Spider-Man: No Way Home Cameos Ranked From Least To Most Likely

When a third MCU "Spider-Man" film was first officially announced, few probably suspected that it would feature the introduction of the Marvel Multiverse. That all changed when reports surfaced in the trades in December of 2020 that actor Jamie Foxx would reprise his role as Electro in the film, leading to speculation that the story might involve a crossing over of the different movie universes. With rumors of Willem Dafoe being spotted on set, gossip reached a fever pitch, and Alfred Molina's comments to the press made it clear that an epic multiversal story was on the horizon. Suddenly, fans began speculating who else might appear in the blockbuster sequel and what other previous Marvel movies the story might pull in.

With the latest trailer revealing Electro and Lizard from the "Amazing Spider-Man" films and Dr. Octopus, Green Goblin, and Sandman from the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" trilogy, it's clear that the scope of the "No Way Home" is bigger than anyone thought possible when the film was first announced. Could there be more guest star surprises in store for us when the movie releases on December 17? Could we see Wesley Snipes' Blade or Hugh Jackman's Wolverine? Read on to see our list of possible "Spider-Man: No Way Home " cameos ranked from next-to-impossible to almost certain! But be warned, some spoilers are ahead.

After all the hullabaloo over Mephisto potentially being the true big bad in "WandaVision," you might think that Marvel would stay far away from including him in a movie like "Spider-Man: No Way Home." But with his ties to Spider-Man in the comics via a key storyline that involved a devilish deal to erase his identity — a plot mirrored in the new film — we can assume he's at least a possibility. In that four-part comic book event series — "One More Day" — it's Mephisto, not Doctor Strange, who casts a spell to make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. But the worldwide amnesia effect is actually a byproduct of Mephisto's price for keeping Aunt May alive, not a request of Parker's. Indeed, the crux of Mephisto's deal is that he wants to take away Parker's marriage to Mary Jane as the price of restoring Aunt May's life. It was an unusual bargain, but one that served Marvel's desire to make Peter Parker a bachelor again.

In the MCU, it will be Doctor Strange playing the part of spell-caster in "No Way Home," so at first glance, there doesn't seem to be a place for Mephisto in the story. But given the history the demon has with Spider-Man in "One More Day" and the similarities to the story in the film, we can't say with any certainty he won't appear. Still, we're giving this cameo long odds, with just a 5% chance of happening. 

If the ol' Web-Head is going to bump into anyone from an adjacent world who can easily explain the multiverse to him, it's the fourth wall-breaking Deadpool. Surely the two equally quippy characters would have a fun interplay and some hilarious scenes together. But even if we know audiences would go absolutely bananas over just at a small cameo from Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, we just don't see Marvel allowing an appearance from the character for a variety of reasons. For starters, Deadpool's fourth-wall-breaking nature probably isn't what Sony or Marvel want in their Spider-Man films. Second, Marvel would certainly insist on toning down the adult humor and graphic violence of Deadpool, and that's something we're not sure fans or Reynolds could accept, even if there is some meta-humor to be mined from it. 

Still, we can't count it out entirely. Deadpool has appeared alongside Spider-Man before in an episode of the animated series "Ultimate Spider-Man," which is squarely aimed at kids. And with Marvel foreshadowing a meeting with Tom Holland's Spidey in the post-credits scene of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," they've shown a willingness to mix Spider-Man with very dark, very violent, very adult-oriented R-rated worlds. All things considered, though, we think this one's a bit of a long shot, so as much as we'd love to see it, we'll settle with a 10% chance of seeing Deadpool in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

The live-action Spider-Man series from 1977 featured actor Nicholas Hammond taking up the web-shooters as Peter Parker. It lasted two seasons, but thanks to the era, its low-quality special effects did little to endear to audiences beyond the most serious fans. Though there is a certain charm to the series, it's seen today as more of an oddity — a relic of a bygone era. But with "Spider-Man: Now Way Home" crossing over multiple Spider-Man universes, could we see Hammond's Spider-Man swinging into action?

Highly unlikely. With no major comic book villains of his own, it doesn't seem to match up with the different universes we've seen so far, which have included Doctor Octopus, the Lizard, Sandman, and Green Goblin. And to put it simply, the low-quality costume would make him seem too out of place next to the high-quality CGI of the MCU, and Hammond himself has said unequivocally that he won't appear. That said, we wouldn't entirely rule out a cameo from him despite his denials. At 70 years old, Hammond could make an appearance as an aged Peter Parker that just might fit the story as a sage and retired version of the hero. Alternatively, Hammond in the role of the MCU's Uncle Ben might also make sense, so all things considered, we'll put the chances of seeing Hammond at 15%.

We've heard rumors that Sony and Marvel are working on the second trilogy of Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland, with the young actor already weighing in on the potential for his future in the MCU. But "No Way Home" will surely act as a capper on the first era of Spidey's stories, and there would be no better way to round out his early adventures than revisiting the man who gave him his first powered suit and brought him into the Avengers — Tony Stark. Whether it's a flashback or a hologram message from beyond the grave, having Tony appear and give Parker his blessing to become his own hero might just be what Peter — and the audience — needs to see Spider-Man off into the next chapter of his superhero career, out of the shadow of other Marvel heroes.

There's also no denying that a cameo from Stark would send the masses into a frenzy and put even more butts in seats, as Iron Man has been the most popular MCU hero for more than a decade. But given the mixed fan reaction to Stark as Parker's quasi-father figure, it's unlikely that Marvel would want to reinforce that relationship just as Spider-Man is becoming his own independent adventurer. Add in the enormous paycheck that Robert Downey Jr. would almost certainly demand for even a brief walk-on part, and we see this one as highly unlikely, so we'll peg it at 15%.

We know that the X-Men are on their way to the MCU at some point, and fans have been clamoring for a tease. We've had our eyes peeled for hints at new mutant adventurers, but so far, the best we've gotten is a visit to the island of Madripoor "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." With the multiverse splitting open in "No Way Home," it's certainly possible that we could get a glimpse of the X-Universe. But if there's going to be a tease toward the next iteration of the X-Men, it needs to be a new mutant in the MCU proper ... and Spider-Man does have a bit of history with the X-Men himself.

Famously, Spider-Man has had long-standing team-ups with the mutants Iceman and Firestar — most notably in the animated series "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" — and some comics have shown him as a classmate and love interest to X-Man Kitty Pryde. Cameos from Bobby Drake and Angelica Jones as Peter Parker's school friends would be a nice bit of foreshadowing towards the introduction of the X-Men in the MCU, too, but we just don't think Marvel would choose a Sony-produced Spider-Man movie to be the introduction of the X-Men. "Far From Home" did seemingly mark the first hint towards the events of "Secret Invasion," though, with an appearance from Talos and a reveal of Nick Fury in space, so nothing is truly off the table. Mark this one at 20%.

In addition to his adventures with various X-Men, Spider-Man has a long history as friends with the Fantastic Four. He tried to join the team in one of his earliest adventures before becoming an official member during their "Future Foundation" era. But it's his longstanding friendship with Johnny Storm that has endured through the years and could make for a fun team-up when the Fantastic Four finally joins the MCU. So why shouldn't Marvel start teasing that partnership right now? Considering "No Way Home" director Jon Watts is slated to direct the "Fantastic Four" reboot in the near future, an appearance by a member of the crew might make some sense. 

With the multiverse premise, one clever way of teasing the coming of the MCU's Fantastic Four might be the inclusion of Chris Evans as the Human Torch from across the multiverse, asking if his counterparts exist in Peter Parker's MCU. Few brief cameos would elicit as much excitement as Evans as the flaming hero teasing the introduction of the famous foursome, and it would make for a clever way to get Evans back into the fold (even if just for a moment). But Marvel may feel that adding the Fantastic Four to the already bloated story of "No Way Home" might be one cameo too many. With the Watts connection and the already announced "Fantastic Four" film, though, we'll give this one a solid 25% odds.

If there's any hero Sony is dying to bring into the movie universe, it's Miles Morales, the kid Spider-Man who was incredibly popular in the Marvel Comics before being catapulted to stardom in 2019's "Into The Spider-Verse." Sony must also want to prepare for the day when Tom Holland will inevitably step away from the role, and having Miles ready to take over as the future web-slinger would be perfect synchronicity, to say the least. Introducing Miles as an admirer of Spider-Man now would be the perfect way to get the ball rolling, and in a film that may already feature multiple Spider-Men, his addition might make more sense now rather than later.

But with Tom Holland rumored to be signed up for three more movies, now might not be the best time to cast a child actor, who would surely age quicker than the movie universe and might even be too old to play a young Spider-Man by the time Holland says goodbye. We've already had a hint to Miles' existence in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" when Donald Glover's character — who in the comics is Miles' uncle — notes his nephew lives in the neighborhood. Perhaps it's best to leave his cameo to a quick mention than an on-screen appearance. That said, we know Miles is coming, so we'll give this one a 35% chance.

We know from the Sony email hack scandal that the studio has been eager to turn Gwen Stacy into a costumed hero for some time. The character of Spider-Gwen — also known as "Ghost Spider" — would be the perfect way to do it. Hailing from a parallel universe where Gwen Stacy was bitten by a radioactive spider and became a superhero, she made her film debut in "Into The Spider-Verse." But putting her into live-action would be the next logical step, and "No Way Home" offers an opportunity that may be too good to pass up. With rumors that Emma Stone could be reprising her role in some capacity, it makes even more sense to put the superstar actress into the role. But with the character originating from a different universe, any new young star could be cast as the dashing spider-powered adventurer. Once again, though, does Marvel want to overload the audience with another new hero? We think it's definitely possible, even if somewhat unlikely.

If we were to go even more unlikely with this pick, why not bring back actress Bryce Dallas Howard — who played Gwen Stacy in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3" — to reprise the role and tease her turn to a superhero? In a world where Willem Dafoe and Jamie Foxx are both returning as their respective villains, anything is possible. But we'll put the odds of seeing a hint of Spider-Gwen — any Spider-Gwen — at a respectable 40%.

If there's any matchup that fans want to see, it's Tom Hardy's Venom taking on Tom Holland's Spider-Man. At first glance, the worlds of the "Venom" and "Spider-Man" films may seem quite far apart, literally and metaphorically. "Venom" and its sequel were dark, violent, adult-oriented affairs, while the MCU's "Spider-Man" films have been almost straight-up light-hearted comedies. And the two characters don't even exist in the same universe — something that disappointed audiences when the first "Venom" film was released in 2018. But we know it's coming, as the post-credits scene from the "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" saw the anti-hero transported to the MCU. Here, he saw Tom Holland's Spider-Man on television at about the same time his identity as Peter Parker was revealed to the world.

The focus so far in "No Way Home" is clearly on the previous Spider-Man films, and Sony might want a little more build-up and anticipation before putting the two together. The company may even want their first meeting to occur in a film solely devoted to their showdown. Still, teasing the matchup might make a lot of sense, especially given the multiverse aspect of "No Way Home" and Venom's clear desire to track down Spider-Man. We could see Sony and Marvel going either way with this one, so our odds are even that Venom will turn up in "No Way Home" at 50%.

From the trailers of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," fans can already see five major villains from the hero's rogues gallery prominently on display: Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, Rhys Ifans' Lizard, Thomas Haden Church's Sandman, Jamie Foxx's Electro, and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, meaning we're just one away from creating a multiverse version of the classic super-villain team, the Sinister Six. While the missing sixth member could be Venom, we're putting our money on a villain who's already a part of the MCU: Mysterio. After all, we've got villains from the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" movies and the "Amazing Spider-Man" films, so it stands to reason that to round out the team, it would be a villain that's already faced Tom Holland's Spidey. 

Looking at it practically, Michael Keaton — who played the Vulture in "Homecoming" — was busy filming another multiverse story, DC's "The Flash." The film will see him reprise his iconic role as Batman, but Jake Gyllenhaal wasn't up to much in 2021. Sure, we saw Mysterio killed in the closing moments of "Far From Home," but he is the master of illusion after all. He may even have been teased on a recent cover of "Empire Magazine," which clearly showed his shiny dome conspicuously floating beneath the title logo, right alongside Doc Ock's tentacle, Sandman's hand, Goblin's pumpkin bomb, and Electro's lightning bolt. Though we've not seen a glimpse in trailers or from the actor himself, evidence suggests he may just turn up, so we'll give this cameo a 65% chance.

Ever since the debut of Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Charlie Cox's Daredevil, fans have been clamoring for a team-up between Spider-Man and Daredevil. The two characters have a close friendship in the comics and share many of the same villains — most notably the Kingpin — as both are active crime fighters in New York City. Unfortunately, the Netflix Marvel streaming series seem to be keeping to themselves, with only loose ties to the wider MCU, making a meeting of the two heroes unlikely. But with Marvel ending its partnership with Netflix, the rumor mill has been working overtime with word that Marvel may be preparing to introduce the likes of Daredevil, the Punisher, and other heroes from the Netflix Marvel shows into the MCU proper. 

Rumors that actor Charlie Cox canceled a convention appearance the same week as reshoots on "Spider-Man: No Way Home" got underway fueled speculation that he might reprise his role as Matt Murdock for the film, too. With Parker's identity made public in the closing scene of "Spider-Man: Far From Home," he's going to need a good lawyer, so it makes sense that Murdock — a superhero himself — might choose now as the time to strike up a friendship with Peter Parker and take him on as a client. Considering a low-res image of Matt Murdock sitting with Parker, Aunt May, and Happy Hogan has already leaked and appears genuine, we're giving this potential cameo an 80% chance.

With villains from both previous trilogies already confirmed to be appearing in the film, it only makes sense to include former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective versions of Peter Parker. We can't think of anything more exciting than seeing all three of them teaming up to take down a multi-dimensional version of the Sinister Six (if that is indeed who we'll see them fighting). And whatever you may think of the two previous series of films, it's hard to deny that both actors played good — if different — versions of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Tobey played a positively joyous version of a more adult Spider-Man, while Garfield's version was the more quippy, exuberant Spider-Man. Together with Tom Holland's more youthful, self-doubting Spider-Man, the dynamic between the trio has loads of potential.

In the two previous MCU Spider-Man films, we've seen Iron Man and Nick Fury act as mentors. And it's clear from trailers that Doctor Strange will be less a teacher than a trusted ally, so who better to help guide Holland's Parker than two more experienced versions of himself? We've already seen purported leaked images from the set, and Andrew Garfield's repeated denials no longer hold any weight at all. In fact, when they do inevitably appear, and the three actors go on the press junket tour together, it might be fun if Garfield continued to pretend he's not in the film. Whatever the case, we're willing to go out on a limb and say there's at least a 95% chance we see all three Spider-Men swinging into action together at some point in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."