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.
