Where to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home
Disney Plus is the easiest choice in the US, especially if you plan to watch Far From Home first on the same service. The other listed options are fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow and the Starz channel on Apple TV, useful if you already subscribe to one of them. Outside the US, availability varies by country, so check the watch box on this page for local services.
No Way Home runs 148 minutes, about two and a half hours. Paired with Far From Home, that makes a double feature of roughly four and a half hours, which is the best way to see both.
What to watch before Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home is non-negotiable. Its mid-credits scene is the starting point of this movie, and there is no recap. Doctor Strange matters too, since Stephen Strange's magic drives the plot and the film assumes you know who he is and how the Mystic Arts work.
Beyond those two, the full Homecoming trilogy is the ideal setup. Peter's friendships with Ned and MJ carry the emotional weight here, and they were built across both earlier films.
| Title | Why it helps | Needed? |
|---|
| Spider-Man: Far From Home | The cliffhanger this film starts from | Yes |
| Doctor Strange | Strange and the Mystic Arts | Yes |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | Peter, Ned, MJ and May | Recommended |
| Spider-Man 2 | Background for a returning face | Helpful |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Background for another returning face | Helpful |
Should you watch the older Spider-Man films first?
It helps. Without spoiling anything, No Way Home pulls in characters from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the two Amazing Spider-Man films. You can follow the plot without them, but several scenes are designed to pay off years of history, and they hit much harder if you know where these faces come from. If you only have time for a few, prioritize Spider-Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Spider-Man: No Way Home explained: the setup (spoiler-free)
Peter Parker's secret is out. The whole world knows he is Spider-Man, and a lot of people blame him for what happened in London. His friends are paying the price too, from college rejections to reporters at the door.
Desperate, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help with a spell that would make everyone forget. He keeps changing the terms mid-cast, and the spell goes badly wrong. Visitors from other realities start arriving in New York, all of them people who know exactly who Peter Parker is.
Where it fits on the MCU timeline
The story is set in 2024. On our timeline it follows Hawkeye, the Disney Plus series set around the same holiday season, and comes before Ms. Marvel, another Disney Plus series. In release order it opened in December 2021 as part of Phase 4, and our Marvel Phase 4 in order guide lists everything around it.
Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credit scenes (light spoilers)
There are two extras. The mid-credits scene checks in on a character from Sony's Venom films and leaves something behind in the MCU, a loose thread rather than a setup for a named project. The final sequence, at the end of the credits, works as a teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the next film in story order. Neither changes this film's ending, but the second is a fun bridge if you plan to continue with Strange.
Why it is essential
No Way Home ends Peter's high school era and leaves him in a very different place. Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up from that ending, so this is required viewing before it. Because the film is so central, it also appears on our essential Marvel movies and shows list, and our Spider-Man Marvel movies in order guide places it in Peter's full story.
Cast and characters
Jon Watts directs his third Spider-Man film. Tom Holland plays Peter, Zendaya is MJ, and Jacob Batalon is Ned Leeds, who gets more to do than ever. Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange is a reluctant ally, Jon Favreau returns as Happy Hogan, and Jamie Foxx plays Max Dillon, also known as Electro. Wong appears as Sorcerer Supreme, and Daredevil fans should watch closely for a short but memorable scene.
