The greatest threat to any superhero is their audience’s hunger for adventure. Much of Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) striving for the normal high school existence he’s hiding within, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe refusing to let him rest after the traumatic events of Avengers: Endgame. There’s always another Thanos to face. The moment you’ve squashed the bad guy another will step into his fighting stance. Sorry, Pete, that’s why we’re here.
As a sequel demands, director Jon Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Eric Sommers up their game regarding a life-shattering antagonist. So much so that we don’t even realize the extent of this villain’s role until the mid-credits stinger. By the final post-credits scene, the audience is left scratching their heads not only in terms of Peter’s future but that of the entire universe of characters. Marvel’s never-ending franchise beats on as a result of leaving numerous questions unanswered; some big, some small. Let’s pose and answer a few.
↓Spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home↓
Why did Aunt May adapt so quickly to Peter’s Spidey side-hustle?
Spider-Man: Homecoming concluded with Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) accidentally discovering her nephew’s secret identity, and her “What the Fu-” climactic exclamation seemed to indicate a flurry of exasperated emotions. In the years since that revelation, however, May appears to have adapted joyously into the role of Spider-Man’s caregiver. As seen in Far From Home, the two have partnered in raising money for the neighborhood homeless shelter, providing care for those left stranded after “The Blip.”
How did she adjust so well to his superhero lifestyle? Well, the near eradication of the universe puts everything in perspective. Also, she’s had more than five years to adjust to the idea of Peter as Spider-Man. Audiences were denied access to those obvious arguments post-Homecoming surprise, and that is a-okay. We’ve seen plenty of movies. We know how that would have gone down. Jumping into the Aunt May/Spider-Man team-up is much more enjoyable and satisfying rather than suffering through bickering over concerns of safety.
Where is Uncle Ben?
“With great power comes great responsibility.” As Miles Morales’ co-creator Brian Michael Bendis told us directly, this phrase is the essential ingredient motivating everything Peter Parker does in and out of the costume. We have yet to hear it uttered in the MCU films — although Peter does a pretty good job paraphrasing the mantra in Captain America: Civil War — nor do we have any proper understanding of the father figure who sent Peter down his journey. In fact, Uncle Ben (May’s late husband) has yet to be mentioned during Peter’s four MCU appearances.
Far From Home comes the closest to actually acknowledging the character’s existence by planting his initials on Peter’s suitcase. Audiences are already well aware of how Uncle Ben’s murder plays into the origin of Spider-Man thanks to two previous cinematic interpretations as well as numerous cartoons and comic books. Maybe we don’t need to relive the guilt and the shame Peter feels in relation to his Uncle’s death over and over again, but at the same time, some form of acknowledgment to this crucial loss in Peter’s life is necessary. Both Homecoming and Far From Home reveal a Peter Parker struggling to balance Great Power and Great Responsibility, and his missing uncle would be proud of the path he’s currently traversing.
What about Liz and her Dad?
Peter Parker’s hormones are raging. He’s a teenager. That’s how it goes. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter was crushing hard on Liz (Laura Harrier), but those powers and responsibilities kept getting in the way of romance. To make matters worse, her father turned out to be none other than the diabolical Vulture (Michael Keaton) who wound up in prison due to Spider-Man’s meddling/heroic actions.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Liz is nowhere in sight, but Peter has turned his attention towards MJ (Zendaya). The Elemental threat in Far From Home gets in their way, but MJ deduces Peter’s spandex secret quicker than most, granting her an unprecedented collaboration. Still, you have to wonder about Liz and The Vulture. Did they or did they not Blip? How operational was the American prison system during those five years after the Snap? Does The Vulture still hold a grudge? Based on the mid-credits stinger of Far From Home, his information regarding Spider-Man’s secret identity now holds zero value. The two antagonists are back on an even playing field.
Should we be concerned for Betty and Ned?
Before their Eurotrip even kicked off, Betty (Angourie Rice) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) were struck by cupid’s arrow. This odd couple romantic pairing is not without some grounding in the comic book source material. The couple first got together in The Amazing Spider-Man #18 (published November 1964) when Betty was looking for a rebound after her breakup with Daily Bugle reporter Peter Parker. The two would eventually marry, but Ned became almost immediately distant, losing himself at the office. Or so Betty thought until she uncovered his true passion: terrorizing New York City as the wannabe Green Goblin known as The Hobgoblin.
Could the precious couple of Far From Home ever meet such a grizzly and melodramatic end? No way. We and the MCU love Jacob Batalon too darn much. Petey needs his man in the chair, and we certainly don’t need a Hobgoblin. Or a Green Goblin for that matter. With the MCU miraculously transforming deceitfully lamebrain villains like The Vulture and Mysterio into plausible terrors, Jon Watts and company should tackle Kraven the Hunter next. Yes, please, and thank you.
Is there a multiverse or not?
Mysterio lied to us! He’s not from Earth 616! He’s just a pathetic, jealous wretch cast aside by Tony Stark and hellbent on revenge. Using the B.A.R.F. technology last seen in Captain America: Civil War, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a collection of disgruntled Stark Industries employees mask reality to gain entry into the most advanced A.I. weapons system on the planet. Since the world seems to only listen to you if you’re wearing a cape, they concocted the Mysterio storyline as a means of positioning themselves at the top of the food chain. They would have gotten away with it, too, if not for that meddling kid.
So, all that Multiverse mumbo jumbo was nonsense? Not so fast. Kevin Feige could be using the Far From Home masquerade as a means of preparing their audience for a real-deal dimensional invasion. Having already faced a universal threat in the form of Thanos, the next natural escalation for Phase Four would be one concerning all of time and space. Imagine the hijinks of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse applied to the MCU. Who doesn’t want to see Sam Wilson go up against Captain Americat?
Is Quentin Beck dead?
He sure looked dead with that bullet in his gut, but we can’t trust anything from the Master of Illusion. The Peter Tingle saved Parker’s bacon during the Far From Home climax, but Quentin Beck had the last laugh when he revealed Spider-Man’s secret identity to the world using J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) as his mouthpiece. His illusions are unrecognizable from reality. Therefore, it’s not too far out of the realm of possibilities that he slinked away into the holographic shadows.
Not to forget about William (Peter Billingsley) and the other disgruntled Stark Industries employees, did the police round them all up too? Are the cops and Peter even aware of their existence? Fans have been screaming for a Sinister Six movie for a long, long time. His admission to their Anti-Avengers is still valid whether Quentin Beck dons the fish-bowl helmet again or one of his pals does.
How serious is the unmasking of Spider-Man?
Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Spider-Man is a murderer. Whoa. The DailyBugle.net headline will shock the globe … for about a week or two. Similar to Aunt May’s discovery of Peter Parker’s true identity, most of the drama surrounding this revelation will occur off screen and in the background of the next batch of movies that launch Phase Four. By the time we return to the Spider-Man solo adventures, his new status quo will be firmly established and will not be the driving focus of the narrative.
In the comics, Spider-Man has been seen as the mascot of New York City as well as its vermin. Heck, in the Sam Raimi films, the street crowds were often too happy to turn on a dime. The public is a fickle beast, and Peter Parker will experience both sides constantly rotating between smiles and frowns.
How long have Talos and Soren been on Earth?
In the final post-credits scene of Far From Home, we learn that the Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders) that were interacting with Peter Parker and Quentin Beck were actually a couple of Skrulls in disguise. Acting on orders from an off-world Fury, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and Soren (Sharon Blynn) attempt to maintain Earthbound peace and deliver Stark’s E.D.I.T.H. glasses to Peter Parker while the one-time S.H.I.E.L.D. honcho tended to more pressing cosmic matters.
How long have they been in these roles? Was the Fury at Tony’s funeral Talos? Was the Fury that got Blipped by Thanos actually Talos? I’m inclined to believe that only Far From Home‘s Fury was the imposter based on his language (“Don’t invoke her name!”) as well as his gullibility (I mean, our Nick Fury would not have taken Beck’s multiverse storyline at face value).
Where is Nick Fury?
In their communication to Fury, Talos and Soren make it sound like The Avengers, not just their S.H.I.E.L.D. overseer, are off world. Where are they? Not on Earth. In orbit? Doubtful. On a spaceship traveling to parts unknown? Definitely. Earlier in Far From Home, right before Happy Hogan sends his secret message to imposter-Fury, Talos exclaims to Soren, “I thought the Kree Sleeper Cells were supposed to be a secret.”
Immediately, this springs Inhumans into mind. These superbeings are a group of genetically enhanced humans experimented on by the Kree centuries ago and are often unaware of their gifts until their DNA is exposed to mystical Terrigen Mists. We were once promised a cinematic Inhumans adventure before they died a miserable death on ABC. As a result, the chances of The Inhumans returning to the big screen seems slim. Besides, The Inhumans would mostly be on Earth and not in space.
While we wait on official word on what to expect from Phase Four, we already know of several films in production at Marvel Studios. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is back online. Black Widow is currently filming. Shang-Chi is right behind her. Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Doctor Strange 2 are a go. A Spider-Man 3 was part of the original deal between Sony and Marvel.
I would bet that most importantly to this end credits sequence, however, is the upcoming production of The Eternals. The titular demigods are a branch of life created by The Celestials (those tall space giants that we saw wielding the Power Stone in the original Guardians of the Galaxy) that spawned humanity. If anything could pull Nick Fury from the office, it’s this omega powered race.
Related Topics: Marvel Studios, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland, Unanswered Questions
