SPOILERS AHEAD -- What happened to the villains in NWH?
In case you didn't see the title, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
I haven't seen a lot of content for this question, and tbh, the multiverse is in full swing with its branched timelines, so this means that every villain/Peter that went back to their specific timelines caused a branched timeline. Here's what I think happened in each of them.
Also, a quick note before I start, I've seen many people question exactly when everyone was pulled and when they returned. Some people believe it was literally a five-second window in the other movies, others believe that they were gone from their universes for the full 12 hours. I will try--with my albeit limited knowledge--to figure this out.
I can't really say what happened to Peter 2 and Peter 3, but I think that later movies will address that. For now, let's go with least to most complicated.
Flint will go straight to his daughter, regardless of how much time has passed. Judging by how he rushes to Peter's aid in NWH, I assume he was pulled after Peter 2 forgave him. I hope he finds a good, not-at-all-potentially-villainous doctor to help his daughter and lives a quiet life outside of New York.
Dr. Connors gets arrested either way, I think. The only change I can think of--especially depending on when Connors was pulled--Captain Stacy might live in this branched timeline. Would that save Gwen's life along the way? I'm not sure.
Max is easier because we at least know where he was pulled from--the moment of his death. If he's put back during that moment, then he's definitely a dead man. But if he was put back 12 hours later, it would be easy for him to quietly blend back into the crowd, but with the confidence he needs to get noticed.
Unfortunately, Max had nothing to do with Harry's reckless actions after he was injected, so Gwen would still end up dead. But, I think that Max would end up becoming an advocate for Spider-Man after Peter 3 disappears to grieve. And after Spider-Man returns, I bet Max would take Oscorp to court, and with Spider-Man as a witness, would at least get money for the damages. Sure, Oscorp might be in shambles by the end of the movie, but there's still someone running it behind the scenes, right?
Now, this one is probably the most complicated, because if he was put back at the exact moment that he had Peter by the throat, a lot could have been avoided. Otto came back with the arc reactor, so he might be able to utilize it to neutralize his machine without any casualties. He'll probably accept jail time and comply with the police's demands. I don't know how prison works for a supervillain, but if he's released at all, I think he'll use the arc reactor to fuel more of his experiments, for a better cause, of course. Heck, he'd probably be able to successfully run the city on renewable energy just like he wanted to--maybe even in the same way. But instead of the tritium, he'd use the arc reactor, and it would work.
He'd fix the arm that the Goblin broke, maybe upgrade all of his arms with new and better tech over time.
He'd probably help Peter and Harry out in the final battle against Venom and Sandman--which would be pretty cool, ngl. I think Venom would be defeated a lot faster thanks to Otto's versatility, and with someone else to watch out for Spider-Man and MJ, Harry might live through it.
Otto would definitely become a mentor figure for Peter after that, maybe even offer him an apprenticeship/internship, and Peter would study under him until he sets out on his own. Aunt May would get an apology too.
If Otto is sent back 12 hours later, then this is the worst-case scenario for everyone. Either Peter replaced Otto and drowned with the machine, or Peter was able to get Mary-Jane to a safe enough place before the machine gets well and truly out of hand. In which case, the city might collapse, or the whole world might.
I assume Peter would have figured out a way for none of this to happen, but Otto would probably be put right back where he was...which would either be underwater or in the middle of a burning sun. Unless he can use those arms to swim somehow, the future's pretty grim either way.
Ironic how Otto's branched timeline was probably the most brutal...I think Norman's branched timeline would be the best thing that ever happened to Tobey's Spider-Man. And there's a LOT here, so let's unpack.
Norman's death in the first Spider-Man movie caused a chain reaction that resulted in Harry's bloodlust, his amnesia, his revenge, and his eventual death. By extension, that nearly destroyed Peter and Mary-Jane's relationship as well--the only confirmation that it worked was Tobey's dialogue in NWH.
Also: it's heavily implied that the Goblin is just a super distilled amalgamation of Norman's worst traits--one of them being his neglect towards his family. We never got to see the version of Norman that truly loves his son because the Goblin was in control for most of SM1.
So. Here we go: If Norman is put back during the final fight with Peter (it's implied that that's where he comes from in the first place), then it would be easier for Norman to convince Peter that the Goblin is gone, especially since Norman and the Goblin don't share memories. Norman also was put back without the glider, so imagine being in Peter's shoes, seeing Norman disappear for a few seconds and then appear in a modded suit, bemused, and probably confused as to how Peter suddenly seems fine "after being stabbed" (unless Norman remembers literally nothing because of the second spell's effects, then nix that last part). And I think, if Peter believed him, it would be easy for Peter to get Norman home without anyone noticing.
Now, aside from Peter, no one else knows about his alter ego. So as long as Peter keeps his secret, Norman basically gets a new chance at life. Without that familial neglect, he has the chance to actually be a father to Harry, maybe even ceding Oscorp to Harry out of both love and guilt (after all, the board of directors was vaporized). I wouldn't be surprised if he developed some form of PTSD and doubts his own actions for a while after despite being cured.
The second movie would not happen. Or rather, Otto's research would not be funded by Harry even if Harry did have control at this point. If Norman remembered the events of NWH, he would shut that mess down before it even started. And even if he didn't, Harry would have no reason to hate Spider-Man, so Otto still wouldn't get the tritium unless he took it by force.
However, the main event of the second movie could instead be Harry discovering Norman's secret vault behind the mirror. Harry might have a mental break, run away, Peter would reveal his identity to Harry to convince him to come back, and Norman would finally have to own up to his mistakes. But that's a headcanon--I have no idea what would happen here realistically.
However, I do think that Norman would play a pivotal role in the events of the third movie--specifically when it comes to Venom's influence over Peter. You can probably see where this is going. Along with Harry and Mary-Jane, Norman would witness the symbiote's effects on Peter's personality, maybe even how brutal Spider-Man becomes, and would look into it because it seems way too familiar. Norman and Harry would investigate the symbiote with Oscorp's resources, separate it from Peter, and kill it before it did any harm to anyone else--which means Eddie wouldn't die and neither would Harry. And Peter would forgive Sandman faster, so there would be no need for a final fight at all.
After that, my best guess is that Oscorp might become what Stark Industries was to Peter 1. Peter 2 could have his escapades funded by Oscorp, and Harry might still go vigilante as a sort of heroic take on the Goblin, helping Peter 2 here and there with crime-fighting. Overall, not a bad ending.
So what do you think? I haven't seen the Raimi/Webb movies in a while, so heaven knows I've missed something.
