A team of South Korean researchers have developed a new tool that uses only light to control brain circuits, emotion, and behaviors.

As reported by The Debrief, a press release for the study explains that the ontogenetic technology, dubbed Opto-vTrap, is "a light-inducible and reversible inhibition system that can temporarily trap vesicles from being released from brain cells" — meaning that emotions and behaviors of the mind can be controlled at a chemical level using only a single light source.

Director C. Justin Lee at the Center for Cognition and Sociality within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and professor Heo Won Do at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) led the study, and their findings were later published in the scientific journal Neuron, further outlining the components and processes behind the Opto-vTrap.

The research team tested the technique on mice in a lab setting and discovered that the system's blue light was capable of temporarily controlling the release of neurotransmitters. The light triggered vesicle clusterization in the brain, which declustered when the light was turned off again, with neurons regaining their full functions within an hour.

The authors of the study underscored the importance of studying brain cell types in order to better understand brain functions. They considered the real-world benefits of a technology like Opto-vTrap and how it could be used in various fields of brain science research to potentially contribute to the treatment of certain neurological disorders in the future.

"The usability of Opto-vTrap can extend not only to neuroscience but also to our lives," Lee explained, speaking of the tool's ability to uncover complex interactions in the brain. "Opto-vTrap will contribute not only to elucidate brain circuit mapping but also epilepsy treatment, muscle spasm treatment, and skin tissue expansion technologies."

Scientists examine neurons to discover more about the processes of the brain, occasionally verifying or debunking previously held notions on the subject. One study left scientists in awe of how brains react to watching movies, having shown clips of various visual stimulus to mice. Researchers in the same field also found a way to restore some brain function in dead pigs.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Thumbnail image credit: RunPhoto/GettyImages

A team of South Korean researchers have developed a new tool that uses only light to control brain circuits, emotion, and behaviors.

As reported by The Debrief, a press release for the study explains that the ontogenetic technology, dubbed Opto-vTrap, is "a light-inducible and reversible inhibition system that can temporarily trap vesicles from being released from brain cells" — meaning that emotions and behaviors of the mind can be controlled at a chemical level using only a single light source.

Director C. Justin Lee at the Center for Cognition and Sociality within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and professor Heo Won Do at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) led the study, and their findings were later published in the scientific journal Neuron, further outlining the components and processes behind the Opto-vTrap.

The research team tested the technique on mice in a lab setting and discovered that the system's blue light was capable of temporarily controlling the release of neurotransmitters. The light triggered vesicle clusterization in the brain, which declustered when the light was turned off again, with neurons regaining their full functions within an hour.

The authors of the study underscored the importance of studying brain cell types in order to better understand brain functions. They considered the real-world benefits of a technology like Opto-vTrap and how it could be used in various fields of brain science research to potentially contribute to the treatment of certain neurological disorders in the future.

"The usability of Opto-vTrap can extend not only to neuroscience but also to our lives," Lee explained, speaking of the tool's ability to uncover complex interactions in the brain. "Opto-vTrap will contribute not only to elucidate brain circuit mapping but also epilepsy treatment, muscle spasm treatment, and skin tissue expansion technologies."

Scientists examine neurons to discover more about the processes of the brain, occasionally verifying or debunking previously held notions on the subject. One study left scientists in awe of how brains react to watching movies, having shown clips of various visual stimulus to mice. Researchers in the same field also found a way to restore some brain function in dead pigs.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Thumbnail image credit: RunPhoto/GettyImages

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 2! Be sure to check out IGN's review of Episode 2 for more about Eskel.

The Witcher Season 2 introduced a close friend of Geralt’s – fellow Witcher, Eskel. The character had previously been seen in the novels and videogame series, and fans were very eager to see him turn up on the show.

Taking to Twitter, showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich discussed how The Witcher handled the introduction of Eskel, and why they decided to do things differently.

“Let's talk about Eskel,” she said. “One of my favorite moments on screen is when Geralt first hugs Eskel. The concern and confusion on his face says it all: ‘Are you okay?’ And Eskel's not.”

Let’s talk about Eskel.

— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) December 29, 2021

Of course, anyone who’s seen The Witcher Season 2 will know that things did not end well for poor old Eskel…

“He's been infected by a monster that we don't know yet, who is connected to Ciri in a way we don't understand yet (and won't for a while),” said Hissrich. “But from the get-go Geralt knows this person so well, and can't understand why he's acting out of character: mean, and coarse, and flagrantly disobeying Kaer Morhen rules by bringing women there, disrespecting the other brothers with whom he shares a deep history.”

It turns out that Eskel had been infected by a Leshy and his monstrous transformation was turning him into one of the behemoths of the forest.

“The story unfolds, of course, as you've seen,” said Hissrich. “Eskel admits he came home to seek help from Vesemir and his brothers, but the monstrous infection has taken over so deeply that he's lost himself. Geralt makes a choice that breaks his heart: he sacrifices Eskel to save Vesemir.”

Now, this chain of events doesn’t happen in either the novels or the game. Why did The Witcher choose a different path for poor Eskel? It’s all about how to push Geralt’s story along.

“Articulating Geralt's journey on screen had one other big challenge for us: namely, that in [Blood of Elves], his time is mostly spent watching and taking in Cirilla and her powers so that he could understand the breadth of what he had promised Calanthe, and how best to protect the girl from future threats that hadn't yet presented themselves.”

Hissrich explained that the slow burn of this story works well in print, but it needed to be adapted for television, because “most tv audiences don't want to watch 8 episodes of any character watching and waiting and reacting”.

“How could we take the growth that we need to see in Geralt, but have it have all the appropriate ups and downs and cliffhangers and devastation and action that modern audiences expect?” posed Hissirch. “Enter the idea of a mystery Geralt needs to solve in order to learn about Ciri and her powers. And enter the idea that the mystery should unfold in the place where Geralt should have felt most protected and safe: his home.”

The return of Eskel, and his ultimate demise, gives The Witcher a neat way of packaging all of this dramatic tension in one neat bundle. It also manages to keep things fresh – surprising fans of the books and games alike.

Despite this shocking twist, Season 2 of The Witcher is going down well with the fans. There’s plenty more where that came from, too, with a seven-season plan which we can only assume will take us in plenty more unexpected directions. Even if Henry Cavill wants to see a Season 3 which remains true to the novels.

The Witcher Season 2 launched on Netflix on December 17, 2021.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 2! Be sure to check out IGN's review of Episode 2 for more about Eskel.

The Witcher Season 2 introduced a close friend of Geralt’s – fellow Witcher, Eskel. The character had previously been seen in the novels and videogame series, and fans were very eager to see him turn up on the show.

Taking to Twitter, showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich discussed how The Witcher handled the introduction of Eskel, and why they decided to do things differently.

“Let's talk about Eskel,” she said. “One of my favorite moments on screen is when Geralt first hugs Eskel. The concern and confusion on his face says it all: ‘Are you okay?’ And Eskel's not.”

Let’s talk about Eskel.

— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) December 29, 2021

Of course, anyone who’s seen The Witcher Season 2 will know that things did not end well for poor old Eskel…

“He's been infected by a monster that we don't know yet, who is connected to Ciri in a way we don't understand yet (and won't for a while),” said Hissrich. “But from the get-go Geralt knows this person so well, and can't understand why he's acting out of character: mean, and coarse, and flagrantly disobeying Kaer Morhen rules by bringing women there, disrespecting the other brothers with whom he shares a deep history.”

It turns out that Eskel had been infected by a Leshy and his monstrous transformation was turning him into one of the behemoths of the forest.

“The story unfolds, of course, as you've seen,” said Hissrich. “Eskel admits he came home to seek help from Vesemir and his brothers, but the monstrous infection has taken over so deeply that he's lost himself. Geralt makes a choice that breaks his heart: he sacrifices Eskel to save Vesemir.”

Now, this chain of events doesn’t happen in either the novels or the game. Why did The Witcher choose a different path for poor Eskel? It’s all about how to push Geralt’s story along.

“Articulating Geralt's journey on screen had one other big challenge for us: namely, that in [Blood of Elves], his time is mostly spent watching and taking in Cirilla and her powers so that he could understand the breadth of what he had promised Calanthe, and how best to protect the girl from future threats that hadn't yet presented themselves.”

Hissrich explained that the slow burn of this story works well in print, but it needed to be adapted for television, because “most tv audiences don't want to watch 8 episodes of any character watching and waiting and reacting”.

“How could we take the growth that we need to see in Geralt, but have it have all the appropriate ups and downs and cliffhangers and devastation and action that modern audiences expect?” posed Hissirch. “Enter the idea of a mystery Geralt needs to solve in order to learn about Ciri and her powers. And enter the idea that the mystery should unfold in the place where Geralt should have felt most protected and safe: his home.”

The return of Eskel, and his ultimate demise, gives The Witcher a neat way of packaging all of this dramatic tension in one neat bundle. It also manages to keep things fresh – surprising fans of the books and games alike.

Despite this shocking twist, Season 2 of The Witcher is going down well with the fans. There’s plenty more where that came from, too, with a seven-season plan which we can only assume will take us in plenty more unexpected directions. Even if Henry Cavill wants to see a Season 3 which remains true to the novels.

The Witcher Season 2 launched on Netflix on December 17, 2021.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Eternals! Be sure to check out IGN's review of Eternals for more about the movie.

Marvel’s Eternals could have concluded very differently, as an early version of the film's story had a “really bleak” ending.

During an interview with Empire Magazine, the Eternals director Chloé Zhao revealed what was originally in store for the ancient heroes.

“We actually had another ending that is really bleak,” she revealed. “Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences.”

“It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone,” she explained. “I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, ‘I don't know what to do.’ And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next.”

This ending was eventually replaced in favour of the theatrical one, which sees Druig, Makkari, and Thena leave aboard the Domo to find more Eternals. Sersi, Phastos and Kingo are then dragged into space by the return of Arishem – allowing Earth to remain as long as the memories of the three Eternals prove that the planet is worthy.

Disappearing in the blink of an eye, the three Eternals depart with Arishem. Although the Eternals are scattered, this ending leaves the door open for them to return. It’s easy to see why Marvel would be more inclined to go with that.

But it looks as though that cameo, with Harry Styles appearing as Eros, would have tied into the film’s original, bleak ending.

“Long story short, with that depressing ending, at some point he was going to be one of the Eternals on that ship,” said Zhao. “And that didn't quite work out. But I had been wanting to bring Eros into the MCU. So, I kept mentioning it to Kevin [Feige] at every chance I had in the hallway because I love the idea of Eros being another Eternal, another Ajak.”

In the comic books, Eros is Thanos’ brother – an eternal who grew up on Titan. But Zhao explains how the MCU version differs.

“He's an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point. Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?”

“If you go to the comics, there's some quite beautiful, heartbreaking influence Eros has had on Thanos,” she added. “How much does Thanos know? I love him as a character. It makes my imagination go crazy thinking, 'Why does Thanos think this way? Why is he worried about overpopulation and destroying his planet?' Think about the emergence – does Eros know about it? Maybe if he's an advisor, the way Ajak advised kings and queens on Earth? It gets my imagination going.”

Additionally, Zhao offered up some insight into Eros’ backstory:

“For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, ‘I'm not doing this anymore.’ So, he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the troll. They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw. That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, ‘Here's the character. Let's find an actor.’ For me, it was a package deal. It's got to be Harry. That's how I pitched it to Kevin.”

Eternals opened in theaters on November 5, 2021, and is heading to Disney+ in January.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Blogroll Image Credit: Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Eternals! Be sure to check out IGN's review of Eternals for more about the movie.

Marvel’s Eternals could have concluded very differently, as an early version of the film's story had a “really bleak” ending.

During an interview with Empire Magazine, the Eternals director Chloé Zhao revealed what was originally in store for the ancient heroes.

“We actually had another ending that is really bleak,” she revealed. “Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences.”

“It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone,” she explained. “I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, ‘I don't know what to do.’ And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next.”

This ending was eventually replaced in favour of the theatrical one, which sees Druig, Makkari, and Thena leave aboard the Domo to find more Eternals. Sersi, Phastos and Kingo are then dragged into space by the return of Arishem – allowing Earth to remain as long as the memories of the three Eternals prove that the planet is worthy.

Disappearing in the blink of an eye, the three Eternals depart with Arishem. Although the Eternals are scattered, this ending leaves the door open for them to return. It’s easy to see why Marvel would be more inclined to go with that.

But it looks as though that cameo, with Harry Styles appearing as Eros, would have tied into the film’s original, bleak ending.

“Long story short, with that depressing ending, at some point he was going to be one of the Eternals on that ship,” said Zhao. “And that didn't quite work out. But I had been wanting to bring Eros into the MCU. So, I kept mentioning it to Kevin [Feige] at every chance I had in the hallway because I love the idea of Eros being another Eternal, another Ajak.”

In the comic books, Eros is Thanos’ brother – an eternal who grew up on Titan. But Zhao explains how the MCU version differs.

“He's an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point. Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?”

“If you go to the comics, there's some quite beautiful, heartbreaking influence Eros has had on Thanos,” she added. “How much does Thanos know? I love him as a character. It makes my imagination go crazy thinking, 'Why does Thanos think this way? Why is he worried about overpopulation and destroying his planet?' Think about the emergence – does Eros know about it? Maybe if he's an advisor, the way Ajak advised kings and queens on Earth? It gets my imagination going.”

Additionally, Zhao offered up some insight into Eros’ backstory:

“For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, ‘I'm not doing this anymore.’ So, he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the troll. They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw. That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, ‘Here's the character. Let's find an actor.’ For me, it was a package deal. It's got to be Harry. That's how I pitched it to Kevin.”

Eternals opened in theaters on November 5, 2021, and is heading to Disney+ in January.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Blogroll Image Credit: Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images

It’s official – Spider-Man: No Way Home is now Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing film of all time, overtaking Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home, which stars Tom Holland in his third solo Spider-Man film, has earned $516.4 million at the domestic box office on top of $644.9 million international. This amounts to a staggering worldwide total of $1.16 billion so far.

Of course, that’s not the only record set by Spider-Man’s latest outing, as the Spider-Man sequel opened to a $253 million domestic weekend debut, landing the third-biggest opening ever.

Domestically, Spider-Man: No Way Home took $21.3 million on Tuesday from 4,336 locations across the US bringing its cumulative total to $516.4 million, the third-fastest film of all time to reach the $500 million mark.

Internationally, No Way Home grossed $28.4 million on Tuesday, bringing its international cumulative total to $644.9 million.

The combination of the two makes Spider-Man: No Way Home the highest-grossing Sony Pictures movie ever made. The previous record-holder, Spider-Man: Far From Home, earned $1.13 billion at the worldwide box office, and with No Way Home still in cinemas, it looks as though Spider-Man’s latest adventure could go even further.

The only other Sony movie to earn over $1 billion is the 2012 James Bond hit, Skyfall.

Spider-Man has always done rather well for Sony, so it’s not a huge surprise. After all, the studio’s top 5 domestic movies are No Way Home with $516.4 million, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle with $404 million, Spider-Man with $403 million, Spider-Man: Far From Home with $390 million, and Spider-Man 2 with $336 million.

That said, No Way Home’s impressive box office haul is unparalleled during the pandemic.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland as the MCU’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, alongside Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, and Marisa Tomei. Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch joins the action while former Spidey villain Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Rhys Ifans, and Thomas Haden Church reprise their iconic roles.

In IGN’s Spider-Man: No Way Home review, we said that that: “Spider-Man: No Way Home hits all the right notes as the MCU's latest entry. Its impact on the universe as a whole, as well as the overall emotional beats, all feel earned. Stellar performances meet what feels like a Saturday morning cartoon rife with all the devastating punches we've come to expect from this sneaky universe.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home opened in theatres on December 17, 2021.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

It’s official – Spider-Man: No Way Home is now Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing film of all time, overtaking Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home, which stars Tom Holland in his third solo Spider-Man film, has earned $516.4 million at the domestic box office on top of $644.9 million international. This amounts to a staggering worldwide total of $1.16 billion so far.

Of course, that’s not the only record set by Spider-Man’s latest outing, as the Spider-Man sequel opened to a $253 million domestic weekend debut, landing the third-biggest opening ever.

Domestically, Spider-Man: No Way Home took $21.3 million on Tuesday from 4,336 locations across the US bringing its cumulative total to $516.4 million, the third-fastest film of all time to reach the $500 million mark.

Internationally, No Way Home grossed $28.4 million on Tuesday, bringing its international cumulative total to $644.9 million.

The combination of the two makes Spider-Man: No Way Home the highest-grossing Sony Pictures movie ever made. The previous record-holder, Spider-Man: Far From Home, earned $1.13 billion at the worldwide box office, and with No Way Home still in cinemas, it looks as though Spider-Man’s latest adventure could go even further.

The only other Sony movie to earn over $1 billion is the 2012 James Bond hit, Skyfall.

Spider-Man has always done rather well for Sony, so it’s not a huge surprise. After all, the studio’s top 5 domestic movies are No Way Home with $516.4 million, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle with $404 million, Spider-Man with $403 million, Spider-Man: Far From Home with $390 million, and Spider-Man 2 with $336 million.

That said, No Way Home’s impressive box office haul is unparalleled during the pandemic.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland as the MCU’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, alongside Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, and Marisa Tomei. Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch joins the action while former Spidey villain Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Rhys Ifans, and Thomas Haden Church reprise their iconic roles.

In IGN’s Spider-Man: No Way Home review, we said that that: “Spider-Man: No Way Home hits all the right notes as the MCU's latest entry. Its impact on the universe as a whole, as well as the overall emotional beats, all feel earned. Stellar performances meet what feels like a Saturday morning cartoon rife with all the devastating punches we've come to expect from this sneaky universe.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home opened in theatres on December 17, 2021.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW for Spider-Man: No Way Home!!!

Spider-Man: No Way Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers have revealed that the film's story was shaped by its biggest surprises in ways that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Speaking to THR, McKenna and Sommers shared a ton of fascinating details on the making of Spider-Man: No Way Home and how in the Marvel Cinematic Universe they managed to celebrate and honor three generations of Spider-Man films and do the seemingly impossible - bring back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Following a few fun teases that "there's always a Kraven the Hunter pitch" for a Spider-Man film, McKenna and Sommers discussed how, as soon as Sony and Marvel were once again working together, they began exploring what they should do now that Peter Parker's identity was known to the world following the events of Far From Home.

"We started playing around with what different ways that fallout could affect our character," McKenna said. "The idea of It’s a Wonderful Life, 'What if he somehow made a wish? I guess it would have to be Doctor Strange. Is there a way to put the genie back in the bottle?' That opened up a few different story avenues we started exploring.

"I think there were certain people who were like, 'Oh, it’d be really fun if eventually we could tease these characters from the past movies.' And then I think it was one of our chief gods of our universe saying, 'What if that’s just the act break? What if that’s the end of Act I? Stop hoping for a tag that teases it. What if we just did it?' We are like, 'Oh, OK!'"

Now that this dream scenario had the potential to be a reality, the team had to find a way to get all these previous actors back to the friendly neighborhood once more. Unfortunately, it's a lot more challenging than it may sound.

"At a certain point, you have to show pages," McKenna said. "You have to live up to the concept. Getting two people there that were so crucial to act three of the movie. They had to make sure it was the right thing for them. Their coming in, it brings so much baggage to it. Their own baggage. The baggage of those series, that they just had to be sure that it wasn’t just a curtain call, that it actually was continuing their stories in a way that was meaningful to them, too. And was honoring everything that they had done and taking it a step further. Getting all the feedback from the actors was so crucial on every role. Hearing, 'Oh Willem Dafoe wants to take a walk with you and talk about his character.” I’m like ‘Holy—! OK!''"

While Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, and Jamie Foxx's Electro were used in the marketing of the film and became a known quantity to the public, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's involvement was kept the most secret of secrets. As it turns out, these two previous web-slingers only got their scripts "before Christmas of last year."

"We have to get these pages to them," McKenna said. "It was so great. They were on board, but they hadn’t seen anything. They knew the idea, they trusted everyone, but we were in the middle of the war of making the movie, changing so much, but also — we were heading toward shooting them, so they had to see pages and basically see, “OK, we know there has been a pandemic. We know this thing has gone through a million changes, we know it’s been really difficult.” Luckily they read the pages and they were like, 'Oh, OK, yes! We can work with this.' (Laughs.)"

When the pages finally went into the hands of Maguire and Garfield, the magic truly began and No Way Home became something so much more than it was before.

"They had thoughts, and it was really interesting and helpful to see their thoughts," Sommers said. "No one knows the character as well as — or gives as much thought to the character — as someone who has to then embody it and sell it. It’s always valuable to hear what the actor is thinking. It definitely shaped what we did."

"They had great ideas that really elevated everything we were going for and added layers and an arc and we really actually started honing into the idea that these two guys were really helping Tom’s Peter on his journey to becoming who he ends up becoming," McKenna added. "There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie. So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story."

Speaking of story, another big question for the team was deciding how much of the lives of Garfield and Maguire's Peter Parkers they wanted to reveal after many in-universe years have passed since Sam Raimi's and Marc Webb's films.

"We were like, 'We’ve got to make them each very specific,'" McKenna said. "As writers, we kept saying, 'Where are these characters in their lives when they come into the movie?' Where is Tobey? We’re not de-agifying him. He’s a guy who is 43, who is entering this movie, and Andrew Garfield, where are they in their lives? The last time you saw Andrew Garfield, it was the death of Gwen, and that must have sent him down a dark spiral, maybe he never got out of. We don’t know, because there wasn’t a third movie that we saw. Where did he go? Maybe a really dark place.

"We wanted to be true to the characters in those movies. Really having conversations about specifying where they are, without giving away too much. Not coming in, spilling all the beans. 'Tobey’s Peter is running Peter Parker Industries!' You just wanted to have little hints of that without it being all this exposition as fan service."

For this part of the puzzle, they also discussed with Maguire and Garfield how much they actually wanted to reveal of their present circumstances all these years later. While we learn the Maguire's Peter Parker is still with MJ and that Garfield's Peter Parker when down a dark path after Gwen Stacy's death, there wasn't too much more shared.

"Tobey wanted to be very minimal about how much you know," McKenna explained. "Very, very minimal. Andrew really loved the idea of he’s still tortured over what happened in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and where that left him, and how they could bring that to Tom. 'We can empathize with you. We do know what you are going through. If anyone in the world knows what you’re going through, it’s us.' But also, 'We can be beacons.'

"Tobey especially has come through that darkness. We thought it was cool that Andrew’s Peter was still in the midst of that darkness. They weren’t just here to go, 'Two awesome Jedi knight heroes who show up and are going to help you take down the bad guys.' They are going through their own things. We were trying to write up to the characters that they did such a great job of creating and really being true to those characters and those stories and those worlds so that it didn’t feel like we were doing curtain call, fan-service.

McKenna ended the discussion about Maguire and Garfield by talking about how the last third of the movie was his favorite and that there was a lot of fun improv and reworks for that rooftop scene that saw three Spider-Men from different universes fighting alongside each other.

"Andrew really leaned into the lonely, middle brother," McKenna said. "That’s one of the things we started saying. 'He is the middle brother!' You have the elder brother, Tobey, who is the wise one. The middle sibling thing, he feels like he’s not getting the attention of the other two. It works so great for that character.

"Andrew leaned into middle brother syndrome. 'The baby one is getting all the attention! What about me?' (Laughs.) He’s obviously hurting. I think he has so many great flourishes. So does Tobey. I think that dynamic of brothers, that’s why it’s so great when Andrew says, 'God, I always wanted to have brothers.' While simplistic, it is a great paradigm for the three of them coming together and you want it to feel like, 'Oh, it’s not just doppelgangers.' They are different. They are not the same person. They are born of the same experience and the same spider-bite.

"They are like brothers. No one knows the heaven and hell of what it is to be in an experience quite like your sibling. No one knows what this family is like. At least they got a sense of, 'You’re not alone. There’s a community. You guys have each suffered in your own way.' And then to get help heal each other, it was wonderful to be a part of getting there."

THR's interview with McKenna and Sommers also goes into detail on how the "with great power..." line came to be and why No Way Home was the right place for it to appear.

Sommers shared that, for Holland's Spider-Man, Aunt May was "going to be Peter's Uncle Ben" and that it was only right that she said it since we've never known the MCU's version of Uncle Ben. As for the three Spider-Men, the line helped "crystalize it for these three guys that they are the same, that they are brothers. And that they are bound in a cosmic way by something and having them share those words in common seemed like the thing to do."

For more, check out our look at how No Way Home saved Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, who the IGN audience thinks is the best version of Spider-Man, and our explainer of the film's ending and post-credits scenes.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW for Spider-Man: No Way Home!!!

Spider-Man: No Way Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers have revealed that the film's story was shaped by its biggest surprises in ways that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Speaking to THR, McKenna and Sommers shared a ton of fascinating details on the making of Spider-Man: No Way Home and how in the Marvel Cinematic Universe they managed to celebrate and honor three generations of Spider-Man films and do the seemingly impossible - bring back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Following a few fun teases that "there's always a Kraven the Hunter pitch" for a Spider-Man film, McKenna and Sommers discussed how, as soon as Sony and Marvel were once again working together, they began exploring what they should do now that Peter Parker's identity was known to the world following the events of Far From Home.

"We started playing around with what different ways that fallout could affect our character," McKenna said. "The idea of It’s a Wonderful Life, 'What if he somehow made a wish? I guess it would have to be Doctor Strange. Is there a way to put the genie back in the bottle?' That opened up a few different story avenues we started exploring.

"I think there were certain people who were like, 'Oh, it’d be really fun if eventually we could tease these characters from the past movies.' And then I think it was one of our chief gods of our universe saying, 'What if that’s just the act break? What if that’s the end of Act I? Stop hoping for a tag that teases it. What if we just did it?' We are like, 'Oh, OK!'"

Now that this dream scenario had the potential to be a reality, the team had to find a way to get all these previous actors back to the friendly neighborhood once more. Unfortunately, it's a lot more challenging than it may sound.

"At a certain point, you have to show pages," McKenna said. "You have to live up to the concept. Getting two people there that were so crucial to act three of the movie. They had to make sure it was the right thing for them. Their coming in, it brings so much baggage to it. Their own baggage. The baggage of those series, that they just had to be sure that it wasn’t just a curtain call, that it actually was continuing their stories in a way that was meaningful to them, too. And was honoring everything that they had done and taking it a step further. Getting all the feedback from the actors was so crucial on every role. Hearing, 'Oh Willem Dafoe wants to take a walk with you and talk about his character.” I’m like ‘Holy—! OK!''"

While Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, and Jamie Foxx's Electro were used in the marketing of the film and became a known quantity to the public, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's involvement was kept the most secret of secrets. As it turns out, these two previous web-slingers only got their scripts "before Christmas of last year."

"We have to get these pages to them," McKenna said. "It was so great. They were on board, but they hadn’t seen anything. They knew the idea, they trusted everyone, but we were in the middle of the war of making the movie, changing so much, but also — we were heading toward shooting them, so they had to see pages and basically see, “OK, we know there has been a pandemic. We know this thing has gone through a million changes, we know it’s been really difficult.” Luckily they read the pages and they were like, 'Oh, OK, yes! We can work with this.' (Laughs.)"

When the pages finally went into the hands of Maguire and Garfield, the magic truly began and No Way Home became something so much more than it was before.

"They had thoughts, and it was really interesting and helpful to see their thoughts," Sommers said. "No one knows the character as well as — or gives as much thought to the character — as someone who has to then embody it and sell it. It’s always valuable to hear what the actor is thinking. It definitely shaped what we did."

"They had great ideas that really elevated everything we were going for and added layers and an arc and we really actually started honing into the idea that these two guys were really helping Tom’s Peter on his journey to becoming who he ends up becoming," McKenna added. "There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie. So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story."

Speaking of story, another big question for the team was deciding how much of the lives of Garfield and Maguire's Peter Parkers they wanted to reveal after many in-universe years have passed since Sam Raimi's and Marc Webb's films.

"We were like, 'We’ve got to make them each very specific,'" McKenna said. "As writers, we kept saying, 'Where are these characters in their lives when they come into the movie?' Where is Tobey? We’re not de-agifying him. He’s a guy who is 43, who is entering this movie, and Andrew Garfield, where are they in their lives? The last time you saw Andrew Garfield, it was the death of Gwen, and that must have sent him down a dark spiral, maybe he never got out of. We don’t know, because there wasn’t a third movie that we saw. Where did he go? Maybe a really dark place.

"We wanted to be true to the characters in those movies. Really having conversations about specifying where they are, without giving away too much. Not coming in, spilling all the beans. 'Tobey’s Peter is running Peter Parker Industries!' You just wanted to have little hints of that without it being all this exposition as fan service."

For this part of the puzzle, they also discussed with Maguire and Garfield how much they actually wanted to reveal of their present circumstances all these years later. While we learn the Maguire's Peter Parker is still with MJ and that Garfield's Peter Parker when down a dark path after Gwen Stacy's death, there wasn't too much more shared.

"Tobey wanted to be very minimal about how much you know," McKenna explained. "Very, very minimal. Andrew really loved the idea of he’s still tortured over what happened in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and where that left him, and how they could bring that to Tom. 'We can empathize with you. We do know what you are going through. If anyone in the world knows what you’re going through, it’s us.' But also, 'We can be beacons.'

"Tobey especially has come through that darkness. We thought it was cool that Andrew’s Peter was still in the midst of that darkness. They weren’t just here to go, 'Two awesome Jedi knight heroes who show up and are going to help you take down the bad guys.' They are going through their own things. We were trying to write up to the characters that they did such a great job of creating and really being true to those characters and those stories and those worlds so that it didn’t feel like we were doing curtain call, fan-service.

McKenna ended the discussion about Maguire and Garfield by talking about how the last third of the movie was his favorite and that there was a lot of fun improv and reworks for that rooftop scene that saw three Spider-Men from different universes fighting alongside each other.

"Andrew really leaned into the lonely, middle brother," McKenna said. "That’s one of the things we started saying. 'He is the middle brother!' You have the elder brother, Tobey, who is the wise one. The middle sibling thing, he feels like he’s not getting the attention of the other two. It works so great for that character.

"Andrew leaned into middle brother syndrome. 'The baby one is getting all the attention! What about me?' (Laughs.) He’s obviously hurting. I think he has so many great flourishes. So does Tobey. I think that dynamic of brothers, that’s why it’s so great when Andrew says, 'God, I always wanted to have brothers.' While simplistic, it is a great paradigm for the three of them coming together and you want it to feel like, 'Oh, it’s not just doppelgangers.' They are different. They are not the same person. They are born of the same experience and the same spider-bite.

"They are like brothers. No one knows the heaven and hell of what it is to be in an experience quite like your sibling. No one knows what this family is like. At least they got a sense of, 'You’re not alone. There’s a community. You guys have each suffered in your own way.' And then to get help heal each other, it was wonderful to be a part of getting there."

THR's interview with McKenna and Sommers also goes into detail on how the "with great power..." line came to be and why No Way Home was the right place for it to appear.

Sommers shared that, for Holland's Spider-Man, Aunt May was "going to be Peter's Uncle Ben" and that it was only right that she said it since we've never known the MCU's version of Uncle Ben. As for the three Spider-Men, the line helped "crystalize it for these three guys that they are the same, that they are brothers. And that they are bound in a cosmic way by something and having them share those words in common seemed like the thing to do."

For more, check out our look at how No Way Home saved Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, who the IGN audience thinks is the best version of Spider-Man, and our explainer of the film's ending and post-credits scenes.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.