The sheer tonnage of new information in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer is impressive, even for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has made an art form out of inserting Easter eggs into its promotional material. The weirdest reveal is easy to lose track of amid revelations about villains, the multiverse and Peter Parker’s falling out with Doctor Strange. It concerns an homage to Captain America on the Statue of Liberty, which may suggest something about the current disposition of both men to carry that title.
The Statue of Liberty pops in and out throughout the No Way Home trailer. It first appears at about the 70-second mark, covered with scaffolding and mounting what appears to be a giant copy of Captain America’s shield to the statue’s uplifted arm. A banner on the scaffolding depicts the statue as it will look when it is complete. The words “NYC’s Newest Avenger” can be made out on the side of the banner, which connects to an earlier set image depicting a Queens bus stop poster with the same phrase. The location plays a central role in what appears to be a considerable fight scene as Spidey faces off against at least three of his classic foes.
The moment speaks to how carefully the MCU builds its universe, and how seemingly incidental details form threads that connect the saga. In this case, the statue’s new decoration matches the fictional Steve Rogers musical seen in Hawkeye’s promotional material, indicating an ongoing celebration in the MCU of what the world perceives as a hero who died undoing the Snap. The Statue of Liberty is simply getting in on the act. The rub comes from the sense of a celebration rather than a memorial, which raises some interesting possibilities.
In the first place, Steve Rogers is no longer Captain America. With Sam Wilson taking up the shield and its mantle, the MCU world knows it still has a protector in Rogers' place. The edifice at the Statue of Liberty might be celebrating that development as readily as honoring Rogers. That would leave the Broadway musical gag a little more tasteless, since (providing the world believes that Rogers is gone), it might be too soon for song-and-dance numbers about a dead man. That, however, appears to be part of the joke, and Wilson’s ascent to the position is certainly something that might merit a celebratory gesture like the shield.
It might also be possible that Rogers’ survival has become public knowledge. As old as he appeared in Avengers: Endgame, if he’s still among the living, he might have been “outed” through any number of ways. He might even choose to reveal himself, especially in the face of the nightmarish publicity problem Peter is facing in No Way Home. By stepping forward in public support of Peter, he'd reveal the truth about his status, and the ensuing public reaction really would be a celebration.
Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, Peter and his friends might be in an alternate universe, where the events of Endgame finished differently and its version of New York City is celebrating their victory in a singular manner. That would tie in not only to the events of No Way Home but to their expected continuation in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That opens up any possible number of reasons for the shield to be there, and who it might be honoring.
Any or none of these might turn out to be the case. It’s very likely that the shield is simply an emblem of the Avengers overall, and has no significance beyond a splashy way to say “thank you” for undoing the Snap. But the information packed into the No Way Home trailer suggests a good deal of mystery still to be revealed, and that might include a seemingly incidental world-building detail. At the very least, it has the potential for a strong action scene. That it might reveal a founding Avenger’s final fate would just be icing on the cake.
To see what Lady Liberty's makeover is really about, Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters on Dec. 17.
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