We thought it would be a good time to reflect on the first two adventures of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man now that we know the third Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man film, No Way Home, released in late 2021. The following easter eggs are so hidden that even Ned would miss them– oh, and we didn’t forget to include everything from No Way Home’s name reveal.
Karen’s relation with J.A.R.V.I.S.
Can we pique your attention with a cameo-meta easter egg combination? In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter discovers that his new Spider-Man costume, courtesy of Tony Stark, comes with a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system. Because the system, which Peter refers to as “Karen,” can respond to voice commands, they converse throughout the film. Jennifer Connelly, the Academy Award winner, provides Karen’s seductive vocals. Karen is the wife of J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony’s voice-guided A.I. So how cool is it that Connelly is married to Paul Bettany, who voiced J.A.R.V.I.S. and played Vision, the next step in his evolution?
A hidden easter egg has taken nine years to finish.
Far From Home is the concluding Phase 3 film, yet it pays respect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s beginnings. The Incredibles was released just three months after the first MCU film, Iron Man, in 2008. The Incredible Hulk has always been the redheaded stepchild. It didn’t do well at the box office. Edward Norton has been replaced with Mark Ruffalo, but it’s still considered canon. Do you require proof? Take a look at the Spider-Man films from Marvel.
In The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner delivers a pizza to a scumbag college student played by Martin Starr of Freaks and Geeks, who had a screen duration of seconds. In the 2017 film Homecoming and the 2019 film Far from Home, Starr reprises his role as Peter’s science instructor Roger Harrington. What’s more, guess what? It’s the same person!
Bruce Banner, Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton?
Homecoming brings us to Peter’s high school(Midtown Tech), and there are plenty of easter eggs to be found there. A painting representing scientific luminaries such as Tony Stark’s father, Howard (John Slattery), and Abraham Erskine, the originator of Captain America’s Super-Soldier Serum, can be found in the hallways (Stanley Tucci). There’s more to it, though.
The inside of Peter’s classroom has photographs of other scientific titans. In a long series of images that includes Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, Bruce Banner, the Hulk, and his seven PhDs, stand apart.
United, your in-flight entertainment is fantastic!
Far from Home sees Peter and his friends embark on a two-week trip to Europe in the United Airlines. Peter tries to divert his attention away from Brad Davis making a move on M.J. by browsing the in-flight entertainment.
He looks at the documentary category, which contains The Snap, directed by Paul Greengrass, a real-life director who directed United 93, and Captain Phillips. Heart of Iron: The Tony Stark Story and NOVA: Einstein Rosen Bridges, a film about wormholes starring Thor’s Dr. Erik Selvig, are also available.
Wade, it’s your turn.
Tom Holland, 20, was virtually a baby compared to Tobey Maguire (26 when he first played 17-year-old Peter) and Andrew Garfield (27 when he first wore the Spidey tights). So, what’s the point? The actors in Homecoming were all young when they filmed it, so they’re convincing as high school students. Take the gym class scenario, for example, we see these students playing F, marry, kill with Avengers members.
Liz admits to having a thing for Spider-Man during the game, but her pal warns her that he might be “really burnt.” This is most likely a joke at Deadpool, whose face resembles an avocado whooped by an older, more repulsive avocado.
Dummy, you should’ve gone for it.
Karen, Peter’s new A.I. system/mentor, doesn’t simply give him the information on all the exciting new equipment Tony gave him at Homecoming. it’s also his wing-bot. Liz is the last of Peter’s classmates to be saved from the elevator after Peter’s dramatic rescue during the class trip to Washington, D.C. Karen adds that he should kiss her after they have a brief moment (since Peter plummets immediately afterward). This is a dead ringer for Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst’s MTV Movie Award-winning kiss in the first Spider-Man.
Uncle Ben made it!
We were worried when we learned that Spider-Man: Homecoming would relaunch Spidey. It’s not that the movie wouldn’t be entertaining; it’s just that we’d have to watch Uncle Ben die for the third time in 15 years. Imagine our amazement when we discovered that neither his hide nor his hair was present at Homecoming. It’s almost there. While Ben is not seen on screen, Peter claims that he keeps his alter-ego hidden from his aunt May because of “all that’s happened to her.” In Captain America: Civil War, he also has a remark about not using his powers and something terrible happening as a result, which alludes to Spidey’s traditional origin narrative.
After all, I think he didn’t.
Apparently, dancing around Uncle Ben wasn’t always the plan. According to Homecoming co-writer John Francis Daley, the movie WAS supposed to feature Peter receiving a homecoming suit from May that was openly said to be Ben’s. He added that it was removed because he didn’t want someone’s death to be “a throwaway.” However, if you look closely, you’ll notice a reference to Peter’s uncle – in the sequel. In Far From Home, Peter’s bag is engraved with “BFP” when he’s preparing for his vacation to Europe. This (presumably) stands for Benjamin Franklin Parker, as Benjamin Franklin is said to have been the inspiration for Uncle Ben’s design in the comic book.
Guys, that gadget is still functional.
Peter needs to find a way out of the warehouse when he wakes up on board the hijacked Damage Control truck in Homecoming. As he rummages in his duffle bag for something to aid him in his escape, he comes across a semi-circular object. If you remember Avengers: Age of Ultron, you’ll know it as the key that caused the levitating Sokovia to fall from the sky (sorry, Wanda!). To emphasize the point, Peter then pulls out the head of an Ultron drone — which is still operational! That’s a good thing it doesn’t have MCU-wide repercussions.
What’s in a name like No Way Home?
The teaser for Spider-Man: No Way Home begins with a background shot of Amazing Fantasy #15, Spidey’s first appearance in comics. Let’s discuss the title now. “No Way Home,” unlike Homecoming and Far from Home, is a touch more melancholy. It could allude to Spider-last-second Man’s public disclosure in Far From Home that he’s really Peter Parker, implying that nothing will ever be the same for the hero from Queens. Another possibility is that Peter will travel to the multiverse, which comprises Marvel’s endless parallel worlds. It makes sense, given that Alfred Molina (Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2) and Jamie Foxx (Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2) are set to reprise their roles.
All the easter eggs on the whiteboard
A chalkboard appears in the teaser, allegedly depicting potential titles explored for No Way Home. There are numerous jokes throughout the film, including references to COVID-19 and other films such as Home Alone. Now, this may be a stretch, but observant fans have noted that the web design surrounding the title almost matches the geographic area of Puerto Rico, where Miles Morales’ mother is from. Is it possible that Ultimate Spider-Man may make his debut live-action appearance soon? Also, visible if you look closely is an arc reactor that kept Tony Stark alive and fuelled his suits. Finally, Wanda Vision enthusiasts will recognize those hexagonal chemical compounds.
Origin tale of Mysterio
The origin tale of Mysterio, one of Spider-oldest Man’s and most popular adversaries, is rewritten in A Spider-Man Story Far from Home. Quentin Beck is no longer a failing actor, but a dissatisfied former employee of Stark Industries who was personally slighted by Tony, symbolizing the growing disillusionment of ordinary people with superheroes’ ascendancy. As demonstrated by the (re)appearance of William Ginter Riva, his followers are lex-Starks as well. He initially appeared in 2008 Iron Man as a Stark scientist being chastised by Obadiah Stane for failing to reproduce Tony’s Armor technology. He was played by Peter Billingsley.
Day Off for Peter Parker
Because Spider-Man is the youngest member of the Avengers, his connections do not have to be as well. Director Jon Watts stated explicitly that he wanted to make a John Hughes superhero film, thus it was only natural that he would pay tribute to the man himself. Peter is following Toomes’ goons through suburbia early in Homecoming, exactly matching Ferris Bueller’s frenzied sprint to beat his mother and sister home in Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Peter swings into a cookout with a TV playing the exact moment from Ferris Bueller to make sure everyone got it. As he swings by, he says, “Great movie
After all these years, you’re still a punk.
Another ’80s movie tribute appears in Homecoming, this time arranged by Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige! Peter meets a hotdog vendor who asks him to do a flip in one of the early scenes. The merchant and the unkempt, boombox-carrying person next to him applaud when he does. The same actor who played the “Punk on the bus” Kirk and Spock encountered in 1986’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home plays “Punk on street.” After meeting Feige, who is supposedly a great Trek buff, Kirk Thatcher landed the Homecoming appearance and expressed his hope for a long run of “Punk on…” cameos to fund an early retirement.
