'Spider-Man: No Way Home' rips the multiverse wide open with magic spells & Doc Ock in first mind-blowing trailer

It's now very clear why it took so long for Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios to drop the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Audiences first needed to be introduced to the dimension-hopping concept of a Marvel Multiverse in WandaVision and Loki before seeing what Tom Holland's Peter Parker will be dealing with in his third solo outing.

After his secret identity was revealed the world by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) in Far From Home, Peter Parker's life has become a living hell. With no recourse left to him, the anxiety-ridden teen seeks out Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) at the Sanctum Sanctorum in the hopes of changing reality, so that no one remembers that Peter is Spider-Man. After all, the two heroes did work side-by-side to defeat Thanos and save the universe not too long ago.

Despite the ominous protestations of Wong (Benedict Wong), Strange agrees to go through with the spell, but seems to mess it up when Peter — unable to stay quiet — continues to butt in with special requests about who should be able to retain their memories of his alter ego. In turn, the multiverse is ruptured, allowing Raimi-era Spidey villans like Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus (among others) to come pouring through. While Jamie Foxx's Electro may very well be teased at the 2:26-mark with that yellow lightning, there is no mistaking the arrival of a Pumpkin Bomb and evil cackle just a few seconds later (both of which seem to confirm Willem Dafoe's return as Green Goblin).

Watch the trailer below:

The whole concept of the Sorcerer Supreme erasing the planet's collective memory of Spider-Man's true identity is taken directly out of the pages of Joe Quesada and Paolo Rivera's 2010 storyline, "One Moment in Time." As Strange mentions in the trailer, "frighteningly little" is known about the multiverse, though this should be excellent practice for his adventure in next year's Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness (directed by Sam Raimi himself).

"It’s the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made," Holland teased of No Way Home back in February. "You sit down, read the script, and see what they’re trying to do, and they’re succeeding. It’s really impressive. I’ve never seen a standalone superhero movie quite like it. And I’m just, you know, again, that lucky little sh** who happens to be Spider-Man in it."

Returning cast members include: Zendaya (MJ), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson), and Tony Revolori (Flash Thompson). Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and other familiar faces from previous continuities could very well make appearances, but as it stands, Sony and Disney have given us plenty to think about in the time being.

Directed by the returning Jon Watts, the trilogy capper was written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. It was executive-produced by Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, JoAnn Perritano, Rachel O’Connor, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach. Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are producers.

As of right now, Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters everywhere Friday, Dec. 17. Enjoy a number of first look production stills in the media gallery below...