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Credit: Marvel Studios/Sony PicturesThis new Spider-Man 4 title (and poster) is getting Marvel fans really worked up!
Related: New Spider-Man For Multiverse Project Leaked Through Merch
After the success of the Iron Man (2008) movie from Marvel Entertainment, which brought Robert Downey Jr. back into the limelight, Marvel Studios was acquired by The Walt Disney Company over a decade ago. Since then, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has made remarkable strides, with The Avengers (2012) revolutionizing the superhero genre. The first three phases of the MCU led to the enormously popular conclusion of Phase Three, with Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Endgame saw Marvel fans saying farewell to the original six Avengers as audiences knew them. Succeeding in their mission against Josh Brolin’s Thanos comes at a great cost — with Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) sacrificing herself to obtain the Soul Stone, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) traveling back and time and retiring from superhero-ing for good — and perhaps most devastatingly to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man — Tony Stark/Iron Man’s (Robert Downey Jr.) death, in a bid to save the universe.
Related: ‘Iron Man’ Star Apologizes to Trans Community After Backlash
What’s happening with Spider-Man in the MCU now?
Spider-Man in the MCU is currently, for all intents and purposes, AWOL. After the events of the last of the Tom Holland Spidey “Home”-themed trilogy, starting from Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and ending with Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the web-slinger has been left without home, family or friends. As a result of a Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) spell gone awry, the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has essentially forgotten that Peter Parker exists — effectively undoing the shocking reveal at the end of Far From Home where Daily Bugle reporter J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) exposes the secret identity of Spider-Man to the whole world.
In actuality, this occurred in part due to the Spider-Man character and franchise is owned by Sony, not Disney (and by extension, Marvel Studios). As per the agreement, Spidey can only appear in the MCU following the stipulations of a special deal made between the two companies, and therefore is at the whim of both companies getting along. It can also be attributed to the fact that Spider-Man actor Holland is ready for a bit of a break from superhero-ing, freeing the busy young actor to pursue other activities in the interim of Spider-Man’s big return to the MCU proper. However, while Tom Holland is rumored to show up early as Peter in Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse later this year (alongside Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield iterations of the character), a full-length, mainline MCU Spider-Man adventure is very much anticipated.
But when is Spidey slated to actually return? Well, soon — presumably before 2025’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and 2026’s Avengers: Secret Wars, and most likely in Spider-Man 4. Though not much is known about this fourth instalment of Spider-Man, what is known is Spidey’s expanded future in the MCU. As a result of San Diego Comic Con 2022 and Disney’s D23 Expo, it’s now common knowledge that Kevin Feige wants to have Holland’s Spider-Man and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil lead the new “street-level” team of superheroes, which will be created alongside the “supernatural” and “cosmic-level” divisions of heroes. Naturally, with Daredevil returning in full force to the modern MCU scene since Netflix Marvel’s Daredevil (2015) in newly announced Daredevil: Born Again (now in production for a 2024 Disney+ debut) — Holland’s Spider-Man is definitely due for his story to be similarly expanded, so that both these “street-level” leaders can meet and work together for the greater good.
What people are saying about Spider-Man 4
Recently, the internet blew up after an edited poster surfaced, as well as a proposed title for Spider-Man 4. This poster shows a crowd of people, likely in a crowded city like New York City, with Holland’s Peter Parker dressed down and standing front and center amid a sea of blurred faces. The title of the movie reads, “The Spectacular Spider-Man” — taken from the Marvel Comics series of the same name, while also hinting at a soft reboot of the Spider-Man franchise within the MCU itself, doing away with the previous naming pattern and “Home” themes.
As user @ShadowKnightDK shares in their viral post, they believe that this title is “perfect” for the fourth Spider-Man film:
This title is perfect for Spider-Man 4
(continued) We need this level of posters
We need this level of posters pic.twitter.com/14Gol8GTNH
— Shadow Knight (@ShadowKnightDK) March 26, 2023
Obviously, this actual poster is a mock-up, but that did not stop fans from commenting on the choices made, and speculating about Spider-Man’s actual future in the MCU, and expressing their excitement for Spider-Man 4. User @CastleDead notices Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the background looking on at Peter, finding his edit hilarious:
LMFAO
LMFAO pic.twitter.com/xZ1jj6T0Fn
— Castle (@CastleDead) March 26, 2023
While @ShadowKnightDK expands, expressing their hope for a more “grounded crime” sort of approach in Spider-Man 4:
I want Daredevil in Spider-Man 4, I hope it will be a grounded crime kind of story
I want Daredevil in Spider-Man 4, I hope it will be a grounded crime kind of story pic.twitter.com/jN3DkbKeay
— Shadow Knight (@ShadowKnightDK) March 26, 2023
Commenting on the choice of title, Charlie proposes several other titles for the new Spidey trilogy, based on the Marvel Comics:
If they actually do another trilogy they should use the comic titles as the sub titles
For example:
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Ultimate Spider-Man
If they actually do another trilogy they should use the comic titles as the sub titles
For example:
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Ultimate Spider-Man— charlie (@SsbCharlie) March 26, 2023
Meanwhile, @b_kbtw shares their proposed sequence of events for a future Spider-Man trilogy introducing Miles Morales as Spider-Man:
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Death of The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man Lives1: Peter movie
2: Peter movie where he dies at the end
3: Miles movie
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Death of The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man Lives1: Peter movie
2: Peter movie where he dies at the end
3: Miles movie— BK (@b_kbtw) March 26, 2023
In the end, most Spidey and Marvel fans are just plain hyped for another big Spider-Man comeback:
i ain’t never smiled so hard i’m so hyped rn for this movie
i ain’t never smiled so hard i’m so hyped rn for this movie https://t.co/YLEr3rVOzK
— him. (@itsblxkout) March 27, 2023
The possibilities abound for a future Spider-Man 4 film in the MCU. With the state of the MCU ever-changing, and with the Multiverse Saga expanding to areas we’ve never even considered before, the promise of a new Spider-Man movie revitalizing the franchise and giving Peter Parker a darker, more mature solo adventure sans-Aunt May and other creature comforts, could absolutely bring the MCU to greater heights. Perhaps it’s time for something different.
What do you think of this potential Spider-Man 4 title and poster? Share your thoughts in the comments below!