Summary
Tom Holland’sSpider-Man 4has everything to be one of the best movies in the Multiverse Saga, and in order to do so, theMarvel Cinematic Universefilm could use some iconic characters from Spider-Man comics.Holland’s Spider-Man trilogystands among the best in the MCU, fighting Captain America for the best Marvel Studios trilogy for a solo hero. However, unlike Chris Evans, who left the franchise after 2019’sAvengers: Endgame,Holland’s Spider-Man will continue in the MCU for years to come.
Spider-Man 4is in active development, reportedly searching for a director since Spider-Man MCU franchise director Jon Watts will not return for the film. That means no story details have yet been revealed about the movie, leaving room for many rumors to circulate. What is known aboutSpider-Man 4’s storyis that it will followSpider-Man: No Way Home’s setup, and so, multiple Marvel characters from the comics could appear in the film.
10 Ways Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 Could Be A “Significant Event” For The MCU
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 has received an exciting update, and there are some great stories to make the MCU movie the event it is teased to be.
10Uncle Ben
Uncle Ben is one of the most important Spider-Man-related characters in the comics. Whiledifferent versions of Ben Parker have appeared in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man movies, Holland has yet to directly mention Uncle Ben or appear in a scene with him. In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, evenMadame Webused a younger version of Uncle Ben, played by Adam Scott, before the MCU included the iconic character.
While Uncle Ben could not appear in the present, as the character has been dead for years in the MCU, his appearance through flashbacks would be timely.Spider-Man: No Way Homesaw Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May be killed by Green Goblin. With her gone and Peter Parker feeling lonely, the character could remember good moments he shared with May and Ben, making for a heartfelt MCU debut for Uncle Ben.
9Iceman
Spider-Man’s X-Men Friend
While not traditionally a Spider-Man comic book character, Iceman is a close friend to Peter Parker.In the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book run, Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, even lived in Peter’s homefor a good time, showing how strong of a bond they had. With the X-Men set to arrive in the MCU in the future, Iceman could make his debut in the franchise inSpider-Man 4, setting up a bigger MCU role in other projects.
The X-Men are known for working well as a team. Because of that, doing solo projects for the mutants before they come together in theMCU’s X-Men movie— like was done for the original Avengers — would not work. However, having a few members appear in other heroes' projects in small roles would circumvent that, building excitement for the X-Men. Iceman could be Peter’s college roommate in the MCU.
8Scorpion
Marc Gargan Has To Don His Villain Identity
This is a special case, asBetter Call Saul’s Michael Mando already played Marc Gargan inSpider-Man: Homecoming. However, the character never donned his supervillain identity in the MCU, andSpider-Man 4could finally see Mando play Scorpion. Since his franchise debut in 2017’sSpider-Man: Homecoming, Mando has yet to return as Marc Gargan. Given how Holland’s Spider-Man movies focused on bigger villains than Scorpion, that move makes sense; however,Spider-Man 4has the perfect setup for Scorpion.
While the character missed his window to hunt Spider-Man after it was revealed Peter Parker was the hero, as Doctor Strange’s spell made everyone forget that,Spider-Man: No Way Homeset up a street-level story forSpider-Man 4. All alone, sad, and without Stark Tech,Spider-Man 4could see Peter Parker fight a couple of violent street-level foes, such as Scorpion, making for a gritty, back-to-basics film.
7Eddie Brock/Venom
A Piece Of The Symbiote Is In The MCU
Spider-Man: No Way Home’s post-credits sceneset up a symbiote storyline for the MCU. Coming from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe through multiverse shenanigans, Tom Hardy’s Venom arrived at a bar in the MCU. However, instead of meeting Holland’s Spider-Man like fans had been expecting for years, the character was promptly returned to the SSU. Thankfully, a major event came of the ordeal, as a piece of the Venom symbiote stayed behind in the MCU, andSpider-Man 4could feature the iconic black suit.
At the lowest point of his life,Peter Parker would be very susceptible to the dark influence of the symbiote. This could lead toSpider-Man 4featuring an aggressive and darker take on the hero, contrasting with Holland’s first Spider-Man trilogy. As Hardy’s Eddie Brock returned to the SSU, Marvel could introduce its own version of the character, withSpider-Man 4’s ending teasing the symbiote going to Eddie and creating Venom after Spider-Man gets rid of it.
6Human Torch
The Fantastic Four Arrives In 2025
Johnny Storm is another special case. WhileStranger Things' Joseph Quinn will play the Human Torch in2025’sThe Fantastic Four,there are many clues that the MCU movie will take place in an alternate universe. If that is indeed the case, thenSpider-Man 4could serve as the perfect project to have the Human Torch really make his mark on Earth-616 before appearing in one or both of the next Avengers films.
The Human Torch is one of the heroes most closely tied to Spider-Man in the comics. Like Iceman, Johnny Storm also lived with Peter Parker during the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book run, butJohnny and Peter have been shown to serve as best friends in multiple comic runs. As such, Quinn’s Human Torch and Holland’s Spider-Man need to recreate that dynamic in the MCU, and if Peter goes to college inSpider-Man 4, he could possibly find and befriend Johnny there.
5Norman Osborn
A New Version Of The Character
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is one of the best live-action supervillains of all time. The actor once again stole the show thanks to the multiverse allowing his Green Goblin to serve as the main villain ofSpider-Man: No Way Home. With Dafoe’s character back in the world of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, the MCU can now do its own take on Norman Osborn, and that could bring a new side of the character to live-action.
Norman does not have to be the Green Goblin inSpider-Man 4, allowing the character to have a fresh arc in live-action. With the creation of the Thunderbolts, the MCU could lead to a version of Osborn’s Dark Avengers from the comics. A new actor could play the role, with Norman Osborn donning an Iron Man suit and serving as the Iron Patriot. Given their tragicSpider-Man: No Way Homelink, Peter Parker could search for the MCU’s Norman Osborn and keep tabs on him.
4Miles Morales
The MCU’s Second Spider-Man
Miles Morales' live-action debut is inevitable, with a movie appearance in his future. After the success of the animated Spider-Verse movies, Miles could either debut as the Spider-Man of the SSU or, more excitingly, appear in the MCU. The character does not have to be the same Miles from the Spider-Verse movies, even if by some chance Holland’s Peter Parker cameos inSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verseand interacts with Miles.
Spider-Man 4could be the first step to Miles becoming the MCU’s main Spider-Man. The character could play a minor role in the film, with a younger actor helping establish Miles as someone who looks up to Holland’s Peter. By the end of the film, Miles could come to know his secret. Subsequent Spider-Man movies could set up Miles Morales to get powers and be trained by Peter Parker, eventually becoming the MCU’s Spider-Man after Holland’s second trilogy.
3Harry Osborn
Peter Parker’s Possible New Best Friend
Spider-Man: No Way Homeended with Doctor Strange’s spell making Peter’s loved ones forget who he is, and the character chose not to reveal what happened to MJ and Ned Leeds. With both characters unlikely to play major roles inSpider-Man 4, the MCU could give a new best friend to Holland’s Peter Parker. That character could be none other thanHarry Osborn, who is Peter’s best friend in pretty much every Spider-Man project where both characters appear.
Interestingly,Dafoe’s Norman Osborn hinted that he searched for Harry in the MCU but could not find himinSpider-Man: No Way Home. Holland’sSpider-Man 4could explain why Harry was nowhere to be found, perhaps adding a bit of mystery to the film. Norman might also have meant that Harry looked different in the MCU, teasing the character’s existence with a new actor. Instead of turning into a villain like in the two previous live-action Spider-Man movie franchises, Harry could just be a genuine friend to Peter in the MCU, starting withSpider-Man 4.
2Gwen Stacy
Either Through The Multiverse Or Not
There are rumors that Marvel wants a street-level story forSpider-Man 4, while Sony wants to do another major multiverse event with Tobey and Andrew. In either case, Gwen Stacy could make her MCU debut inSpider-Man 4. If it’s a street-level film,Peter could meet Gwen Stacy in college, just as was the case in the comics. The characters could bond and eventually fall in love, with Gwen taking the place of Zendaya’s MJ as Spider-Man’s romantic interest.
Alternately, ifSpider-Man 4is another multiverse movie, then a popular alternate Gwen Stacy could appear.Fans have been asking for Emma Stone to play Spider-Gwenin live-action for some time, and with Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man likely back ifSpider-Man 4goes the multiverse route, then she could show up. A younger actress could also show up as the Spider-Woman Gwen instead, befriend Holland’s Spider-Man, and decide to stay in the MCU.
1Black Cat
A Fan-Favorite For The Movie
Finally, Black Cat would be perfect forSpider-Man 4.The MCU set up a more personal story for Holland’s next Spider-Man adventure, and that, plus the fact that Zendaya’s MJ does not remember who Peter is, opens the door for the MCU debut of Felicia Hardy. Marvel Studios has focused on using characters that have not appeared in previous Spider-Man films for Holland’s first trilogy.
The same could be repeated inSpider-Man 4. WhileFelicity Jones’The Amazing Spider-Man 2character was meant to be Black Cat, that was not included in the film. Thus, a formal live-action movie debut for Black Cat could come inSpider-Man 4. With Peter forgotten by the world, the character could lean more towards being Spider-Man, and Black Cat could push him there, with a story of superhero romance and a friend or foe dynamic that would makeSpider-Man 4an exhilarating movie.
Spider-Man 4
Cast
Spider-Man 4 is the first sequel to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public’s memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.
