was a huge success for Marvel and Sony, tying together every live-action Spider-Man in one heartwarming story. It’s hard to deny the film was incredible on first viewing, tugging at the heartstrings of multiple generations of Spider-Man fans, with great performances from the returning cast. Fan favorites like Green Goblin () and Doc Ock () were done justice, while less popular characters like Electro () and Lizard () got a chance to charm audiences.

While Spider-Man: No Way Home seemed great at the time, every rewatch highlights the movie’s glaring problems. Not only is it the seventh highest-grossing film of all time, it’s the biggest MCU film aside from the last two movies. That kind of success can’t go unnoticed by Marvel, and like with most comic book movies, the studio took the wrong lesson away from it.

It's harder to enjoy No Way Home with every rewatch. The CGI is subpar for a project of this scale, and there are too many moments of silence where the filmmakers have paused for applause. The film is also riddled with plotholes due to vague time-travel shenanigans that desperately try to justify the incursions between characters, making it a hard watch for new viewers who are just tuning in to the franchise. No Way Home set a new standard for the MCU that Marvel Studios clung onto throughout Phases 4 & 5. Bringing back old cast members and filling movies with cameos became their priority This resulted in big-name actors popping up for reasons that don’t serve the story, .

was the first film to follow No Way Home’s trend. The sequel devoted the entire second act to a series of cameos that . The Illuminati re-introduced veteran Marvel heroes like Charles Xavier () and Peggy Carter (), only to have Scarlet Witch () kill them off ten minutes later. ’s cameo is the most telling appearance. Marvel fans have spent years calling for Krasinski to take on the role of Reed Richards, making his appearance a very obvious nod to the audience that almost breaks the fourth wall. The rampant speculation about cameo appearances hurt the film when it first came out. Multiverse of Madness wasn’t a bad film in hindsight, but rumors about who would show up set expectations unrealistically high. Loki (), Deadpool (), Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, and even as Iron Man were some of the names thrown around before release, and when the film didn’t deliver on constant cameos throughout its runtime, it left fans disappointed.

is perhaps the guiltiest of copying No Way Home’s trend. The Deadpool movies have always done a great job standing on their own, putting an original spin on lesser-known comic book characters like Domino (), Firefist (), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (). Nevertheless, the in Deadpool & Wolverine to make room for countless X-Men cameos that interrupt the story. We can’t deny how amazing it was to see actors like and reprise their iconic roles, but the film lacks a compelling story. Deadpool spends most of the movie wandering around the void just to set up cameo appearances from the Human Torch (), Elektra (), Gambit (), and X-23 (). These cameos become the most memorable part of the film because the rest of the story is designed around them.

The Infinity Saga never had to rely on cameos because it took the time to develop an original universe and characters to build towards a larger interconnected narrative that served a greater purpose, while simultaneously giving each character a standalone story that could be watched on its own. Sure, Iron Man () shows up in , but he’s an integral part of Homecoming’s plot. The Hulk () furthered his overarching story in . Falcon’s () appearance in was a fun sequence that didn’t dominate the runtime. Marvel developed a great formula for crossing over characters in a way that serves the story, but having old Marvel stars randomly drop into a film for a few scenes . Worst of all, it breaks the immersion, as audiences will be focused on the big-name celebrities on the screen rather than the actual implications of their presence in the story.

Marvel hasn’t learned their lesson yet. The upcoming is bringing back Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans in new roles, and the have promised to expect more surprises. While the actors may be used in a more interesting way than what we’ve gotten so far, it’s a shame that Marvel has to fall back on its stars from a previous era, instead of the countless new characters they’ve introduced in the past 5 years. This begs the question – what was it all for? Characters like Moon Knight (), Echo (), and Kate Bishop () have rarely been seen, if at all, since each of their solo projects. Marvel should prioritize integrating its original characters before multiversal variants. Big-name cameos will inevitably lead to diminishing returns. Now that we've seen Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman return, it will be less shocking to see them reappear later on. There are only so many characters to bring back, and that breeds consistent success.

While it might seem controversial to say No Way Home ruined Marvel, it marked a turning point for the franchise, where storytelling took a backseat. The MCU made its name by taking the time to craft stories for each of its characters, inspired by classic film genres. brought Steve Rogers () into the modern world and drew inspiration from espionage thrillers. Thor: Ragnarok drew from classic 80's sci-fi adventures and showed Thor's transition into the King of Asgard. Nevertheless, cameos are king in the new era of Marvel, and it’s getting harder to enjoy the MCU without extensive knowledge of Marvel’s cinematic history.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to stream on STARZ in the U.S.

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