Does Spider-Man: No Way Home tease Andrew Garfield/Venom crossover?

The chat leaves Andrew Garfield's middle-spider feeling a tad deflated, lamenting the fact that he's never fought an alien but he wishes he could, later dismissing himself as lame by comparison (a remark that his fellow Parkers touchingly push back on). The whole scene plays out in a rather meta fashion, acknowledging the fact that Garfield's tenure was both the shortest and least critically appreciated of the three iterations we've seen to date.

Of course, that had virtually nothing to do with his performance in the lead role, which many fans ardently defend to this day. Instead, it was poor writing and questionable studio decisions that sunk Garfield's Spider-Man reboot, which is sad considering the actor has been a self-proclaimed super-fan of the Marvel hero since he was a toddler. For that reason, it's a pleasure to see his Peter Parker earn some redemption in No Way Home's epic crossover scenes – but could this be more than a one-off?

The line from Garfield's Spidey about longing to fight an alien foe might end up being a throwaway remark, but given the actor's obvious enthusiasm for the role and intense audience interest in multiverse stories, it could also be sowing the seeds for him to do exactly that in Venom 3. It's more plausible than you would initially expect.

Some have argued Garfield would be reluctant to return to the world of comic book adaptations, having forged a career in more esteemed filmmaking since his disappointing experience with the Spider-Man franchise. However, several stars have proven it's possible to hold down a Marvel gig while still maintaining a presence on the awards circuit. Benedict Cumberbatch filmed Oscar frontrunner The Power of the Dog between two high-profile Doctor Strange projects, just as Scarlett Johansson earned acclaim for Marriage Story while Avengers: Endgame was breaking box office records.

Plus, if there's any major franchise with a track record for enticing respected talent, it would be Venom. For reasons I can't quite comprehend, the two films released so far feature a cavalcade of decorated actors, with Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson having 10 Academy Award nominations between them. Adding Garfield to the mix would bring that number to 11 or perhaps an even dozen if he manages to score a nod for this year's Tick, Tick... BOOM!. The odds of him joining the party would probably go up if Sony decides to keep Andy Serkis around for Venom 3, as the filmmaker previously directed Garfield in 2017 biopic Breathe.

But arguably the biggest factor of all is that the Venom franchise simply needs to have a Peter Parker swinging through it in order to survive. The two films released so far have both ended in piles of goo splatting each other against walls, which doesn't make for a particularly cinematic finale. If a third film goes down the same route, it's not hard to imagine audiences starting to tire of this repetitive formula, with Let There Be Carnage already seeing a significant decrease from the original's box office fortunes (although admittedly it did rather well by pandemic standards).

With the No Way Home end credits scene making it quite clear that Hardy's Eddie Brock is to stay confined to his own separate universe, the odds of him facing off against Tom Holland's Spider-Man are pretty low for the moment. But there is another option. If Sony were to reveal that the two Venom movies released so far had actually been set in the Amazing Spider-Man continuity the whole time, that would immediately put a fan-favourite incarnation of Marvel's webhead on a natural collision course with the Lethal Protector – as well as offering a nice payoff to both the aforementioned No Way Home line and the post-credits scene in which Brock almost makes it to the final battle in New York City.

As has already been mentioned, Sony's Amazing Spider-Man universe was not particularly well-crafted, so the Venom movies would inherit a bit of baggage with this course of action. However, I'd say the potential gains decisively outweigh the risks, especially as No Way Home demonstrated how easily a good writer can make swift improvements (just look at the transformation awarded to Jamie Foxx's Electro). Fixing up this unloved continuity would also give Sony Pictures a sure-fire Marvel money-spinner that it wouldn't have to share with Disney – and in case you weren't aware, corporations like cash.

Read more:

• Spider-Man: No Way Home review – The best superhero movie in recent years
• Spider-Man: No Way Home – Best Easter eggs and cameos in new MCU film
• New Doctor Strange detail revealed in Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Spider-Man: No Way Home includes major reference to Miles Morales
• What's next for Daredevil as the Man without Fear is restored in the MCU?

Spider-Man: No Way Home is out now in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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