Many questions still surround the story of Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 4. After the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home during the MCU’s Phase 4, Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal confirmed that Spider-Man would have future adventures in Marvel Studios’ shared universe, saving viewers from the fear of the contract fiasco after Spider-Man: Far From Home from repeating itself. On February 14, 2023, Feige confirmed that Spider-Man 4’s storyline had been completed and that writers were set to work on penning the script, which has spurred a lot of speculation about the possible direction for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in the MCU.
Spider-Man: No Way Home concluded the Homecoming trilogy by having everyone across the multiverse forget Peter Parker, leaving the MCU’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man without his support network and operating alone from a new apartment in New York City. While the upcoming Spider-Man: Freshman Year series on Disney+ will uncover Peter Parker’s origins as Spider-Man, albeit in another reality of the multiverse, the MCU will continue to develop Parker’s story in live-action. Tom Holland is expected to return as the web-slinger, but there are still several burning questions concerning Spider-Man’s future in the MCU.
8 When Will MCU Spider-Man 4 Happen?
Since Holland’s debut as Peter Parker in the MCU during Captain America: Civil War, there has been a solo Spider-Man film every two years, starting with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. This trend is set to break in 2023, as no Spider-Man film will be released in the MCU, but it could be assumed that Spider-Man 4 won’t be too long for release. There are currently several empty slots in the MCU’s Phase 6, before and after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so it’s possible that Spider-Man 4 will occupy one of these spaces, which would see the film released sometime in 2024, 2025, or 2026, unless the schedule is delayed even further.
7 Will MJ & Ned Remember Peter Parker?
The end of Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Doctor Strange cast a memory-wipe spell across the entire multiverse, making everyone forget who Peter Parker is, including Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Parker’s closest friends, MJ and Ned Leeds. Though Parker promised to reveal himself to his friends after the spell, he backed out at the last second, so it’s unclear whether his identity will once again be revealed to MJ and Ned in Spider-Man 4. The script for Spider-Man: No Way Home confirmed that MJ had a moment of déjà vu, meaning Spider-Man’s friends perhaps break free from the spell themselves, or Parker could free them himself.
6 Is Ned Leeds Going To Become Hobgoblin?
In Marvel Comics, Edward “Ned” Leeds is the long-running Spider-Man villain known as the Hobgoblin He’s initially framed for the villain’s crimes by the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, but eventually takes up the moniker himself. While Ned in the MCU hasn’t displayed any villainous tendencies, certain lines during Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ned’s discovery of his magical aptitude tease his setup as a Spider-Man villain. This would be an interesting turn of events, as it’s entirely possible for Ned to become Hobgoblin in Spider-Man 4 now that he doesn’t have Parker’s heroic influence, especially after Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin, had spent time in the 616-universe.
5 Who Will Spider-Man 4’s Villain Be?
Aside from the potential debut of Hobgoblin, there are several candidates for the villain in Spider-Man 4. Marvel Studios could decide to pay off that Scorpion tease from Spider-Man: Homecoming, bringing back Michael Mando as Mac Gargan. Spider-Man: No Way Home’s post-credits scene saw a piece of the Venom symbiote stay in the 616-universe after Sony’s Eddie Brock, portrayed by Tom Hardy, was sent back home, so Venom could be explored in the MCU in Spider-Man 4. Iconic Spider-Man villain Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, has also now debuted in the MCU, so the looming crime boss could be pitted against the web-slinger as well as Daredevil in future MCU projects.
4 Could Spider-Man 4 Debut The MCU’s Miles Morales?
Since Donald Glover debuted as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming, speculation has been rising about when the MCU’s Miles Morales would be introduced, as Davis is the young Spider-Man’s uncle. It’s possible that the next Spider-Man trilogy could see Peter Parker follow in Tony Stark’s footsteps and become a mentor to a younger hero himself, training Morales in how to be Spider-Man. However, it could be argued that Holland’s Peter Parker has a lot more development to go through, so it may be too early to introduce the MCU’s Miles Morales, but Electro’s hint at a black Spider-Man in No Way Home certainly provides hope for the future.
3 Will Peter Parker Get A New Love Interest?
Since Zendaya’s MJ no longer remembers Peter Parker by the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s possible that Marvel Studios could decide to move on from this love interest completely, perhaps introducing a new one in Spider-Man 4. The MCU’s Gwen Stacy could fill this role, particularly after Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker mentioned her by name in No Way Home. Parker has had a wide array of love interests in Marvel Comics, including the likes of Lian Tang, Cindy Moon, a.k.a. Silk, Silver Sable, the mutant Kitty Pryde, the villainous Black Cat, and even fellow Avengers, which could be an interesting story to follow in the MCU.
2 Will Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Appear In Avengers 5 & 6?
The MCU’s Phase 6 is set to culminate in the epic crossover events, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, which are rumored to feature multiple heroes from the MCU’s past, as well as heroes from other Marvel movie franchises. While the future of Spider-Man in the MCU is unclear, it’s very likely that he will be making appearances in these Avengers projects, especially after being featured in the Infinity Saga’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man 4 releasing before The Kang Dynasty in the MCU’s Phase 6 would only solidify this idea, as Spider-Man 4 could lead directly into the MCU’s next team-up film.
1 Will Garfield & Maguire’s Spider-Man Variants Return In The MCU?
Spider-Man: No Way Home marked the return of Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, and Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker from Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man films, explained as multiversal variants of Tom Holland’s Parker in the MCU. Maguire and Garfield’s returns as Spider-Man was met with a hugely positive response, and there have since been rumors of their returns in future MCU projects, particularly in Spider-Man 4 or Avengers: Secret Wars. Though nothing has been confirmed by the ever-secretive Marvel Studios, it’s likely this isn’t the last audiences have seen of these epic Spider-Men in the MCU.