Spider-Man: No Way Home may include a subtle reference to the Sony hack
The cyber attack took place in November 2014. **CONTAINS NO WAY HOME SPOILERS**
Spider-Man: No Way Home is littered with a treasure trove of cameos, Easter eggs and references, but they aren't all necessarily relating to previous movies and Marvel characters.
Rather, some viewers believe that one particular line in the superhero epic is poking fun at 2014's Sony Pictures hack, which released a deluge of private company emails between executives leaking onto the internet.
The cyber attack was said to have been carried out in response to edgy comedy The Interview, which starred James Franco and Seth Rogen, and depicted an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, although North Korea denied any responsibility for the hack.
Among the leaked information were several revelations regarding the handling of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, with the resulting backlash being one factor that led to the eventual collaboration between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios proper.
Read on to find out which email might be subtly referenced in No Way Home, but beware major spoilers lie ahead.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
The final act of No Way Home sees former Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield swing into action, as had long been rumoured, the latter of whom was referenced in some of the leaked Sony emails.
One communication between producer Amy Pascal and a fellow executive contained multiple suggestions about how to make Garfield's incarnation of Spidey connect with the millennial audience.
In addition to including EDM music and snapchat stories (*facepalm*), he suggests associating the character with the phrase "no big deal" or "NBD", used ironically in relation with his incredible agility and strength.
The message reads: "A rising trend we see with Millennials are the really extreme forms of experiential exercise like Tough Mudder... Millennials will often post 'N.B.D' on their social media after doing it, as in No Big Deal, also known as the 'humble brag'... wondering if Spidey could get into that in some way."
These ideas never made it into 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was approximately eight months away from release at the time the memo was sent, but might have finally seen the light of day in No Way Home.
Towards the end of the film, when the three Peter Parkers are working together to find cures for their respective villains, Garfield's Spidey says that he's already remedied The Lizard once and doing it again would be "no big deal".
He repeats the phrase several times while his fellow Spider-Men look on in somewhat confusion, perhaps taken aback by the unexpected "humble brag", as the aforementioned exec once described it.
This wouldn't be the only meta inclusion in the film, as another scene seems to reference how Garfield's Spider-Man films are not as highly regarded as those starring Maguire and Holland – while it may also be sowing the seeds for another epic crossover.
Read more:
- Spider-Man: No Way Home ending explained
- Spider-Man: No Way Home review – “The best superhero movie in recent years”
- Spider-Man: No Way Home end credits scenes explained
- 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 cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
This year's Radio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.
