![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-1200x800.jpg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
Seeing Triple? Marvel Delivers What Fans Wanted: More Spider-Man
Rumors flew about the return of previous Spider-Mans, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, in Marvel’s highly anticipated movie, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
20 years in the making, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” brings the past to the present. While Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) helps Spiderman out, nostalgic villains — Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Electro — return for a final battle with Peter Parker.
February 5, 2022
(Contains spoilers)
Released on Dec. 17, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” debuted in theaters only, earning more $1.5 billion dollars in the box office, with $260 million of that on opening weekend. The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” trailer has received more- views than any movie so far, surpassing “Avengers: Endgame” with 355.5 million views.
What built the anticipation? A rumor surfaced that previous Spider-Man actors — Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield — would appear in Marvel Studios newest movie.
Actor Tobey Maguire appeared in the Sam Raimi films “Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2,” and “Spider-Man 3,” while Andrew Garfield appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” directed by Marc Webb.
As rumored, Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield did reprise their roles as different versions of Peter Parker. Along with the Spider-Mans themselves, previous villains also appeared in this movie. Willem Dafoe came back as Green Goblin (Spider-Man), Alfred Molina as Doc Ock (Spider-Man 2), Jamie Foxx as Electro (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), and Rhys Ifan as Lizard (The Amazing Spider-Man).
Although Thomas Hayden Church could not come back in person due to scheduling issues, he was able to do the voiceover for his character. His character, Sandman, was made through CGI and old footage from when he played in “Spider-Man 3.”
This cross of universes does have an explanation. In Marvel’s “Loki,” which was released in June of 2021, different versions of Loki, the main character of the show and a previous MCU villain, appeared in the show. There was a female version, a kid version, and even an alligator version of Loki. At the end of the show, the “Multiverse” broke, meaning that they unleashed various different versions of characters in multiple timelines. In another show, “What if…,” also released in 2021, it showed different outcomes of stories in an animated format. The events of these two shows gave more fuel to the rumor of the multiverse appearing in the new Spider-Man movie. These shows have different versions of characters and timelines, supporting the idea that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” will feature different versions of Spider-Man.
Theaters exploded with cheers and screams as the old Spider-Men appeared from portals. Everyone was hyped about their reprisal, because so many fans grew up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, so for older fans, this was like bringing their childhood and adulthood together.
There was also an appearance from Daredevil, played by Charlie Cox. In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” he plays Peter Parker’s lawyer delivering his famous line “I’m a really good lawyer,” while saving Peter from a brick being thrown through his window, showing off his reflexes.
The movie itself got a 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and for a good reason. “No Way Home” was the perfect end to Tom Holland’s first Spider-Man trilogy. They show how Peter deals with everyone knowing he’s Spider-Man and with everyone hating him. They also show Peter finally getting the classic “with great power, comes great responsibility” line, showing us that he’s not a kid anymore.
With Aunt May’s death, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man experiences one of his first real losses and realizes that being a superhero has a cost. This further shows us that Peter is not a kid anymore. We also get to see Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man get some redemption for Gwen Stacy’s death. When MJ falls off scaffolding and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man fails to catch her, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man swoops in to help.
Overall, between the movie’s amazing CGI, brilliantly choreographed fight scenes, and the closure we got for all three Spider-Mans, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is a must-watch.
For Marvel, the future is bright. Because of the multiverse continuing in the MCU, there is hope to bring back characters from previous Marvel projects, such as Deadpool, Fantastic 4, and X-men, all Marvel characters, although they are not canon to the MCU timeline yet. However, because of the recent introductions to Marvel characters — like Daredevil, Tobey’s Peter Parker, and Andrew’s Peter Parker — there is a larger opportunity for the characters to show up through the multiverse, possibly through “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.”
Marvel Studio’s next movie, “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness” comes out May 6.
