The friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is back to Indonesian cinemas near you starting on December 15. Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Benedict Cumberbatch reprise their respective roles in the film.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the third installment of the latest Spider-Man franchise, part of Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Four. The story is set after Spider-Man Far from Home, where Peter Parker (Tom Holland)'s identity as Spider-Man was revealed to the public. 

Troubles keep coming his way, and Peter is concerned that he would drag his friends — MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) down with him. So he turns to Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help.

However, Dr. Strange's spell that is meant to help him goes wrong, the multiverse opens up, and now Peter must face dangerous enemies from other universes, forcing him to realize what it means and takes to be Spider-Man.

The internet went crazy as its trailer revealed that familiar faces would be returning on the big screen. The trailer also revealed that the movie would be packed with loads of references. If you're looking to catch them all, here is the guide with the full list of films to watch before stepping foot into the cinema to watch the web-slinger back in action. Don't worry, no spoilers ahead! 

Back to basics

First and foremost, if you'd like to watch the third installment of the film, it would be best to watch the other two installments before it. Start with Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) to see Peter starting his journey as the superhero, then continue with Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), set after The Avengers: Endgame.

However, if you'd like to go back to the beginning of it all, revisit the first trilogy of Spider-Man, with Tobey Maguire donning the mantle of the web-slinger. If you've watched the trailer, some of the villains who appeared were from this original trilogy. They are Green Goblin/Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) from Spider-Man, Doc Ock/Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) from Spider-Man 2 and Sandman/Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) from Spider-Man 3.

Next, pick up The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. As revealed by the trailer, the villain of the first installment in this (canceled) trilogy, Lizard, is set to return. Played by Rhys Ifans in the original film, we'll see if he will reprise the role in No Way Home. You will also see the return of Electro, who is seen flying in the sky with electricity, played by none other but Jamie Foxx.

No details on how the current Spider-Man will face these returning foes were revealed. Perhaps watching these movies will help you understand who these characters were, what drove them to become villains and their connections to the original Spider-Man.

You can check out the full Spider-Man films catalog on the streaming platform Netflix.

More movies and series to watch

If you still have some time until your scheduled viewing of the film, you can also check out these other films in Marvel Cinematic Universe that can help you understand who's who.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) is the first film that introduced Holland's Spider-Man on screen. The film also set a base for the relationship between Holland's Spider-Man and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man, who later became a mentor figure for him.

Next, watch Doctor Strange (2016) to see the beginning of the sorcerer's journey. There is no connection to Spider-Man in this film, but pick it up in case you'd like to know the extent of the power of Cumberbatch's magic.

The Avengers: Infinity War is the first film that introduced the characters of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange to each other. Although the two characters do not share screen time as much as they would in the upcoming film, maybe you'd like to check out the beginning of the unlikely friendship.

You can watch the three films above for free on Disney's streaming platform, Disney+ Hotstar.

Last but not least, prepare yourself to understand the concept of multiverses. The show WandaVision, which tells the story of Wanda Maximoff or Scarlet Witch and Vision, and Into The Spider-Verse can help build your understanding of the concept of alternate universes in Marvel.

Without spoiling the fun, we might also want to add that you might need to watch the highly recommended Disney+ Loki series where it all began.