It’s the record-breaking movie franchise that nearly everyone has heard about: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. This unprecedented collection of interconnected movies has single-handedly revived the passion of waiting anxiously for a trailer to drop, or going to theatres with friends, and perhaps most important of all, staying for the post-credit scenes. At the time of writing, the MCU has released 25 blockbuster films and 4 TV shows streaming on their streaming platform, Disney+. They are slated to release 2 more films and 1 more TV show before the end of 2021.

“The worst-kept secret in Hollywood” – this is the term that fans have been using to describe some rumors regarding the upcoming Spider-Man film, releasing in December this year. Officially titled Spider-Man: No Way Home, it stars Tom Holland as the titular character of Peter Parker. However, ever since Disney announced that some villains from previous Spider-Man franchises were returning in this film (with the same actors who played them previously), rumors began rapidly circulating that previous incarnations of Spider-Men were appearing as well. These include Tobey Maguire’s version from the 2003-2007 trilogy, as well the Andrew Garfield’s version from the 2012-2014 The Amazing Spider-Man films. When the teaser trailer for the film dropped in late August, the rumors of a multiverse event taking place was all but confirmed.

The release of the Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser trailer broke the record for the most-viewed movie trailer in 24 hours, at 355.5 million views across all platforms. Previously, the record was held by none other than Avengers: Endgame at 289 million views. The previous two renditions of Spider-Man from 2003 and 2012 are not set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but with the help of some spells (and lots of money), the chances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield appearing in this film is at an all time high.

Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe about to become a Marvel Cinematic Multiverse?