Spider-Man: No Way Home has proven itself to be the most successful Spidey movie of all time, with the blockbuster threequel wowing audiences through its celebration of the franchise’s legacy and inclusion of a whole bunch of iconic villains. It also, of course, features the return of both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield opposite Tom Holland.
But, in another way of looking at it, it’s actually its predecessor, Spider-Man: Far From Home, that is the most unique entry in the Spidey saga.
In a tweet that’s gone viral on Twitter, fan @reevesdachad pointed out something we’d never noticed before. “Just realized FFH is the only live-action Spider-Man movie that [sic] the final battle takes place during the day.” The user showed their receipts too by compiling screenshots from the third acts of every webhead solo film, from 2002’s Spider-Man to No Way Home.
As you can see, Sam Raimi’s original trilogy saw Maguire’s Peter Parker have his final faceoffs against Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom under the cover of darkness. Garfield’s wallcrawler likewise battled Lizard and Electro after sunset, too. Holland’s hero then continued the trend by tussling with Vulture at night in Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, his big showdown with Mysterio occurred in the daytime. The trope then reasserted itself with NWH‘s Statue of Liberty-set finale.
It’s ironic that Far From Home is the only one that takes place in the clear light of day because it revolved around Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck pulling the wool over the world’s eyes. In fact, you could argue that the FFH climax is again unique because it’s the only one in which the villain gets the better of Peter, as Mysterio is able to use the incident in London to frame Parker for his own crimes. (OK, he still dies, though we do have our doubts about that.)
It’s obvious why all the prior movies went for nighttime endings, as it signals a dark, dramatic conclusion, but Spider-Man: Far From Home proves things can get just as tense for Spidey when the sun’s up.