Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Includes Nod to Gwen Stacy’s Tragic Death

There was a chilling nod to Gwen Stacy’s death in the latest trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. The previous Spider-Man installments from Sony Pictures have featured a different take on Gwen Stacy’s comic book death, but this is the first time a Tom Holland movie has referenced the fatal event. Near the very end of the latest trailer, Zenday’s MJ falls from scaffolding as Holland’s Spider-Man dives down to save her. Just as Peter and MJ’s fingers get close to one another for the save, the camera goes black, leaving her survival a mystery until the film hits theaters in December.

1973’s Amazing Spider-Man #112 saw Gwen Stacy caught in the middle of Spider-Man’s war with the Green Goblin. The villain kidnapped Gwen and toss her off a New York City bridge. In his attempt to save Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man shot a web line that stuck to her legs. Unfortunately, the speed at which she was plummeting caused her neck to snap from the whiplash of the sudden stop. A similar scene played out in 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man 2 when Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker tried to save Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy. Instead of snapping her neck, audiences hear Gwen’s back break from the fall.

This time, it’s Zendaya/MJ falling and in need of rescuing in the No Way Home trailer. Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy introduced Zendaya’s character in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming as Michelle. We later learn she also goes by MJ, which is a character Peter Parker goes on to marry in the comics. Peter lets MJ in on his secret identity in the follow-up, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the two deal with the fallout of his cover being blown by J. Jonah Jameson in the film’s post-credits scene. 

Peter has a line in the trailer regarding how the happiest week he can remember involves the time when he told her he was Spider-Man. They have a tight bond, which only makes her possible death all the more heartbreaking to consider. However, there may be a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Fans are already speculating that Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man will show up at the last moment to save MJ, bringing his failure to do the same for Gwen Stacy full circle. We’ll see if that comes to fruition, but Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures aren’t being subtle in their callback.

What do you believe will happen to MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Let us know down in the comments.