Credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel StudiosThe tale of Peter Parker, the young hero from Queens who embodies the iconic message “with great power comes great responsibility,” has reached legendary status. Various actors have brought Spider-Man to life on screen, paying tribute to the enduring legacy crafted by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in Marvel Comics.
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With Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man (Tony Stark) and Chris Evans’ Captain America (Steve Rogers) stepping away, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has transitioned into a new era called the Multiverse Saga.
Perhaps no movie represents this Multiversal madness better than Spider-Man.
Spider-Man’s cinematic journey began with Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002 to 2007) — currently rumored to make a comeback. Following Maguire, Andrew Garfield took over the role in The Amazing Spider-Man series, with the first film debuting in 2012, followed by The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
Marvel Comics’ iconic storyline introduces a beloved cast of characters, heroes and villains alike, including Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, Green Goblin/Norman Osborn, and Doc Ock/Doctor Octopus, all set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City.
Spider-Man’s narrative and characters have been reimagined across various media, from animated shows to blockbuster films, and its lasting appeal has solidified it as a timeless cornerstone of superhero storytelling.
However, it is needless to say that the current future of the Spider-Man franchise is a little up-in-the-air at the moment.
The Last We Heard of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Tom Holland’s Peter Parker faces the consequences of his secret identity being exposed by Mysterio. This leads to a series of events where Peter, seeking help from Doctor Strange, accidentally tears open the Multiverse and begins an Incursion (smashing together of universes).
As a result, villains from other universes — like Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus/Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), and Electro (Jamie Foxx) — are pulled into Peter’s world, alongside other Peter Parker variants, Maguire from Sam Raimi’s trilogy, and Garfield from the Amazing Spider-Man universe.
In a dramatic and emotional conclusion, Peter decides to have Doctor Strange complete the spell to erase everyone’s memory of him, including his closest friends, MJ/Michelle Jones (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon). This decision effectively isolates him, leaving Peter Parker alone following the death of Melissa Tomei’s Aunt May, with no one remembering his true identity.
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The film ends with Peter starting a new chapter of his life — independent, wearing a classic Spider-Man suit he’s ostensibly sewn himself (like in the Marvel Comics), and embracing his role as a solo vigilante in New York, while the world forgets who Peter Parker truly is.
This reset paves the way for new possibilities for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in future MCU projects while leaving his character in a more traditional comic-book-accurate position: alone, struggling, but committed to his responsibilities as Spider-Man.
Unfortunately, the recent (alleged) hullabaloo with Sony Pictures has put the character and story of Spider-Man at a crossroads, with Marvel Studios and Disney apparently fighting hard for a more “grounded,” “street-level” Spider-Man story for the upcoming Spider-Man 4, while Sony argued for a more Multiverse-centric approach similar to No Way Home
Now, new updates have shed some light on the matter, and what appears to be a compromising path forward has become a little clearer.
The New Spider-Man Direction
In short, Sony Pictures managed to secure their goal of a Multiversal Spider-Man follow-up.
The Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is gearing up for a major revival, led by its flagship Venom series, starring Tom Hardy. This past week, Sony Pictures released the final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance debuting this October, which is being marketed as Hardy’s farewell as Eddie Brock. However, new insider updates suggest that this might not truly be Brock’s “last dance.”
The trailer has generated excitement among Marvel fans, particularly with the tease of Knull, the God of the Symbiotes, a major Marvel Comics villain, with glimpses of the long-haired leader of the alien Symbiote race and hive-mind have left fans eager for more.
There are indications that the upcoming Spider-Man 4, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton of Shang-Chi (2021) fame, might feature Tom Holland’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker teaming up with Tom Hardy’s Venom/Eddie Brock.
Additionally, Knull is “seeking to enshroud the entire Multiverse in his darkness,” which will seemingly bring the Venom series of films into the mainline MCU story via Spider-Man 4.
No Way Home hints at the Symbiote’s role in the MCU with its post-credit scene, where Eddie Brock leaves behind a fragment of the Symbiote as he is transported back to his own universe after the events of Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) spell.
What’s Next for Spider-Man in the MCU?
It appears that Sony has succeeded in pushing for a more Multiverse-focused storyline, which seems to have swept aside the “street-level” narrative in which Spider-Man teams up with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock to defend vigilantes in New York City against Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is now the Mayor of NYC.
It also seems like this “street-level” story, clearly meant to endear Marvel fans who are sick and tired of the same-old light-hearted, jokey MCU to something more “serious” and grounded, will now have to (most likely) take place after the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynsasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars, based on the currently tuned down Disney-Marvel release schedule.
With Secret Wars scheduled to reboot the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, much like the event storyline did for the Marvel Comics, merging specific elements of the Ultimate universe into the Prime 616 universe (such as fan-favorite Spider-Man Miles Morales), how the MCU will continue after Secret Wars is currently a big mystery.
Whether all of this Multiversal madness will pay off in the long run will have to be seen.
What do you think of Spider-Man’s upcoming future in the MCU? Is it still confusing or disappointing? Is it promising? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!