Spider-Man: No Way Homekicks off with Peter Parker grappling with the revelation of his secret identity, which was exposed by Mysterio in the previous installment,Spider-Man: Far From Home.Desperate for a solution to erase the world’s knowledge of his true self, Peter turns to Doctor Strange, hoping that magic will provide the remedy he seeks. However, their seemingly well-intentioned spell takes an unexpected turn, unleashing chaos and inadvertently leading to the emergence of supervillains from alternate dimensions into their world.
However, in an alternate vision, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was set to embark on a journey, visiting significant moments from Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man versions. Concept artist Phil Saunders shared early concept art for the film in anArtStationpost, showcasing Holland’s Spidey and Doctor Strange in their interdimensional escapades. The duo would engage in a heated battle over the source of the spell, the Book of Vishanti.
“One early idea for Spidey and Dr. Strange’s chase through the multiverse was to have them battle over the source of the spell (in this early version the Book of Vishanti) through scenes from the previous movies. We were given a couple of days to play with that idea, taking screen caps from the movies and painting in Spidey and Doc.”
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Michael Keaton’s Vulture Storyline Revealed in Spider-Man: No Way Home Concept Art
Michael Keaton’s Vulture was also slated to join forces with Peter Parker in a bid to confront the menacing Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro, who had entered their world through the shattered boundaries of the multiverse. Phil Saunders previously offereda glimpse of what could have been, showcasing a scene featuring Peter Parker and Vulture collaborating to tackle the multiverse villains.
The duo would have embarked on a journey, with Peter leveraging Doc Ock’s hacked tentacles to escort the multiversal villains across the city. However, as often happens in complex projects like this, the script evolved over time to align with the broader MCU plan and adapt to various challenges.
“On any project of this complexity, the script will go through numerous changes as story direction adapts to the greater MCU plan and challenges such as actor availability. An early version of Spiderman: Far From Home [sic] had Peter enlisting the aid of a former foe in rehabilitating the captured multiverse villains. Much fun would have been had watching him frog-march the multiversal miscreants across town with the help of Doc Ock’s hacked tentacles. It was a great joy to attempt to capture the diverse attitudes of these incredible actors.”
Originally, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a plan in place, whereDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas set to debut beforeSpider-Man: No Way Home.As costume designer Graham Churchyard explained, within this framework, there were exciting prospects, including a cameo by Tom Holland’s Peter Parker inDoctor Strange’s multiverse escapade. Additionally, Doctor Strange and America Chavez were set to be integral parts of the storyline inSpider-Man: No Way Home.However, the unforeseen disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic threw these well-laid plans into disarray.
