Spider-Man: No Way Home: Throwing Bread to Test Spider-Sense was Zendaya’s Idea

Zendaya came up with the concept for MJ to test one familiar web-slinger “tingle” by throwing bread at him in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

How does Zendaya Get the Idea of throwing bread?

Zendaya came up with the idea of throwing bread to test one familiar web slingers “tingle” in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In Jon Watts’ final episode of the Homecoming trilogy, Zendaya reprised her role as Michelle Jones/MJ. No Way Home is a sequel to 2019’s Far from Home, in which Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) strive to make the world forget that the former is Spider-Man, with the exception of Peter’s loved ones. Three generations of Spider-Man characters are brought into the MCU when the subsequent spell goes bad.

Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Lizard (Thomas Haden Church) all return in No Way Home (Rhys Ifans). Of course, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Holland’s Spider-Men—Marvel Studios’ worst-kept secret—are all included in the film.

While Maguire’s version headlined in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, Garfield took over as Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Garfield’s web-slinging career was cut short by the poor response of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and Sony/Disney/Marvel Studios struck a pact to revive the character in the MCU. Garfield’s part in No Way Home has been hailed as redemptive in the month since he stepped through a magical portal.

With the cat (or spider) out of the bag, Garfield can finally chat about his experience filming No Way Home. Garfield discussed how Zendaya came up with the idea to toss the bread in one of No Way Home’s funniest scenes in a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

In the sequence, MJ is unsure if Garfield’s Spider-Man is real, so he throws bread at him to see if he has Spidey Sense, a.k.a. “Peter Tingle,” says the narrator. On the other hand, Garfield explains why it doesn’t work for bread.

Garfield went on to equate the situation to “kids just playing,” and it’s clear why. From Lola’s bread throwing and sweeping cobwebs from the ceiling to Maguire’s introduction and web-off with Garfield, the sequence is a delight to watch.

Garfield’s Spider-Man had a darker tone than Maguire and Holland’s. No Way Home gives him the freedom to be the “Spider-Man that [he] always [wanted to be].” Furthermore, Peter receives character and arc closure, which directly relates to Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy’s death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when he saves Zendaya’s MJ in No Way Home.

Garfield’s introduction in No Way Home hits perfectly, especially after some of the film’s darker sequences, thanks to Zendaya’s predilection for using bread as artillery. In fact, Garfield’s entire portrayal has resonated so strongly with fans that many are hoping for more of him in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 or elsewhere in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

Garfield has stated that if it makes sense, he would be willing to continue playing Spider-Man. If and when he returns to the role, it will hopefully be as satisfying as Spider-Man: No Way Home.