Summary
Spider-Man: No Way Homehas been one of the most exciting theatrical experiences for fans of theMCUin a long time, owing largely to the inclusion of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield each reprising the role of Spider-Man from their respective film series - making the inevitable question of sequels all the more pertinent. After years of waiting, many rumors have circulated about how Maguire and Garfield could return to the big screen, varying fromMCUSpider-Man 4roles to their own film follow-ups building on their previous Spider-Man storylines.
With such massive box-office potential for additional stories in the sagas of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man or Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man, it is puzzling that sequels to neither of these series have entered production. At a minimum, with the building of Sony’s universe,audiences expected to see one of these two performers appear as Peter Parker inVenomorMadame Web. Despite suggestions, nods, and rumors, nothing has happened, and nothing appears to be happening. There are several reasons why this might be the case, hinting that a change to this strategy may happen sooner rather than later.
Tobey Maguire’s Next Rumored Spider-Man Return Was Subtly Set Up 20 Years Ago
Tobey Maguire could be jumping around the multiverse in a fourth Spider-Man movie, and it’s possible thanks to a hilarious easter egg from his films.
The Sony Universe Has Wanted To Stand On Its Own
Venom And Morbius Were Supposed To Launch A Universe To Rival The MCU
Following the success ofVenomin 2018, Sony moved forward with building a shared universe of the Spider-Man characters to which they owned the rights. This was not the first attempt at building a shared universe around the properties they owned:a canceled Sinister Six spinoff movie was originally planned to followThe Amazing Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man’s Rogues Gallery is among the most iconic in all comic books, and is perhaps the only assortment of villains that could justify their own cinematic universe.
There has been some talk of including Spider-Man in these features, with a strange appearance of the Tobey Maguire suit on a poster in theMorbiustrailer, and rumors of unrealized plans to include Andrew Garfield inMadame Web.All this meant thatit seemed for a while that one of these Spider-Men was planned to be integrated into Sony’s universe. Unfortunately, followingVenom, the returns have been mixed, and plans have changed.MorbiusandMadame Webhave become some of the most derided major motion pictures in recent years, which has led to the studio seemingly reconsidering their plans.
Venom: The Last Dance Trailer - A Symbiote War With Venom’s Species Against Unhinged Tom Hardy & A Venomized Horse
The first official Venom: The Last Dance trailer has finally been released by Sony Pictures, giving a new look at Tom Hardy’s final Marvel adventure.
The MCU Contract Dictates How Sony Can Use Spider-Man
Unknown Conditions From Feige And The Marvel Team May Limit Sony
When Spider-Man was first announced to be appearing in the MCU, fans around the world rejoiced. Two separate studios collaborating like this with their properties was so unlikely that most would never have believed such an event could occur. When it did - and was done so successfully -this helped to revitalize the Spider-Man brand, resulting in two separate billion-dollar movies. While some details about how the property is shared between Sony and Disney have been communicated, most of the contract details are unclear. This has likely impacted Sony’s ability to move forward with other Spider-Man projects.
Sony handles live-action Spider-Man films, while Disney can use the character in a supporting capacity. This is restricted to live-action, feature-length storytelling, which has allowed the Spider-Verse films to be made by Sony and the animated series to be made by Disney. Given the size of the MCU’s media empire compared to Sony,it is likely that concessions had to be made by the studio to achieve this deal. The fact that no other live-action Spider-Man films have been made is thus potentially the result of a contract restriction prohibiting Sony from using the name Spider-Man in their non-MCU titles.
Another Spider-Man MCU Crossover Movie Could Happen, Says Tom Holland
Star Tom Holland says another Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover movie could happen in the future following Spider-Man: No Way Home.
How Many Spider-Men Is Too Many Spider-Men?
The Market Of Marvel Heroes Can Become Oversaturated
The box office failure ofThe Flashhas indicated that the return of legacy characters and their performers is not always sufficient to secure box office returns. While Michael Keaton’s return to the role of Batman was an exciting prospect - and the movie was later revealed to have three iterations of the Dark Knight, given Ben Affleck’s appearance and George Clooney’s surprise ending cameo - this was not enough to save the film, and indeed underlined that including various iterations of even popular heroes could risk overdilution.
On the other hand, the Spider-Verse films seem to present a different narrative. Each film introduces an increasing number of Spider-Men, yet none feel excessive or out of place. These films achieved enormous box-office and critical success and helped audiences embrace and understand multiversal iterations of popular characters.With this successful groundwork laid, the anticipation forNo Way Homewas even higher. However, withSpider-Man Noir,Beyond the Spider-Verse,Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Tom Holland’s sequel all in various stages of production, there is a need to tread carefully to avoid oversaturating the brand.
Nicolas Cage’s Older Spider-Man Is Set To Repeat Tobey Maguire’s Biggest Spider-Man Movie Change
Nicolas Cage is set to reprise his role of Spider-Man Noir in live-action, which will mean repeating the biggest Tobey Maguire character change.
Development On Alternative Spider-Man Sequels Is Happening Behind Closed Doors
Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man 4 Is Likely Not All That Sony Is Working On
Sony has been a successful player in cinema for decades because they are savvy about how they use their properties. While the recent failures ofMadame WebandMorbiushave caused doubts about their ability to execute their plans successfully, it must be remembered thatthis is the same studio that created the beloved, critically acclaimed Spider-Verse films andNo Way Home. Sony as a studio is not foolish; if anything, they have learned that getting ahead of themselves with their larger universe plans has been detrimental, suggesting any prospective plans will be held from audiences until the time is right.
Spider-Man movie director Sam Raimi suggested as much in an interview withThe Wrap, wherein he stated that he’d been working on some potential story aspects of a Tobey MaguireSpider-Man 4in case he was contacted about the sequel, meaning work is technically already being done on one of these projects. With one of the directors who would most likely be tapped for a sequel seemingly believing Sony may be looking at Maguire or Garfield sequels followingSpider-Man: No Way Home, it’s hard to not also consider the very real possibility that talks are very much in motion.
Just as the surprise appearances of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire inNo Way Homewere never announced, this could be similar to Sony’s current strategy. Considering the underperformance ofThe FlashandBlue Beetleat the box office after the announcement of a new DCU, it’s likely thatSony realizes the importance of strategic silence and is now focusing on publicizing only their current projects,Venom: The Last DanceandKraven the Hunter. It’s undeniable that the studio has plans for their Spider-Man characters, possibly involving Tobey and Andrew, but announcing these prematurely could harm their box office success.
Batgirl & Ms. Marvel Directors Respond To Spider-Man 4 Rumors Amid Ongoing Speculation
Ms. Marvel and Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah react to the rumors of them being in talks to direct Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 movie.
A return by either Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, if not both, is inevitable. There has been too much talk and desire from most concerned parties, including Sam Raimi and Kirsten Dunst, for such lucrative fan service never to be used.
WhileSpider-Man: No Way Homeworked as a good way to resolve the hanging threads of each character’s story, there are more tales to be told in each of these worlds, includingreturning Spider-Man villain stories. Given the trajectory of Marvel’s movie and show franchise sets up both Maguire and Garfield’s sequels so smoothly,not returning to either in some fashion would be a strange choice for the studio.Following the end of their successful Venom trilogy, it would be surprising not to hear developments of some follow-up sooner rather than later.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Cast
For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can’t run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.
