Up until the day that Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters, fans were still divided over exactly which actors were going to appear onscreen alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The biggest theory was that Marvel’s multiverse would bring the Spider-Man pointing meme to life by having Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire reprise their roles. When the potential reunion was first reported back in October 2020, a Sony rep simply responded that the castings were “not confirmed.”
That same month, Jamie Foxx had confirmed his involvement in the movie by posting a quickly deleted image of three Spider-Men. As the movie’s release drew nearer, photos and video footage of Garfield and Maguire in their Spidey suits on set were eventually leaked. And fans also found clues elsewhere, including in merch given to the movie’s film crew, an Instagram post by Garfield’s stunt double, an interview with Maguire’s Spanish voice-dub actor, a marketing clip from Sony’s Latin America division, and even toy designs.
On the one hand, there was all of that evidence. But on the other hand, we had a bunch of actors promising us it wasn’t true! Yes, actors literally pretend for a living. But the constant denials were effective enough to make some people question whether all the speculation was based on Photoshop or wishful thinking. Now, for another spoiler alert: Garfield and Maguire do show up in No Way Home, along with other Marvel alums like Charlie Cox, Rhys Ifans, Willem Dafoe, and Alfred Molina. (Plus, in a post-credits scene, Tom Hardy as Venom.) So, now that fans’ long-held dream of three generations of Spider-Man in one film has become reality, here’s a look back at all the cast members who tried to fool us, starting with the biggest liars.