Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Tom Holland’s Spider-Man meet Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s iconic iterations of the character. In doing so, he got a glimpse of what their lives were like, or more accurately, what his life could be like. In Maguire’s case, Holland’s Spidey discovered that his best friend could betray him to become a supervillain. Alternatively, Garfield’s Spider-Man spoke to him about his romantic life. In private, he told Holland about falling in love with and subsequently losing Gwen Stacy.
Since Holland’s Spider-Man now knows that Gwen was Garfield’s MJ, his encounter with her universe counterpart will have a different meaning. With MJ losing her memories of Peter and their relationship, the likelihood that a No way home the sequence featuring Gwen is longer. Even so, bringing her into Peter’s life in the MCU is much more complicated if he knows about the potential of loving her and her death.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Gwen Stacy Meeting Should Be Awkward After Spider-Man: No Way Home
Peter Parker meets his variant loved by Gwen Stacy
The knowledge Peter has gained from his variants will likely alter how he interacts with his universe’s versions of many characters. While he was already wary of people like Norman Osborn or Kurt Connors, the web-slinger might not know about Harry. Likewise, as mentioned before, Gwen Stacy being the love of her variant’s life is information that would influence any interactions they might have. If he pursued her based on this story, it would leave a bad taste in the public’s mouth.
This dynamic is inherently unbalanced and unfair to both Peter and Gwen. He knows she could die for loving him, which casts a gloomy cloud over their interactions, but she is unaware of such danger.
Knowing that he could have these feelings for her might lead him to have a stronger predisposition to date her. Meanwhile, Gwen would have absolutely no idea that there is a broader context for his interest in her. This dynamic is inherently unbalanced and unfair to both Peter and Gwen. He knows she could die for loving him, which casts a gloomy cloud over their interactions, but she is unaware of such danger.
No Way Home makes an MCU Gwen Stacy romance harder to pull off for Spider-Man
Peter Parker also knows the tragic fate of Gwen Stacy
The most likely outcome is that Peter would try to avoid Gwen’s variantwhether it’s the possibility of falling in love with her or killing her. The reason he decided not to tell MJ about his story was that she still had a wound from the battle at the end of No way home. This reminds him that MJ was only hurt because of her involvement with him. The MCU iteration of Peter is especially sensitive to the effect his heroism has on those he loves. He just lost Aunt May and he doesn’t want to lose anyone else.
Still, this creates interesting story potential. Peter could meet Gwen in college while actively avoiding her. In time, she would break down her walls and a romance could blossom. Like Tobey Maguire’s Spidey, he would have to learn that sacrificing his happiness to protect his loved ones is a bad trade. Gwen could be the catalyst for her growth in this regard if she were brought into the MCU.
How the MCU Could Redefine Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy’s Romance
If Marvel Reboots the MCU, It Could Work Around the Problem
Regardless of whether Peter’s next love interest in the MCU is Gwen Stacy, Felicia Hardy, or MJ again, Spider-Man’s story will be fundamentally different. The end of No way home redefine the status quo; Peter’s secret identity is unknown to the world, he doesn’t have access to Tony Stark’s resources, and his friends no longer know him. This reboot of sorts makes Peter’s circumstances in the MCU more similar to Maguire’s: a college student struggling financially. In theory, this would make it easier to bring in classic characters like Gwen and Harry to fill the void left by MJ and Ned.
However, there are rumors that the MCU is planning a reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars. If that’s the case, introducing Gwen would be much simpler. The strangeness of Peter knowing who she is would no longer be a factor. The same logic could be applied to Harry, Norman and the other villains. While No way home It’s a fun ride, it created some problems with introducing more Spider-Man characters exposing Peter to them before they emerge in his own timeline.
Possible reboots aside, the MCU intends to bring Zendaya back as MJ. There are a few ways this can happen. After all, Peter could decide to tell MJ the truth. MJ could re-enter the story as Harry’s girlfriend, as in previous Spider-Man comics. An MJ variant could be introduced. Anyway, Spider-Man: No Way Home raised many lingering questions about Peter Parker’s future.