Strange's working relationship, call backs to previous live-action Spider-Man movies and a couple of light-hearted moments that show No Way Home won't be completely serious in tone.

If you missed the movie's first trailer, too – and how could you have done that!? – you can view it below:

The first trailer confirmed that Peter Parker seeks Doctor Strange's aid in order to maintain his secret identity as Spider-Man: as you'll remember, Peter's identity was revealed by Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. 

No Way Home's first trailer suggests that Peter is having a torrid time with all of the publicity (not to mention the fact that people think he killed Mysterio) so he goes to Strange for help.

But things don't go to plan and the pair wind up contributing to the arrival of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM). We say 'contribute', as it looks like Wanda Maximoff and Sylvie (a Loki time variant) also help to usher it in as part of WandaVision's and Loki's plots.

That leads to previous iterations of Spider-Man villains appearing in the MCU and seemingly begin wreaking havoc. So it looks like it'll be up to Spider-Man (or could that be Spider-Men?) to save the day again. 

Additionally, if you really can't wait to see any more footage before Spider-Man: No Way Home lands in theaters, the first minute of the movie was exclusively revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers (per ComicBook.com's Twitter account):

Spider-Man: No Way Home cast

Spider-Man: No Way Home cast: who is playing who?

Tom Holland is reprising the role of Peter Parker, Jacob Batalon is back as Peter's friend Ned, and Zendaya will return as love interest MJ. Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange will seemingly take over Iron Man's role as Spider-Man's mentor-in-chief, too.

Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau are also back as Aunt May and Happy Hogan. Tony Revolori, too, seems to have reprised his role as Flash Thompson complete with a blonde hair makeover, as we see in the first trailer.

A wide variety of previous Spider-Man villains are back in the fold. Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx's Electro, Rhys Ifans' Lizard, Thomas Hayden Church's Sandman and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin will all be back for this multiversal epic, while J.K. Simmons will also cameo as J. Jonah Jameson, as he did in Far From Home.

There's also been lots of speculation about Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their respective iterations of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Garfield and Holland have consistently denied that the former webslingers will be back, with Holland recently downplaying their involvement again (via The Associated Press' tweet below), saying he'd "like to share the screen with them one day". 

Images and videos, however, have emerged online (in recent months) of Maguire and Garfield reportedly being seen on set. We won't post them here but, if you're lucky, you'll find them on social media or Reddit. Some reviews appear to have revealed if they're part of the film's cast as well, so be very careful if you go searching for reviews to read.

Given that the likes of Doc Ock and Electro have entered the MCU from previous Sony Spider-Man universes, it's seems increasingly likely that Maguire and Garfield will appear to help Holland's Parker to dish out some punishment.

Finally, rumors that Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Daredevil from the eponymous Netflix series have been gaining traction. An old report from Murphy’s Multiverse, which was also corroborated by ComicBook.com, had said he was apparently seen on set.

We'll have to wait and see, although a February 2021 casting call did suggest a courtroom scene was being filmed. That court case formed part of the film's first trailer but, right now, Cox isn't confirmed to appear.

The actor has denied his involvement on multiple occasions – those aren't his forearms in the first trailer – so we'll have to see if he's telling the truth when the movie arrives. Leaked images, which appeared online in early November, seemed to confirm that he'll be part of the cast, though. And prominent leaker Daniel RPK has since revealed that Cox will only be present in one scene in the entire movie. So make what you will of that.

Spider-Man: No Way Home plot

Spider-Man: No Way Home story: what will the plot be about?

Per the film's official site, an official synopsis reads: "For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man."

The third MCU Spider-Man movie, then, will deal with the repercussions of Far From Home’s ending. Here, Spidey was accused of being a drone-controlling terrorist by Mysterio, and J. Jonah Jameson made an appearance to reveal the superhero's secret identity as Peter Parker.

So Peter seems to be getting taken to court for allegedly murdering Mysterio. Given he's back in school at some point, however, we think he (with Matt Murdock's potential help) will be found innocent. But, with his secret identity revealed, that's only the first step in clearing his name, so to speak.

In the comics, there's previous form for Peter requesting the aid of magical beings, too.

After Peter revealed his identity in the Civil War comic series, his Aunt May was shot as a by-product of that decision. In a bid to stop her from dying, Peter and Mary Jane – who were married at the time – asked the demon lord Mephisto to save May's life. In exchange, Peter and Mary Jane would give up their marriage, which Mephisto agrees to. Using his powerful magic, Mephisto alters the course of history to reflect these changes.

Now that two trailers are out, we know that the controversial (and actively disliked) One More Day comic storyline involving Peter's identity and magic may be loosely adapted here. Rather than Mephisto, though, it seems Doctor Strange will be the one to try and alter the timeline.

It sounds like other comic book elements have also been drafted into No Way Home's story and character arcs. Speaking to The Direct, Holland teased the possibility of exploring Peter's "dark side" in the MCU threequel, saying: "Peter Parker's ability to be bad... there's something that happens in this film which I think fans will be very shocked by, which is really exciting and, for me, was something I loved bringing to the screen."

We'll only be getting a quintet of villains rather than a Sinister Six, too, but we're okay with that. The film already has enough characters so, outside of Garfield, Maguire and Cox appearing, it doesn't need to be packed with more people, heroes or villains.

As for the villains' roles in proceedings, it seems that Green Goblin will be the film's main antagonist. And that's something that's been heavily teased by Holland, who told Collider that his version of Spider-Man and Green Goblin go toe-to-toe in something of an epic fight.

"I know in my fight scene with the Goblin, I bust my hand up," he revealed. "My knuckles were bloodied and we were really going for it. We were putting everything into it. And I remember on the last day of shooting that fight scene when John said cut, Willem and I both just collapsed to the floor because we were exhausted."

Rumors have suggested that Green Goblin will be the one who convinces Peter to stop Doctor Strange from sending them back to their own realities. Why? Well, in their universes, each villain is killed by their version of Spider-Man. They've been pulled out of their timelines right before their deaths, too, so clearly they don't want to return and be killed once more.

Peter, who will probably feel that their plight mirrors his own – he'll be given a second chance when he's likely found innocent of supposedly murdering Mysterio – tries to steal a magical box from Strange in the second trailer. We suspect that this holds the key to keeping the villains locked up (after Strange rounds them up to send them back to their worlds), and that Peter's stealing of the item will allow them to escape and wreak havoc across the MCU's version of New York.

It's unclear how they'll do that – we've heard rumors, but won't post them here in case they spoil anything major – but it seems that the film's final showdown will pit them all against Spider-Man. Or Spider-Men, if you believe the speculation of Garfield and Maguire's returns.

Either way, it sounds like we'll be getting some violent action sequences in No Way Home. Speaking to TV Globo about the film (per ComicBook.com), Holland said: "There are some fight scenes in this movie that are very violent. And it's a fighting style different from what we've seen before. But, really you will get to see Spider-Man using his fists in a 'fight or flight' situation.'"

It also sounds like Spider-Man: No Way Home pays tribute to Sam Raimi, who directed Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy. Speaking to Den of Geek, Holland said: “I think what Jon Watts did really well is [what] he would call the ‘Raimi Cam'. And he would do these really quick, smash push-ins on characters, which is something Sam Raimi, I suppose, was quite famous for. So Jon definitely paid respect to the previous two movies.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home: MCU future

Spider-Man: No Way Home: is this Tom Holland's final outing?

We're unsure, but it sound like it could be. Speaking to GQ in November, Holland suggested that he may hang up his webshooters after No Way Home is released.

There's a chance that Holland may stick around for a bit longer, though. The character was seen in a post-credits scene in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which may hint at a showdown between Spider-Man and the symbiotic anti-hero. Holland has already confirmed that he shot that post-credits stinger on the No Way Home set (per Murphy's Multiverse).

And, according to a Small Screen report, Holland has signed on to appear in Venom 3, which Sony Pictures producer Amy Pascal has confirmed is in the planning stages (per Collider). Take this rumor with a huge helping of salt for now, however.

After that, though, who's to say whether Holland will continue as the iconic superhero. He's 25 now so, if he wants out by the time he's 30, he'll only have one or two movies left in him. 

In a separate interview with Fandango, Pascal said that she'd like Holland to be Spider-Man for another movie trilogy. Holland has since responded to Pascal's claims, saying that there's an "incredible bright future ahead" for the character (thanks, Reddit!), but he doesn't say if he'll be part of those potentially upcoming Spider-Man films.

If Holland does stay on, he has some ideas of what he'd like to do with the character. Holland has thrown his hat into the ring to appear in Sony Pictures' animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Part One and Part Two (via SyFy Wire), and he's also mentioned how he'd like the webhead's next major villain to be Morbius (per Fandango's tweet above), who is getting his own solo movie in January 2022.

There's a chance that he could cross paths with Kraven the Hunter, too, given that this villain is also getting a standalone movie and that Kraven may have been No Way Home's primary antagonist at one point (via Collider). And, if Harry Osborn is ever introduced, Holland wants Timothée Chalamet to play Peter's college friend (per ScreenRant).

It'll be a sad day when Holland does depart – he's been an excellent Spider-Man, bringing a freshness and youthfulness to the role that was arguably missing from Maguire and Garfield's versions. Whatever happens, we'll be cherishing this potentially final runout from Holland when No Way Home arrives in theaters.

• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: what we know so far