Nearly a year has passed since we saw Spider-Man: No Way Home in cinemas, but the shocking conclusion—in which Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is forgotten forever—continues to stick with us. Fans weren’t the only ones shaken by No Way Home’s last act; performer Jacob Batalon was taken aback, too. Batalon discussed his reaction to the script for No Way Home and hinted at future appearances in the MCU in an exclusive conversation with Christina Radish for Reginald the Vampire. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is hired in Spider-Man: No Way Home to help the public forget who Spider-Man really is. The magic backfires and instead of bringing people from other dimensions into the MCU, it brings them here. Supervillains including Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) are all featured in the film.
Both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returned as more Peter Parker variants. At the end of the film, Peter gives up his secret identity to save more bad guys from entering Earth-616. His best buddy Ned (Batalon) and the rest of the world now have no idea Peter even existed. When asked how he felt when reading the script for No Wat Home, Batalon describes the emotional rollercoaster that was being a part of this franchise. These are his exact words: On our last day of work, we all cried a lot. We cried during the premiere, too. We were all lucky to have been a part of something so lovely. When we started making movies, we were still extremely young—basically teens. I’d say it was crazy to see all of our characters’ stories loop back around to where they started in the movies. Reading that made no sense at all. Insanely, both Andrew and Tobey made appearances in the script. Having that many bad guys in the script were insane. After then, everyone was caught off guard by the shocking cliffhanger of an ending. In my opinion, our films always have such touching conclusions. I believe it’s fantastic how it emphasises that Spider-Man will go on, but perhaps not among us. Even if we don’t wind up being a part of it, it was an amazing ride.
While Marvel Studios and Sony have been mum about Spider-future Man’s in the MCU, No Way Home seemed more like the beginning of a new tale than the conclusion of the franchise. It seems likely that Spider-Man will return in the near future, which begs the question of whether or not Ned will appear in the sequel. Batalon, though, has not heard back from the studios as of yet, thus his return to the MCU remains uncertain. According to what Batalon explains: Actors, it seems, are always the last to find out. A common misconception is that performers always have something to hide. I swear to you that we have no idea what is going on. But again, if it’s the perfect time and place and we’ve been with the right people, then why not? The rest of the world can go to hell. The real decision-makers, the ones writing the cheques, are at the top of the corporate ladder. We’re not opposed to the thought, but we also aren’t holding our breath.
Batalon, when asked whether he has any interest in returning, is frank in admitting he doesn’t have great aspirations but is grateful for the opportunity to have participated in filmmaker Jon Watts’ trilogy. Batalon responded, “Honestly, I don’t really put too much consideration into it,” when asked how he would feel about working with a different filmmaker in the franchise. I get the impression that we’re all making progress in ways that we didn’t intend. It’s not terrible, but I don’t think any of us are eagerly awaiting the next film. To me, it seems like everyone is going their separate ways. Once more, though, fate does what it will.