Spider-Man Director: Reddit Altered Maguire, Garfield Roles

The inclusion of classic Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home was partly shaped by a Reddit post that caught the eye of director Jon Watts.

At the Mediterrane Film Festival, Watts explained that intense online speculation about Maguire and Garfield's potential roles inspired a fan to illustrate how the duo might reappear—and the fan's concept aligned so closely with the filmmakers’ initial ideas that it prompted a change of plans.

Watts mentioned that the team decided to craft an entirely different introductory scene for the beloved Spider-Men—set in the home of Ned’s grandmother—in order to subvert fan expectations.

"Even while we were shooting, there were already rumors circulating that Tobey and Andrew would appear," Watts told Collider. "We were refining the script and debating the best moment to introduce them. Initially, we imagined Peter grappling with Aunt May's death, followed by portals opening on a rooftop and the two Spider-Men stepping through. It was a rough idea at the time—everything was still taking shape.

"Then I came across fan art on Reddit depicting the exact scene fans were anticipating: a somber rooftop moment with Doctor Strange's portals and both Spider-Men emerging. I thought, 'We absolutely can’t stick with that concept—if the audience already expects it, we need to change course.'"

Watts added that he wanted to keep the audience guessing—trusting their insight into the plot’s direction while aiming to surprise them with the execution. He asked himself where viewers would least expect Maguire and Garfield to make their long-awaited return.

"I realized Ned’s Filipino grandmother’s house in Queens would be the perfect unexpected setting," he said. "I doubt anyone was making Reddit fan art about that. And it worked well narratively, because that’s the first time we shift away from Peter’s perspective.

"By that point, we don’t know what’s happened to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. So we follow Ned and MJ as they go into hiding, and the most logical place is his grandmother’s home. We built the entire scene around that idea."

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Watts went on to explain that adapting the scene proved challenging due to COVID-19 restrictions. The woman cast as Ned’s grandmother wasn’t a professional actor.

"We had to find someone, fly her from Hawaii to Atlanta in the middle of the pandemic, and film the entire sequence," Watts recalled. "Introducing her and changing the setting allowed us to subvert audience expectations in the best way possible. They got the moment they were hoping for, but in a way they never saw coming."

Tom Holland is set to return next year in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with filming scheduled to begin shortly. Joining him will be Sadie Sink of Stranger Things in an undisclosed role, alongside MCU veteran Jon Bernthal, who will reprise his role as the Punisher. While Maguire and Garfield are not expected to appear, the multiverse may yet bring them back in future installments like Avengers: Doomsday or, more likely, Avengers: Secret Wars.