Spider-Man: No Way Home Has Everything From Multiverse Chaos to a Tragic Death, and It's a Lot!

You might want to sit down for this, because Spider-Man: No Way Home will take you on a ride! The third installment of Tom Holland's franchise follows the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man turned public enemy number one after Mysterio, aka Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), framed him for London's destruction and his death. To make matters worse, Mysterio used his last dying breath to reveal Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

With the world against him, Peter enlists Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to do a spell to make everyone forget he's Spider-Man. Peter continuously interrupts Dr. Strange during his spellcasting to ask for exemptions for MJ (Zendaya), Ned (Jacob Batalon), Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) so they still remember him. This causes chaos, and here's where the multiverse begins! Keep reading to find out more about what happens in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Villains From the Spider-Man Multiverse Appear
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Villains From the Spider-Man Multiverse Appear

After Dr. Strange's spell goes haywire, Peter starts getting visits from villains from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man movies. Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) is first up and tries to kill Holland's Spider-Man. They both end up confused because Dr. Otto doesn't recognize Peter when he's unmasked and Peter doesn't know Dr. Otto or why he wants vengeance on Spider-Man.

Dr. Strange then instructs Peter to hunt down the rest of the villains and gives him a device that will trap them until he can figure out a spell to reverse the madness.

With the help of Ned and MJ, the Sandman, aka Flint Marco (Thomas Haden Church), and Electro, aka Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), are trapped. Dr. Strange also captures the Lizard, aka Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). The last one to find is the Green Goblin, aka Norman Osborne (Willem Dafoe).

Peter Parker Tries to Cure the Villains
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Peter Parker Tries to Cure the Villains

Norman goes to Aunt May's job after he sees a Spider-Man advertisement outside of the building. Peter heads there and takes a liking to Norman, who presents himself as a frail scientist. His conscience takes over after he realizes that if Dr. Strange sends the villains back to their universes, their fate is death at the hands of Spider-Man. So Spider-Man traps Dr. Strange and takes a spell box away from him that would send all the villains home with the click of a button.

The Multiverse Villains Go Rogue
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The Multiverse Villains Go Rogue

After trapping Dr. Strange, Peter works with Norman to create formulas to revert the villains back to their original selves prior to gaining destructive powers. Dr. Otto is the first to take the cure, and he's forever grateful. But then, Norman's Green Goblin goes rogue and encourages Sandman, Lizard, and Electro to escape.

Aunt May Dies
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Aunt May Dies

In Peter's fight to defeat the Green Goblin, May gets injured. She continues to assure her nephew that he did the right thing by trying to help the villains. The wound is more severe than what they initially thought, and it's clear May is going to die. As she's dying, she says, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Spider-Man fans will recall, that quote is something Uncle Ben told Maguire and Garfield's Peter when he died. Cue the ugly cry!

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Appear
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Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Appear

Peter is devastated by May's death, so he disappears. Ned then uses the sling ring Peter stole from a now-trapped Dr. Strange to try to locate Peter. "I just wish we could see Peter!" he shouts. His spell opens a portal showing Peter in a Spider-Man suit — only, it's Garfield's Peter! Repeating the spell, Ned unintentionally brings in Maguire's Peter! Using their combined Spidey senses, they're able to track down Holland's Peter. And yes, their reunion is a lot like the infamous Spider-Man meme.

Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men Work Together
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Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men Work Together

All three Peters work together to complete the cures for the remaining villains: Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman, and Lizard. Once they create the concoctions, they lure the villains to the Statue of Liberty using Dr. Strange's magic box device because they know the villains want to destroy it so they never go back to the other universes. Holland's Spider-Man takes the lead, using his experience from working with the Avengers — something the other Spider-Men don't have in their universes. The Spider-Men have cute moments of positive affirmations in the heartwarming huddle up before administering cures on all the villains.

Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man Story Arcs Get Redemption
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Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man Story Arcs Get Redemption

When Garfield and Maguire's characters meet Holland's Peter, they give a recap of all the people they've lost and moments they wish they'd done differently in an attempt to assure Holland's Peter they know what he's going through. Garfield's Spider-Man expresses sadness over not being able to save his love Gwen (Emma Stone), and Maguire's Spider-Man says that even though he killed the Green Goblin for murdering his Uncle Ben, he never felt better.

During the fight scene, Zendaya's MJ is falling from the Statue of Liberty and Holland's Spider-Man dives to save her, but he's intercepted by one of the villains. Garfield's Spider-Man steps into action and saves MJ in a very tear-jerker moment.

Holland's Spider-Man is in a fight to kill the Green Goblin after everything that he's caused. As he's about to slay the villain using his glider — the same way Maguire's Spider-Man killed him — Maguire's Spider-Man steps in to save the Green Goblin, and Garfield's Spider-Man administers the cure.

The World Forgets Peter Parker Ever Existed
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The World Forgets Peter Parker Ever Existed

Dr. Strange finally escapes his trap as the universe appears to start crumbling and other creatures try to get through. He tries to seal all the cracks but can't hold it much longer. Peter then asks him to cast a spell to make everyone forget Peter Parker ever existed so that villains have no reason to come to this universe. This also allows Dr. Strange to press the magic button, sending all of the multiverse people home: Garfield's Peter, Maguire's Peter, the Green Goblin, the Sandman, Electro, Dr. Otto, and the Lizard.

Amid the spell-casting, Peter says goodbye to Ned and MJ, who will forget him. MJ says "I love you" to Peter and asks him to say it back later hoping that it'll spark back her memory. The rest, you'll have to see for yourself!