Marvel and Sony have finally reached an agreement that will allow Spider-Man to return to the MCU. We probably would’ve gotten a direct sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home under Sony, but it wouldn’t have been the same – there would be supporting characters missing, it wouldn’t strike the right tone, and it would suddenly feel as though Peter Parker was living in a different universe (because he would’ve been).
Thankfully, a proper Marvel-mounted sequel to Far From Home is coming to theaters in 2021. So, here are 10 Far From Home Moments That We Hope Pay Off When Spider-Man Returns To The MCU.
Mysterio’s possibly unreliable death
Since Quentin Beck’s whole gimmick is pulling off illusions that no one can see coming, perhaps we all missed his greatest trick. Marvel fans don’t believe that the MCU would be slowly building the Sinister Six (first the Vulture, then Mysterio) and kill off one of the team’s key players in his first outing.
Mysterio pulled off another trick – framing Spider-Man for his attack in altered video footage, thus completing his plan and making himself out to be a superhero – from beyond the grave, so maybe he’s not even really dead and that was an illusion, too. We’ve been left wondering about Mysterio, so hopefully, we’ll get some answers in the third Spider-Man movie.
Aunt May helping out Snap victims
At the beginning of Far From Home, we got a glimpse of the street-level response to the Snap. In particular, we saw Aunt May (who found strangers living in her apartment when she got un-dusted) doing charity work for people who found themselves financially displaced by the Snap.
It would be great to see more of these post-Snap effects on society in Spider-Man 3 because we don’t get this kind of insular scope in an Avengers movie. Maybe there’s even a cult out there that thinks Thanos was right to wipe out half of all life and don’t agree with the Hulk and Iron Man doing their finger-snaps to reverse it.
Flash’s admiration for Spider-Man contrasted with his disdain for Peter Parker
While the Flash Thompson of the MCU is very different from the Flash Thompson of the comics (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, since the comic book Flash is just a douchey, one-dimensional jock), one characteristic has remained the same: he really admires Spider-Man and constantly bullies Peter Parker without realizing they’re the same person.
It’s been used for comedic irony in the MCU’s Spider-Man movies, with Flash saying that he “really respects” Spidey and then immediately calling Peter a “d**kwad.” Now, Flash will know that Peter is Spider-Man and realize that his idol is the kid he’s been bullying for years, which should be hilarious.
Avengers Tower’s new owner
In the final moments of Spider-Man: Far From Home, we saw Spidey swinging through the streets of New York. There was a tantalizing Easter egg when he swung through a mid-construction Avengers Tower, which had been bought by a new owner. The site contained a note to fans printed on a fence: “We can’t wait to show you what comes next.”
In the months since, fans have been speculating about who the new owner might be: Norman Osborn, the Fantastic Four, maybe even someone else entirely. Spider-Man 3 is the perfect chance to reveal the building’s new owner since Spidey swings around the New York skyline all the time.
Nick Fury and Maria Hill were Skrulls all along
Whether Nick Fury and Maria Hill have been Skrulls for eight years or a week, Peter Parker went on a whole wacky adventure with them and it wasn’t really them. As an audience, we found this out in the post-credits scene, where it was revealed that Fury (and possibly Hill) had been working with the Skrulls in space (possibly forming S.W.O.R.D.), but Peter is none the wiser.
As far as he knows, it was the real Fury and Hill. There’s a chance for some fun dramatic irony here – playing the character’s knowledge against the audience’s knowledge – that the writers of Spider-Man 3 (or some other MCU movie featuring Spidey) should capitalize on.
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
Spider-Man’s relationship with J. Jonah Jameson – with the latter constantly slandering the former in headlines and the former secretly working for the latter – is one of the most fun parts of the Spidey mythology.
Now that his links to Tony Stark have him set for life financially, there’s a good chance that Peter Parker won’t need to make extra cash selling pictures of Spider-Man (and with smartphones, it’s not difficult for civilians to snap pictures of him anymore either). But Spidey and Jameson should still develop their hilarious rapport in Spider-Man 3, especially since J.K. Simmons is back in the role.
Uncle Ben’s suitcase
Peter Parker and Aunt May have yet to overtly address the elephant in the room: Uncle Ben. However, there have been hints that Uncle Ben’s murder is still a very important part of this Spider-Man’s story. Peter briefly mentioned “everything she’s been through…” when talking about May in Homecoming, then used a suitcase labeled “BFP” (Benjamin Franklin Parker) when he was packing for his European vacation in Far From Home.
Hopefully, as the concluding chapter in Spidey’s solo trilogy (Kevin Feige likes to tell solo stories in threes), Spider-Man 3 can ratchet up the Uncle Ben teases and actually address his murder and its impact on Peter’s life.
Peter and M.J. start dating
Peter Parker and Michelle Jones started dating at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and we left them in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, where swinging through the streets of New York was a fun novelty. What the third Spidey movie should do is follow up on this by showing the cracks in their relationship as it develops.
The Sam Raimi trilogy did a great job of showing the tough reality of dating Spider-Man. His duties as a superhero and his duties as a boyfriend often conflict with one another, and M.J. can only give him the benefit of the doubt to a certain extent.
Aunt May and Happy Hogan’s burgeoning relationship
With the death of Tony Stark seemingly making Happy Hogan an unnecessary character in the MCU, Spider-Man: Far From Home found an important role for him: Aunt May’s new fling. They hadn’t determined whether or not they were a couple by the end of that movie, but there’s definitely a relationship growing between the two.
Seeing how uncomfortable it makes Peter and also the fun dynamic that Peter shares with Happy – both comedically and dramatically – has made that an interesting storyline to explore. Spider-Man 3 shouldn’t brush this off as a gag and should actually follow it up with some plot development.
The Daily Bugle framing Spidey for Mysterio’s London attack and leaking his identity
Obviously, this is the biggest moment that we’re expecting to be paid off in the third Spider-Man movie. In Far From Home’s mid-credits scene, after the ending of the actual movie left Peter in a good place, his life was thrown into a tailspin as the InfoWars-style online Daily Bugle had leaked his secret identity and also framed him for the attack on London, making Mysterio out to be a hero.
In the threequel, he’ll be on the run from the law, his loved ones will be in danger, and he’ll probably also have to contend with Kraven the Hunter.
