Every rumor that we hear about upcoming Spider-Man movies needs to be taken with a grain of salt. As Spider-Man fans, we too often get treated to waves of speculation about what might happen in potential Spidey films, be it a Tom Holland-led Spider-Man 4, or the presence of Spider-Man in a Sony spinoff movie such as Madame Web or Venom: The Last Dance. We’ve heard so many, however, it’s nearly impossible for us to know what’s true. The most recent rumor involves former Spidey actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who returned to the big screen for Spider-Man: No Way Home and might have more going on in the future… which, to me, is the only way forward for Sony.
The new scoops come to us via industry “insider” DanielRPK (via FandomWire), who claims that Sony wants Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire to return as Spider-Man in the series of films the studio is creating in its live-action Spider-Man universe. This means that Maguire and Garfield would appear opposite Morbius (Jared Leto), Vulture (Michael Keaton), Venom (Tom Hardy), Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and more.
The reason why Sony allegedly wants Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield for its multiversal adventures is because Kevin Feige reportedly wants Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 to help flesh out the street-level storytelling that has been teased in recent Marvel Studios efforts such as Echo and the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again.
In the closing moments of Echo, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) announces his plans to run for Mayor of New York City, a popular comic book storyline known as “Mayor Kingpin.” This powerful move could lead to narrative ramifications for Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Spider-Man (Holland), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and several other NY-based Marvel characters. If Marvel Studios truly wants to build out this corner of the universe, you can see why Feige doesn’t want Holland caught up in the Sony universe – especially after he read the Madame Web reviews.
Using Tom Holland’s Spider-Man for this street-level story is another reason why I don’t want Spider-Man 4 to use the small dollop of symbiote that was left behind by Eddie Brock in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Listen to me rant about that right here.
The trick, however, probably lies in convincing Garfield and/or Maguire to return in something that isn’t being shepherded by Marvel. Sony’s track record in the Spider-Man spinoff universe has been suspect. The studio canceled by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4, and Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3. The actors reportedly are wanted for Avengers: Secret Wars, though that’s years from now. And I’ve long argued that Sony using one of the existing Spider-Men – specifically Garfield – is the best way forward for this currently disconnected universe. Because all of these movies need a Spider-Man if Sony wants the audience to care. So why not use one of the ones who has been re-introduced in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
We’ll continue to track the progress of all the Spider-Man developments, from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 to the future of Sony’s Spider universe.