Traditionally, Spider-Man is a superhero who deals with localized threats. He’s taking down supervillains, but he’s also a “friendly, neighborhood” presence who makes time to web up purse-snatchers and common criminals. It’s why some of the best moments in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home were the smaller-scaled, more character-driven scenes where Peter Parker dealt with the indignities of his life rather than fighting a big, literal monster.
Spider-Man: No Way Home leans on the prior movies to do its narrative heavy lifting. This is nearly wall-to-wall action, with Spider-Man fighting a rogue’s gallery of his greatest villains. It is both an interrogation and a love letter to its hero. And it provides an appropriate, bittersweet conclusion to its story, that finally gives the MCU Spider-Man his own mythology and backstory, separate from his relationship to Tony Stark.
Fair warning: beyond this paragraph are massive spoilers. Here are 28 Easter eggs and references you might have missed in Spider-Man: No Way Home, currently playing in theaters nationwide.