Credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel StudiosAfter reports of her diminished role in the upcoming Spider-Man 4 movie, new information seemingly confirms who her replacement will be—and it’s a big star.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man trilogy, directed by Jon Watts, redefined Peter Parker’s arc after his introduction in Captain America: Civil War (2016). The trilogy followed Holland’s Peter from a fledgling hero balancing high school life in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) to a grieving yet determined protector of New York in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
The saga reached a dramatic peak in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), which shattered box office records by uniting Holland with past Spider-Men, played by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, in a Multiverse-spanning story.
Despite his deep connection to the role, Holland previously expressed hopes that he wouldn’t still be playing Spider-Man into his thirties, suggesting Miles Morales could take up the mantle. Nevertheless, the British actor will turn 30 when the fourth Spider-Man movie arrives in July 2026 from director Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
Following the resolution of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Holland confirmed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that Spider-Man 4 is moving forward.
While the film’s title remains under wraps, it’s scheduled to release just two months after the Russo Brothers’ highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, which will reportedly feature Holland’s Peter Parker alongside Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom and Chris Evans, rumored to portray a new version of Steve Rogers known as Nomad.
The storyline for Spider-Man 4 remains shrouded in mystery, but Jon Watts previously described his trilogy as a long-form retelling of Peter Parker’s origin story. Producer Amy Pascal hinted that the fourth film will explore Peter’s decision to embrace life solely as Spider-Man after sacrificing his personal identity.
“Well, we have to deal with the fact that he decided he was going to give up being Peter Parker, and he was going to focus on being Spider-Man because being Peter Parker was too hard,” Pascal told Deadline. “So that’s what the movie’s about… There’s room to grow.”
Meanwhile, Zendaya’s role as MJ is expected to be significantly smaller in Spider-Man 4. According to scooper Jeff Sneider, Zendaya will still appear, but her presence will be “severely reduced” due to scheduling conflicts. The Hollywood star has several major projects lined up, including HBO’s Euphoria Season 3, Dune 3, and Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, The Odyssey–which Holland is also involved with.
The rumored inclusion of Gwen Stacy may also factor into Zendaya’s reduced role. Speculation points to Spider-Man 4‘s reported working title, “Blue Oasis,” as a reference to the acclaimed 2002 comic “Spider-Man: Blue”, written by Jeph Loeb. The emotional six-issue series follows Peter as he reflects on his relationship with Gwen Stacy, which could provide insight into the film’s direction.
“‘Spider-Man: Blue’ was a comic written by Jeph Loeb in 2002 that ran for six issues. The story is set on Valentine’s Day and presents a Spider-Man who feels ‘blue’ or depressed as he sits atop the Brooklyn Bridge,” noted The Cosmic Circus. “The story retells how Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy first met and fell in love in a beautifully told story that melts even the coldest of hearts.”
However, now a new casting has surfaced with Deadline reporting that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield in the cult Netflix phenomenon, has joined Tom Holland in the cast of Spider-Man 4.
Sink has long been rumored to join the MCU as mutant Jean Grey, a famous member of Charles Xavier’s X-Men team, and while this may still be the case, reports indicate that Sink will actually play a Multiversal version of Mary Jane Watson.
” [Jeff] Sneider, if you remember, was the first to break the story that Sink was the frontrunner for Jean Grey in Marvel Studios’ X-Men and admits to being surprised that Sink was announced for Spider-Man 4 instead of the mutant reboot, but says he heard from his sources last night that Sink will likely be playing Watson, not Jean Grey,” Comic Book Movie reported.
Zendaya’s Michelle Jones-Watson, as we know, was forced to forget who Peter Parker was after the latter asked Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to eradicate all memory of him from the universe. The inclusion of Sadie Sink could take the Spider-Man franchise into new territory and really hammer home the notion that Jon Watts’ trilogy was an extended origin story for the New York wallcrawler.
Before Peter Parker’s next adventure unfolds, Marvel fans can look forward to Thunderbolts*, which follows Captain America: Brave New World and ends Phase Five, followed by Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July. Avengers: Doomsday will arrive in May 2026, preceding Spider-Man’s return that summer on July 31, 2026.
In additional MCU news, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently announced that Black Panther 3 is officially in development. The confirmation followed the news that longtime producer Nate Moore, who has been with Marvel Studios for 14 years, will depart after completing work on Captain America: Brave New World.
What are your thoughts on Zendaya’s reported reduced role in Spider-Man 4 and Sadie Sink’s apparent casting as Mary Jane? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!