Why The Ending Of Spider-Man: No Way Home Is Absolutely Perfect

Spider-Man: No Way Home has an ending that is absolutely perfect, and the more I have thought about it, the higher it has climbed. In my initial review I said it had one of the best endings of any Marvel film ever. Since then I have struggled to think of many films of any kind that top those last few scenes.

Outside of maybe The Matrix, The Godfather, Inception or The Dark Knight Rises, few finales have had that kind of impact on me, leaving me in tears and giving me chills again and again. By the time I wrote this I had seen the film three times. Each time I reached the conclusion, I realised just how well designed and bittersweet that final act in Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy is. I am breaking it down here, so expect heavy spoilers.

Peter Parker's exposed identity hurts Ned, MJ and May before the multiverse breaks

The film picks up directly after Far From Home, with Peter's identity exposed. Although the heat from the press and the police fades to some extent, it clearly affects not only Peter but his friends and family too. Ned and MJ are dragged into the court of public opinion with him, and because of this their college applications are rejected.

During the damage control interrogation there is a subtle little line. The officer says MJ is a smart young woman with a bright future, but he also pushes the idea that she ruined it by getting involved with Peter Parker. Later, the Green Goblin taunts Peter by saying that although he struck the blow that killed Aunt May, it was Peter who killed her, because he was the reason she was there.

Peter Parker is generally a fairly tragic character. Whether he likes it or not, he often ends up hurting the people he loves, directly or indirectly. We saw it with Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, and in No Way Home, Aunt May dies very much because of the choices he makes. Heroes in comic book films often end up dealing with this, and we have seen it in The Dark Knight, with Lois Lane in pretty much every Superman property ever, and with Iron Man and Pepper Potts. Once you are a hero in the public eye, the people closest to you are put at risk, because villains will always hurt those around a hero if they cannot get to the hero themselves.

The MIT rejections send Peter to Doctor Strange, and his need to keep his friends close breaks the multiverse

No Way Home is more nuanced than that, though. Early on, the pain Peter brings to those around him comes in the form of the MIT rejections his friends receive. The trio had their whole lives planned out and simply wanted to move to Boston together to start the next chapter with one another. Sadly, Mysterio's exposure ruined their chances, leaving them stuck and unable to have the future they worked so hard for.

So Peter ends up going to Doctor Strange to essentially do the equivalent of entering a cheat in GTA to remove his wanted level. But his need for his friends and family to keep that knowledge leads to a lot of problems. If you think about it, had Peter let the spell work as intended, none of the tragedies in the film would have happened. It was his need to keep the people around him in his vigilante lifestyle that shattered the multiverse.

That is why his decision at the end to erase himself from everyone's memory is so important. He finally shows his maturity, while also sacrificing the people he loves most, because keeping them involved would only cause more problems.

Asking Doctor Strange to make the world forget him is arguably worse than death

The film itself is an absolute blast, and it gets better every time I see it. Whether it is the return of the villains, Matt Murdock being brought into the MCU, or Tobey and Andrew sharing the screen together, every scene builds on the last. It all escalates into a showdown at the Statue of Liberty, and although things mostly go well, the Green Goblin ends up breaking open the spell, causing the entire multiverse to tear apart. Villains from every universe start coming into the MCU, and so Peter makes a drastic decision. He goes to Doctor Strange and asks him to cast a spell that makes the whole world forget he exists.

In many ways, this is arguably a fate worse than death. When we die, we leave behind the things people remember us for and the stories they tell. Nobody will visit Peter's grave the way Happy does for May, and he has removed all of the joy and happiness he brought to the world so his friends can enjoy easier lives. By killing one side of himself, Peter will now exist almost as a ghost, able to see them from afar but no longer sharing the joy they once had.

Peter is not doing this because he wants to escape the consequences. He is doing it not only to save the universe but also to save the lives of those around him, which were ruined by their association with his double identity. He genuinely believes the people closest to him will be better off without him constantly dragging them into his web, and he decides to be forgotten. It is something people often do in breakups too, when they realise they love someone so much that they would rather that person be happier with someone else, because of the pain they cause.

Doctor Strange going from sir to Stephen shows how much he respects Peter's sacrifice

Early on, after the first spell, Strange says Peter is trying to live two lives. This is the choice where Peter decides the world cannot live without Spider-Man, but it can live without Peter Parker. He knows that with great power comes great responsibility, and he decides to keep protecting the world and the people close to him. It is a devastating choice, but it also shows a degree of maturity in the film, and that is something Strange recognises.

When Peter first goes to the Sanctum Sanctorum, Strange tells him to call him Stephen rather than sir. The pair saved the universe together, and Strange clearly respects him a great deal. In fact, there are moments during their first encounter by the fireplace when we see Strange show a level of empathy towards Peter that we do not often see from him. But after Peter botches the spell, Strange makes him go back to calling him sir, because that respect has been lost.

At the end, however, after Peter comes to him with his idea, Strange tells him to call him Stephen again, showing that he deeply respects what Peter is about to do.

Peter's goodbye to MJ and Ned hits harder than the hug with Tobey and Andrew

Strange tells Peter to say his goodbyes, and although we get a great hug between the three Spider-Men with Tobey and Andrew, the most affecting one for me is the goodbye he has with MJ and Ned. He explains the spell, and although he promises to find them and explain everything, there is clearly some doubt there.

He and MJ share what could be their last kiss, and that final farewell really means a lot. Throughout the film they tried to have plenty of romantic moments together, but all of them were interrupted, whereas this one lets the two of them simply share their love, perhaps for the last time.

Peter's visit to MJ where she works is where his happy ending slips away

Peter swings off, and we jump ahead to him walking down the street to visit MJ where she works, so he can tell her the truth. He has clearly planned exactly what he wants to say, and this should be the big moment where he saves the world, gets the girl, and earns the happy ending he deserves as a character. That is not how it pays off, though. When Ned walks in and the two of them talk about how they got into MIT, the tone changes.

I absolutely love the way Peter walks in. MJ almost waves at him, and you can see he genuinely believes she remembers him. Instead, Ned walks past and sits down to hang out with her. Peter is truly happy that the pair got into MIT, and you can see a smile start to creep across his face through the scene, because his sacrifice was worth it. He asks MJ whether she is happy, and she really is, whereas while she was with him she kept her expectations constantly low so she would not be disappointed.

Just as he is about to tell her everything, she brushes her hair away from her face to reveal a bandage above her eyebrow. She picked up that injury in the battle at the Statue of Liberty, and it is a stark reminder that the people closest to him will always be hurt because of his responsibilities. It is heartbreaking to see Peter's eyes well up as she asks if there is anything else and he says no. That works on a number of levels. He is not only saying he does not want to tell her about himself, he is also saying there will not be anything else, because he will not put her in danger anymore.

Aunt May's grave shows how much good Peter does by removing himself

If you were not already crying, the next scene, where he visits May's grave, will finish you off. On her gravestone we can see the words when you help someone, you help everyone, which of course refers back to her earlier conversation with Peter. He said he desperately wanted to send Norman Osborn back, but she planted the idea in his head that he should cure the villains instead.

That largely set the course for Peter's arc, in which he helps the villains so they can live better lives when they return home. In their own worlds they will likely help those around them, and although Peter's sacrifice is a devastating one, it shows just how much good he brings to the world.

In the same way that It's a Wonderful Life deals with someone seeing what life would be like without them, Peter has removed himself in order to have a positive impact. He can still help people as Spider-Man, but he will not drag countless others into a life of misery. Just as May is gone, Peter is gone too, but both of them made the world a better place for the people they loved.

Peter's new apartment and homemade suit mark him finally becoming his own man

The exchange with Happy is incredible, and then we follow Peter as he moves into his first apartment on his own. We catch him studying for his GED, but he clearly keeps mementos of those who meant the most to him to remind him exactly what he is fighting for. That includes the Lego Emperor Palpatine, and if you cast your mind back to Spider-Man: Homecoming, you will remember that is what Ned was holding the first time we saw the two friends together. Their friendship was symbolised by the Lego Death Star, and although it shattered much like the spell shattered their lives, Peter still keeps it as a reminder.

He also sets down the coffee cup MJ gave him, and we can see he has made a new suit all by himself. The MCU's portrayal of Peter has often been criticised for a number of things, such as him being Iron Boy Jr and someone constantly living in the shadow of others. In that final swing, however, he finally becomes his own man.

He has cast aside the flashy suit and the Iron Spider. He no longer reports to people or constantly asks them for advice; he makes his own decisions and lives independently. Peter has forged his own path, and he will take the lessons he learned from those around him and use them to become his own man. His new suit begins a new chapter in his life, and although the people he loves may have forgotten him, he has not forgotten them.

The Home trilogy works as one big origin story for Spider-Man

When we step back and look at the Home trilogy, this was one big origin story for the character. Peter learned a great deal from his peers and from those above him, and he made some selfish choices alongside some selfless ones. He lost the person close to him who instilled an important lesson, and he ended up becoming a Spider-Man who represents what we can be at our best.

The film wraps up in the best way possible, and that is why the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home is absolutely perfect.

What did you make of the ending of No Way Home?