Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Making film history for having the biggest opening weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day graces theatres, as many Marvel fans were desperately waiting after almost 5 years. With the massive success of the previous film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, audiences were on the edge of their seats for the continuation of Peter Parker’s story. Especially following the roller coaster of events that took place during the last film: Aunt May’s passing, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s special appearances, and Dr. Strange’s spell of making everyone forget who Peter Parker is—including his girlfriend, MJ, and best friend, Ned. Fans' emotions were still at an all-time high walking into the theatres this last month for the film’s release, and they ended up leaving even more distraught.

That quote by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) in her first scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the center of my argument against the MCU’s latest feature film. Directed by Sam Raimi, it follows Maximoff’s efforts to return to the life we saw her living in the second half of WandaVision with her kids and her conflict with Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for said efforts. So it's essentially a film about how Wanda process grief. And yet, the film is set in Dr. Strange's universe, with him in the pivotal role. Yet, his role is pivotal only in the sense of somewhat being the protagonist and having his name in the film. The central character who goes through the most changes and puts things into motion is Wanda. So the name of the film itself is an example of how the woman's story is for some reason being told from another man's perspective. It’s like saying Wanda does warrant a series on Disney+ but as far as theatrical releases go, even if it’s about her and Dr. Strange just happens to be there, he deserves to serve as the agency for her development and deserves to be the protagonist of her story. I’m terribly disappointed in MCU for the direction of the narrative in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

For anyone yet to see the film, what follows contains MAJOR SPOILERS for both WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

To start off, Wanda’s first contact with any of her co-Avengers since Avengers: Endgame is with Dr. Strange now, after the whole affair at Westview. And that too just because Dr. Strange needs her help. And he does the most man thing to do - reminds her that her children weren't real and she should stop her crusade to replace a Wanda from another universe so she can spend time with that Wanda's children. Now, Wanda’s jibe at Strange, which is quoted at the beginning of the article can be interpreted as a critique of the way toxic masculinity always turns the narrative on its head when a woman is involved. However, there is no question about morality presented. It’s through Wanda that we’re given an in-depth look at how a mother grieves the loss of her children, but its expression isn’t seen as grey. It’s clear that her modus operandi of dealing with losing her children must be condemned. Her actions could have apocalyptic consequences and we shouldn’t be seeing her as a grieving mother but as a possessed villainess or Witch to play along with her alter-ego name. So while the quote from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with which I started the article acknowledges the double standards set by the patriarchy, the film itself has double standards.

Why I say it has double standards is because Dr. Strange wasn’t seen as the villain and neither was Spider-man in Spider-man: No Way Home. While your best friends not getting into their dream college for no fault of theirs is heartbreaking for a career-focused student, using forbidden sorcery to deal with that is treated as a desperate measure but not a villainous act. After the spell is messed up and multiversal consequences happen, it’s seen as an unfortunate fallout of an honest but misdirected attempt but Peter is clearly not treated as an antagonist. And yet, Wanda’s use of forbidden magic to deal with the loss of her children is not to be condoned. The opening quote of this article is essentially self-explanatory but I want to argue that this obvious lack of consideration for Wanda insinuates it’s not just her co-Avengers, but her writers who aren’t really concerned about her and dehumanize her for having magical powers. She’s supposed to be in control as an adult with powers that can have catastrophic effects, even in a period of extreme emotional turmoil for her, and especially without any genuine support, which I might add Peter Parker had a lot of. She clearly needs a rest from the world but no one's offering her an alternative to the desperate efforts she's making to deal with her grief while blaming her for not being dysfunctional.

In fact, this isn’t just a sexist matter. Stress leaves are a real thing. And for good reason. Expecting and demanding full functionality during a time when someone is emotionally or physically compromised is a consequence of Capitalism. There are also mental health resources available to anyone who feels unable to function at their usual level on a daily basis. And despite featuring a therapy arc on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, MCU decided not to give Wanda an arc about that. It’s like everything learned during sensitivity training shouldn’t apply to one of the few meaningful female characters in the universe. She is extremely traumatized, with each new traumatizing event piling on the other with barely any time between them, which is universal to almost every MCU character at this point. It feels regressive that Wanda isn't given any means to properly heal from her trauma and develop as a character. What’s worse, as if to give her a feminist narrative, her hunt is just for her kids and no longer for Vision even if keeping Vision alive had been the reason behind everything that happened in WandaVision, since that would apparently imply that Wanda doesn’t need a man in her life to make her feel fulfilled.

Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye, and Daredevil.

The Netflix Daredevil renaissance is finally upon us! I’m so happy to see Daredevil back in the public conversation. Ever since Charlie Cox’s cameo as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Vincent D’Onofrio’s appearance as Kingpin on Hawkeye, the internet has been abuzz about Daredevil’s possible return. Many have either been rewatching the show’s three seasons or watching them for the first time. I rewatched, and it’s as good as ever. 

One of the show’s most unique aspects is that its titular character is blind. Matt Murdock was blinded as a child in an accident involving radioactive chemicals that took away his sight but heightened his other senses. During the day, he works as a lawyer. At night, he uses those heightened senses to fight as a vigilante. But how is his blindness represented in the show? 

When it comes to little details about Matt’s every day life, the show gets a lot right. Throughout all three seasons, Matt is shown reading hardcopy braille documents with his fingertips. He also uses assistive technology most blind people use. None of this is part of his “blind act”—he genuinely can’t see screens or read print. When working on cases, he’s shown using a refreshable braille display with an earpiece for a screenreader for his computer. 

Here's how this works, we will rank all the MCU live-action Spider-Man films (excluding Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) only because animation is on a whole other playfield) before Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Each of the films will be ranked based on their most awesome scenes, which means the more not-so-awesome scenes we find in the films, the more likely they will be at the bottom of our list. Let's see if your favorite Spider-Man movie will make it to the top.

7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Awesome Scene: Gwen Stacy’s fall was the most climactic and heartbreaking scene in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This scene was visually stunning and had great VFX that allows viewers to feel suspense as Gwen Stacy is falling to her death. The sequel was not as epic compared to the other Spider-Man films that came before and after. It’s a shame that a scene with tragedy and no dialogue was the most memorable part of this film.

Not-So-Awesome Scene #1: Any scene with Harry Osborn in it, especially his Green Goblin transformation. I get that the character is supposed to resemble a goblin like in the comics, but maybe Sam Raimi was smart to put a Goblin mask on Dafoe instead of an actual makeover. 

Not-So-Awesome Scene #2: Any scene with Electro (I’m narrowing it down because this film has major flaws). Electro’s disappointment has more to do with how he was written and his facial CG than Foxx’s acting. Electro would have been an amazing villain for the film, since he is one of the most notorious villains Spider-Man faced in the comics. Both Green Goblin and Electro would have been worthy opponents for our superheroes, but their story arcs were a letdown and I can’t help but feel they were trying to pull off a trio battle like in Spider-Man 3.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to the 2018 film Venom. This sequel’s synopsis may say it’s about the new symbiote Carnage, but this movie is really about love. It’s about the love between two insane killers, and the love between an alien symbiote and a human man. And I think that’s beautiful. Spoilers ahead for Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Eddie and Venom’s relationship is the heart of this movie. They begin as roommates who have been living together for too long. Like an old married couple, they’ve grown annoyed with each other and are constantly bickering. It even gets abusive. They fight physically at one point, trying to hurt each other in ways they know the other would suffer from most. Venom wrecks Eddie's apartment and leaves. At first, the two couldn’t be happier to be apart. Yet, they’ve grown codependent. Venom, particularly, misses Eddie (he is a symbiote who needs a host, after all). But first, they must find who they are as individuals. Eddie returns to investigating on his own, and Venom finds his “people” (more on that later). 

When the circumstances require it, they get back together after Eddie apologizes to Venom. The two are at their best when they’re together — something they can both finally acknowledge by the end of the movie. One of the best moments is when Anne remarks that Cletus and Carnage are not a match. But Venom and Eddie realize that they are.

After saving the day, the pair retire to a beach where Venom confesses love to Eddie. The two then watch the sunset together in one of the most romantic scenes I’ve ever seen in a superhero film. 

There are so many interwoven stories, themes, character arcs, timelines, and dimensions! In order to keep track of the MCU films and figure out what to watch when, here’s a list of those that have come out – 29 as of now — as well as what's coming up in the next few years. Included are related articles and Incluvie score (and a fun 1.5 minute TikTok).