Spider-Man returns for its next instalment in a post-Mysterio universe, and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) tries to live in a world where his identity is no longer secret. Oh yeah, and there’s that little pickle where he was framed for Mysterio’s murder.
We can only presume that little inconvenience from the last movie was merely an unresolved plotline that needed to run its course before we get to the meat and potatoes, but it would presumably be one of the many contributing factors to Parker’s unhappiness that even the company of Mary Jane Watson (Zendaya) cannot soothe. Superhero logic dictates that this situation is a perfect setup for a new storyline, so it’s MacGuffin time as Parker tries to undo the damage done to his personal life as well as those of his loved ones.
Naturally, there is no better candidate in the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Dr Strange, the resident MacGuffin man in a post-Iron Man world. It helps that they both roost in New York, so there’s that. As always, Wong warns Strange about the dangers that will come should he intervene, but he probably knows by now that Strange will do it anyway, so he leaves on his business – fighting Abomination in Shang-Chi, perhaps?
Unfortunately, Parker’s wish for the Mysterio incident to never happen isn’t quite the same as how Strange’s spell works. According to Strange, everyone, including Aunt May and Mary Jane will forget that Parker is Spider-Man. Understandably, Parker has his reservations about that now that he finally gets the girl, and we get the impression that Parker somehow disrupted the spell with dire consequences.
It seems like the multiverse is officially the norm now and all bets are off – the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Dr Octopus (Alfred Molina) are teased to return and it’s no doubt a fanboy’s wet dream. The ominous “be careful what you wish for, Peter,” is bad news for our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, but this is certainly what we wished for. December 17 can’t come soon enough.
