It's the final newsletter of the year, and, sure, we can talk about the year that was but right now it’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Is it good? Listen bud, it’s got radioactive blood to the max.

The town is how high can this Spidey climb at the box office? $50 million in Thursday previews alone has ticket counters thinking upwards of $220 million. Is that possible? Man, with Spider-Man anything is possible.

But what of the non-superhero movie? We feel like this is a good time to mention that Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, which is filled with freaks and geeks and lowlifes — and is quite excellent — opens  in theaters today and deserves a big spotlight on it as well.

And yes, wile we have one eye on the early part of 2022 – a Peacemaker TV series and The Batman, anyone? – we’re still very much in the holiday sprit, so that means a steady diet of Hawkeye, The Book of Boba Fett and Spider-Man.

Speaking of the latter, we may have to go see it again in order to check out all the Easter eggs. What Easter eggs? Glad you asked…

—Aaron Couch and Borys Kit

IT'S A NO WAY HOME EASTER EGG EXTRAVAGANZA.

Heat Vision contributor and Spider-Man obsessive Dan Gvozden dug deep into the latest Spidey flick for us (as he has for every movie since Homecoming). This 6,000-word opus may just bring tears to your eyes, just like the movie.

Why does that grafitti tag say GKANE? What's the significance of that license plate that reads ASM-8183? And what's the Spider-Man line we've all been misquoting for 20 years?

SPEAKING OF SPIDEY and the power of multiverse …

Flinty-eyed Heat Vision readers may recall that we previously wrote about significant reshoots on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Well, in an update on that story, we can tell you that the reshoots are wrapping this week. And we’ve also learned that part of the reshoots may have been spurred by the new Spider-Man movie and the Disney+ Loki series, both of which deal with the multiverse.

It seems like Marvel was jazzed by the many actors crossing paths with each other in No Way Home and the playfulness of having alternate versions of characters appear onscreen in Loki. So they decided to have “more fun with the multiverse,” according to one source, and to include more cameos and character introductions in Doctor Strange 2.

Will these cameos become MCU canon? Only time, and maybe Kang the Conqueror, will tell.

➤ The Book of Boba Fett is just a few weeks away, and THR's James Hibberd pulls back the curtain on the property so secretive most people inside Disney didn't know about it ... and neither did Ming-Na Wen until she showed up to set.

➤ Hawkeye directors Bert and Bertie tell Brian Davids why they won't be involved in the Echo spinoff. Plus, Richard Newby has predictions for the finale. 

➤ Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon share funny stories from set (including an Alfred Molina anecdote that made us laugh out loud). And if you missed it last week, check out Davids' thoughtful, spoiler-free interview with Holland.

➤ Boosted! Blue Beetle, one of the DC movies developed for HBO Max, is now getting a theatrical release. Will other DC movies follow suit? 

➤ Sucks for him: Ben Schwartz joins Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult in Universal’s Dracula-centric Renfield.

➤ Trailers, trailers, trailers! Everything Everywhere All at Once is the Michelle Yeoh/A24 film everyone has been talking about ... Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is the Nicolas Cage meta movie we've been waiting for...J.K. Rowling's credit is nearly invisible in the Fantastic Beasts 3 trailer. Plus: Romancing The Lost City, bring on The Bad Guys, and the final trailer for The King's Man. 

➤ The Matrix: Resurrections premiere is Saturday, but the first social reactions are already out from press screenings. Official reviews drop Tuesday. 

➤ Sony's Tom Rothman and the Spider-Man team reflect on how they dove into the multiverse. 

➤ Keanu Reeves wants to do a sequel to Constantine. 

➤ Netflix partners with Legendary and Sweet Tooth showrunner for God Country adaptation. 

➤ The positive zone: Alex Ross writing and drawing a Fantastic Four graphic novel, will hit in August 2022.

➤ Tell me more, tell me more: Gotham Knights series in the works, with a former entertainment journalist as one of the showrunners. 

➤ Kick off the holidays with this creepy, Santa-centric horror short.  

IF YOU, DEAR HEAT VISION READER, are anything like us, you’re a procrastinator and draw a blank when it comes to gift ideas for your loved ones. Allow us to help with this handy-dandy last-minute gift guide.

THE BOOKS

Pop culture critic Doug Wolk read every single Marvel comic and not only lived to tell the tale but wrote about it with All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told (Penguin Press, $28.00). The book, which works for fans old and new with its infectious energy, draws heroes, themes and patterns into a road map that any comic reader and watcher of the MCU needs to have.

One of the most unique tomes of the year, the Chipp Kidd-designed Fantastic Four No. 1 Panel by Panel (Abrams ComicArts, $40.00) is the deep dive on the comic that launched the Marvel Age that you didn’t know you were interested in. Three-quarters of it is a one-panel-per-page look at the comic, then a page-by-page breakdown by Marvel editor Tom Brevoort, then a reprint of the classic issue, with more commentary, all to give a perspective unlike any other.

THE ROLE PLAY

Whether you want to costume up or just build out your Batcave with trophies, these items are worth scoping out for those willing to pay a little more: Star Wars: The Black Series Force FX Elite Lightsaber is billed as the most realistic of the Force FX Lightsabers yet and features progressive ignition, molten tip effect and a light-up hilt. It is the first-ever Lightsaber with a white LED blade edge. ($249.99)

The Star Wars: The Black Series Mandalorian Death Watch Helmet ($199.99) will let you throw a poppin’ The Book of Boba Fett viewing party. If you want to go ultra fancy, there is Denuo Novo’s $700 Mandalorian helmet made out of fiberglass.
 

THE HANDS-ON GIFTS

Well, we wanted to put the Daily Bugle Lego set that came out earlier this year on this list, but since it’s sadly out of stock (we hear Spider-Man is pretty popular these days), feast your eyes on this bad boy: the Ultimate Collector Series set of the AT-AT.

At 6,785 pieces, it’s got a movable head, spinning guns, adjustable legs, and side panels that open to reveal detailed interiors and nine mini-figures. And it stands over two feet tall. It goes for $799.99.

For a less imperial price and something more cute, check out Hasbro’s Snacking Grogu. The very interactive Baby Yoda is available for $84.99

And finally… For those who want to get real dirty, urhm, we mean nerdy, there is the Star Wars soap collection from Dr. Squatch, which features the fresh and soothing tones of Wisdom Soap and Only Hope Soap, as well as the more invigorating blends of Dark Side Scrub and the Ruthless Rinse. Available as a four-pack or a collector’s edition ($38)

This is a very Marvel- and Star Wars-heavy list this year. That’s the kind of December it is for us. For an "everything and the kitchen sink" list, check out /Film’s annual guide.

SOME COLLECTOR JUST GOT themselves a big piece of Snikt for Christmas.

The original cover to Marvel Comics Presents No. 79, drawn by the incomparable Barry Windsor-Smith, sold for a Scrooge-busting price of $320,000 at a ComicLink auction this week. The cover is part of Windsor-Smith’s "Weapon X" storyline that has proven to be key to the origin of popular Marvel character Wolverine.

Windsor-Smith’s art from the "Weapon X" run in Marvel Comics Presents, which was an anthology title, is incredibly sought after. The splash page from issue No. 81 sold for $177,890 at auction almost exactly a year ago, for example. And an unused cover for issue No. 78 sold for $102,000 in June.

This week’s sale may have set a record, but we bet it’s one that will be broken in the next year or two.

We hope you have some very happy holidays. We'll be off in the corner of the multiverse where Hawkeye makes it home in time for Christmas with his family. We'll see you back here in 2022. And as always, we here at HV HQ thank you for reading us.

Look for us in your inbox every Friday. We want your thoughts and suggestions. Email us: aaron.couch@thr.com, borys.kit@thr.com. And to share this newsletter with a friend, have them sign up here.