Come Hell, high water or a global pandemic like COVID, Marvel Studios finally unleashed Phase 4 of their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise this year. No less than four movies premiered worldwide in cinemas (where open) and online via Disney+, beginning with “Black Widow” last July, then followed by “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in September and, “Eternals” two Fridays ago. The 2021 Holidays sendoff for big-screen Marvel will be the third MCU “Spider-Man” solo film, subtitled “No Way Home.” With the movie premiering next month and hype building, Marvel Studios has unleashed a new trailer.

Variety tells us that there is a new preview out for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” building anticipation for how the MCU version of the Friendly Neighborhood Web-head as played by Tom Holland will get out of his latest predicament. Those who watched 2019’s “Far from Home” will recall Peter Parker/Spider-Man having his dual identity exposed. The previous “No Way Home” trailer saw him try a magical solution to return his secret with the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), only to mess up the spell and weaken the dimensional boundaries. Now, super-villains with a beef against Spidey (and familiar to fans of previous Spider-movies) are appearing and endangering MCU-Peter’s world.

The new trailer, as seen above, picks up from where its predecessor leaves off. There was the awesome return of Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus from 2004’s “Spider-Man 2.” While he menaces Spider-Man in battle, he stops when he sees Holland-Peter as not the Peter from his world. He and Strange later theorize that these villains have fought the Spider-Man of their respective dimensions and got killed. Peter, who sabotaged Strange’s memory spell because it would blanket cause everyone to forget his Spider-identity, finds himself again defying the Doctor’s more pragmatic solution for an alternative more acceptable to himself.

But as the Green Goblin (reprised by Willem Defoe from the original “Spider-Man” film), puts it, Peter Parker struggles to have everything he wants while the reality of his world is forcing him to choose some desires (or just one) over the rest. Hounded by the public inflamed by fiery pundit J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons), and his friends Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) in ever-increasing danger, Spider-Man finds himself trapped. Can he still find a third option or will he finally gain only at a loss? Or does he end up losing everything?

“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” co-produced by Marvel Studios and Sony-Columbia Pictures, premieres in theaters this December 17. The MCU also has spinoff series on Disney+, with “Hawkeye” premiering on streaming in December 22, with more in the works next year.

Image courtesy of Hollywood Reporter