The MCU’s Only Current Way To Introduce Its Gwen Stacy Is Impossible To Not Make Weird After Spider-Man: No Way Home

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Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Tom Holland"s Spider-Man meeting the iconic Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield iterations of the character. In doing so, he got a glimpse into what their lives were like or, more accurately, what his life could be like. In Maguire"s case, Holland"s Spidey learned that his best friend could betray him to become a supervillain. Alternatively, Garfield"s Spider-Man spoke with him about his romantic life. In particular, he told Holland about falling in love with and subsequently losing Gwen Stacy.
Because Holland"s Spider-man now knows Gwen was Garfield"s MJ, his meeting his universe"s equivalent of her will carry a different meaning. With MJ losing her memories of Peter and their relationship, the likelihood that a No Way Home sequel introducing Gwen is higher. Even so, bringing her into the MCU Peter"s life is much more complicated if he knows about the potential of loving her and her death.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man Meeting Gwen Stacy Has To Be Weird After Spider-Man: No Way Home Peter Parker Knows His Variant Loved Gwen Stacy Close The knowledge Peter gained from his variants is likely to alter how he interacts with his universe"s versions of a lot of characters. While he"d already be wary of the likes of Norman Osborn or Kurt Connors, the web-slinger may not have known about Harry. Likewise, as mentioned before, Gwen Stacy being the love of his variant"s life is information that would color any interaction they may have. If he pursued her based on that history, it would leave a bad taste in the audience"s mouths.
This dynamic is inherently unbalanced and unfair to both Peter and Gwen. He knows she could die because of loving him, which casts a melancholic cloud over their interactions, yet she"s unaware of any such danger.
Knowing that he could have those feelings for her might lead him to have a stronger predisposition to date her. Meanwhile, Gwen would have absolutely no idea that there"s a broader context to his interest in her. This dynamic is inherently unbalanced and unfair to both Peter and Gwen. He knows she could die because of loving him, which casts a melancholic cloud over their interactions, yet she"s unaware of any such danger.
No Way Home Makes An MCU Gwen Stacy Romance Harder To Pull Off For Spider-Man Peter Parker Also Knows Gwen Stacy's Tragic Fate Close The more likely outcome is that Peter would try to avoid Gwen"s variant, whether because of the possibility of falling for her or getting her killed. The whole reason he decided not to tell MJ about their history 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 heroics have on those he loves. He just lost Aunt May and doesn"t want to lose anyone else.

Related Zendaya's MJ Should Do What Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy Never Could In Spider-Man 4 Zendaya is reportedly reprising her role as MJ in Spider-Man 4, and the MCU should do with her what Emma Stone"s Gwen Stacy never got to do.
Even so, this creates an interesting story potential. Peter could meet Gwen in college, actively avoiding her. Over time, she"d break down his walls, and a romance could bloom. 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 his growth in that regard, should she be brought into the MCU.
How The MCU Can Reset A Spider-Man & Gwen Stacy Romance If Marvel Reboots The MCU, It Can Circumvent The Problem

Regardless of whether Peter"s next love interest in the MCU will be Gwen Stacy, Felicia Hardy, or MJ again, Spider-Man"s story will be fundamentally different. The ending of No Way Home reset 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 financially struggling college kid. In theory, this would facilitate bringing in classic characters like Gwen and Harry to fill the void left by MJ and Ned.
However, the MCU is rumored to be eying a reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars. If this is the case, introducing Gwen would be a lot simpler. The awkwardness of Peter knowing who she is would no longer be a factor. The same logic could apply to Harry, Norman, and the other villains. While No Way Home is a fun ride, it created some issues with introducing more Spider-Man characters by exposing Peter to them before they emerge in his own timeline.
Potential reboots aside, the MCU intends to bring Zendaya back as MJ. There are a couple of ways this could happen. Peter could decide to tell MJ the truth after all. MJ could re-enter the story as Harry"s girlfriend, like in the earlier Spider-Man comics. A variant of MJ could be introduced. Either way, Spider-Man: No Way Home set up a lot of lingering questions about Peter Parker"s future.

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24 8.5/10 Spider-Man: No Way Home For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can't run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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