Spider-Man: No Way Home - Unused Design Shows A Scene In Andrew Garfield's Spider-Verse
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" dared to go places that no movie featuring the web-slinger had gone before. But one of the film's initial concepts attempted to take things even further.
"No Way Home" conceptual artist Josh Nizzi unveiled a unique development piece showcasing a section from Spider-Man's (Tom Holland) battle with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) over possession of the Macchina di Kadavus that never made it into the final cut. The moment sees Strange, in his search for Peter Parker, finding himself in a familiar location from a prior Spider-Verse.
Nizzi's Instagram caption sharing the piece reads, "Here is another idea I did for the potential multiverse chase gag in 'No Way Home.' Dr Strange is mistaken for a street performer in 'TASM2' Times Square setting." Fans will recall the Times Square location of 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," where Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) has his initial confrontation with engineer-turned-supervillain Max Dillon, later known as Electro (Jamie Foxx).
Fans were excited to get a glimpse at what could have been. In the post's comments section, @patri0t_1995 said, "This would've been cool!" while @coloradogold__ expressed dismay at the scene getting cut, commenting, "I hate that they leave these good memorable moments out." As fun as seeing this multiversal moment could have been, there's a good reason why it — and other scenes like it — didn't make it into the final film.
More multiverse scenes were to be included (and we're glad they weren't)
Doctor Strange's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Times Square encounter wasn't the only callback that was meant to be included in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." In fact, the fight was initially meant to act as somewhat of a highlight reel of past "Spider-Man" movie moments by having their battle take place in iconic locations from prior films set in both Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Verses.
Fans learned this in October 2023 when longtime Marvel Studios artist and designer Phil Saunders unveiled a series of conceptual keyframes on ArtStation showing Strange and Spidey traversing through many of these memorable scenes. These include the wrestling tournament from "Spider-Man," the train battle in "Spider-Man 2," the Oscorp building from "The Amazing Spider-Man," and the clock tower interior at the end of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."
As fun as these scenes could have been, it's easy to see why they were omitted. Jam-packing an adventure that already contained three Spider-Men, five supervillains, and the heft of past Marvel Cinematic Universe material with even more multiversal madness could have been the straw that broke the camel's back. This concept, in particular, could have dampened the drama of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange's battle, as this conflict was vital in setting the stage for Peter's arc throughout the story.
We'll probably never know what "Spider-Man: No Way Home" could have been with this idea spliced in, but it's probably for the best that we never do.