Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home follow.
When Spider-Man: No Way Home premiered on Dec. 17, audiences confirmed what Marvel obsessives had long suspected: that in addition to bringing back villains from old versions of Spider-Man, the film brought back the old Spideys themselves. Tobey Maguire, who played the character from 2002-2007, and Andrew Garfield, who donned the iconic costume from 2012-2014, joined current Spider-Man, Tom Holland, onscreen — and together, they made a movie that rewarded fans of all three superheroes.
The trio quickly figures out that they have a lot in common. In addition to sharing similar superpowers and the same origin story (that pesky spider bite), they’ve been through a lot of the same personal experiences. All three lost an aunt or uncle just after their relative had delivered the iconic line, “With great power comes great responsibility.” And they’ve all faced hurdles in their romantic relationships — some more serious than others.
Throughout the film, Garfield’s Spider-Man is still grieving the loss of his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). At one point, Maguire’s Spidey gives him a pep talk, assuring him that it isn’t impossible to shoot webs and find love at the same time. He opens up about his own love life, revealing that though he and his MJ (Kirsten Dunst) have been through their rough patches, they’ve since worked it out.
Fans of Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy will be no doubt delighted to learn that the couple is still going strong almost a decade and a half after they last appeared onscreen in Spider-Man 3. While the pair certainly faced their share of obstacles (cough, Peter Parker bonding with Venom and becoming the kind of guy who walks around town like this, cough), they were always sweet together — and they also shared one of the most memorable kisses in cinematic history.
