5 biggest Spider-Man No Way Home fan theories explained

The long-awaited Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer arrived this week, and many fan theories followed soon thereafter. And how could they not? This clip was so chock-full of potential Easter eggs that we couldn't help but rewatch it for clues.

The trailer goes well beyond the tease of The Green Goblin's return (you saw that Pumpkin Bomb, right?) and Alfred Molina taking to the scene as Doctor Octopus ("Hello, Peter!"), if you know where to look. People are actually bringing Mephisto back up again.

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• Plus: Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer has my Spidey-Senses very conflicted

So, we've dug deep to find the top five Spider-Man: No Way Home fan theories that show where people think the MCU film will go. And if you're willing to take small moments as signs of big appearances, there's some very good news for fans of Daredevil, Miles Morales and the Sinister Six members you don't see in the trailer. 

And just in case you want to watch while you look through these theories, we've got the trailer here for your convenience:

1. More of The Sinister Six are coming

As noted, the above trailer shows us that Doctor Otto Octavius and the Green Goblin will be in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And while it's already been reported (but not confirmed) that Jamie Foxx's Electro is coming back, one electrifying moment from the trailer has us more certain that he is going to be there — and that they're not going to be alone. 

The below still (from around 2:27 in the trailer) is a small moment that has some fans thinking those are electric and sand-based attacks headed for Spidey, who's in the bottom right corner if you can't tell. So with Doc. Ock and Green Goblin, that's now four of the Sinister Six, with Thomas Haden Church (Sandman) possibly expected to return, as he was previously Sandman in Spider-Man 3 (2007).

There's also speculation that a very-dark moment from the trailer looks like Rhys Ifans' The Lizard is back, but those stills don't seem as compelling as this attack. Though it does seem more likely than the other villain that other fans think is in that frame (more on that below). 

Odds of it happening: Likely. You've got most of the Sinister Six seemingly at the ready for No Way Home, and a movie of this magnitude needs a really-big Big Bad for Peter to have to stop. Especially with the rumors that we're getting three Spider-Men. We're still waiting on clues for Vulture (Michael Keaton) returning from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

2. Netflix's Daredevil, Charlie Cox, is coming to the MCU

Fans of Netflix's Daredevil really want him to come back, even years after the series was canceled. And a few frames of the trailer, where we see someone in a white dress shirt throw documents on a table while Peter Parker is detained, are giving fans reason to believe. 

The moment takes place approximately 31 seconds into the trailer, and the fact that we don't see who that person is (while we do see the face of the cop in the room) has fans speculating. And since Peter Parker is going to need all the help he can get, we wouldn't be shocked to see at least a cameo from the guardian devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Odds of it happening: Somewhat likely. Considering Daredevil isn't a Spider-Man character, this would see Disney sharing a character with Sony, which could happen, even though it's not as easy to figure out. Captain America, Tony Stark and Nick Fury (among others) have appeared in past MCU Spider-Man movies. But since enough time has passed since the series' conclusion for Marvel to use those characters, there is nothing ruling it out.

3. That's not Doctor Strange, it's Mephisto

Marvel knows fans want Mephisto, after many talked themselves into believing that the devil himself (the Marvel Comics equivalent, at least) was the true villain of WandaVision (when it was Agatha all along). So we're guessing Sony and Marvel knew what they were doing when someone held up a sign with a horned and moustachioed Peter Parker captioned "Devil in disguise."

But the real interesting material comes up when Peter asks Doctor Strange for a favor, to erase the public's knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity (which J. Jonah Jameson helped reveal at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home). And then Doctor Strange just … agreed? A weird decision for the guy who is seemingly the mature one in the MCU, right? Fans are noticing. Yes, Stephen Strange was reckless before he got his powers, but ever since then he's turned a new page.

Things got more complicated once fans realized that the story in this trailer is similar to the comics story One More Day, once made a similar deal to change history. When he had Mephisto save Aunt May's life (and erase the world's memory of his secret identity) in exchange for erasing Peter and Mary Jane's marriage. So, one wonders, has Mephisto managed to worm his way into Doctor Strange's form, and also trick everyone (including Wong) into believing him. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, perhaps? Even Loki writer Michael Waldron's hinting that something's up, tweeting a photo of Strange winking at Peter (very much like Agatha's wink at the fourth wall in WandaVision).

Odds of it happening: We're not sure. We've been baited into believing Mephisto was coming before, and we're not ready to claim it's happening again. That said, all of the right framework is here, but there have been no leaks or reports of any casting of Mephisto — unlike Kang, who was revealed as being played by Jonathan Majors way before we met He Who Remains.

4. Miles Morales will exit the Spider-Verse and into the MCU

We already had a hunch that Miles Morales, the other Spider-Man, existed in the MCU after his uncle Aaron Davis (played by Donald Glover) popped up in Spider-Man: Homecoming. But then, eagle-eyed fans caught a glimpse of a tiny Easter egg in the trailer. 

If you've got a good trigger finger on hitting pause, you'll see that Peter Parker is running through F.E.A.S.T., (Food, Emergency, Aid, Shelter and Training), as there's a small sign with its name in the top right corner. Content creator Trisha Hershberger called this out in a tweet, exclaiming "That #NoWayHome trailer though …   FEAST & therefore miles morales!?"

Then, there's the curious case of that powerful-looking woman in the car that Peter is shown talking to on the highway. As vague as this is, some (such as @phadeloway) think she could be Rio Morales, Miles' mother who is also a politician. 

Odds of it happening: Stronger than you might think. Sony has no reason not to merge the Spider-Verse world with No Way Home, especially if all the live-action Spider-Men are showing up. 

5. Venom will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home

The fans are out in full force looking for reasons to believe that No Way Home will finally let Tom Hardy's Venom into the MCU. Mostly, though, it's an argument over the same scene that other fans think is Vulture's tail hitting a force field protecting Spider-Man.

Previously, Venom's director Ruben Fleischer revealed Sony is "building towards" a moment where Tom Hardy's Venom and Tom Holland's Spider-Man meet. We'll possibly know more about the chances of this once Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives on October 15.

Odds of it happening: Not great. We're thinking that Vulture is more likely than Venom, because the former is more of a Sinister Six member than the latter — and it really looks like the Sinister Six are uniting.

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