Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters just a few weeks from now, but a sequel has already been dated and The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that another Marvel superhero who ISN'T Iron Man will be making their presence felt in the 2019 release. That opens the door to a lot of very exciting possibilities, but which of their many characters might Marvel choose?
It's clear that part of their deal with Sony involves lending them heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to increase interest in the Spider-Man franchise and that's something we've known for a while. However, now it's pretty much official that each of Peter Parker's adventures will include an Avenger or fellow superhero, we can't help but ponder some of the possibilities.
Below, you'll find our look at the eight most likely candidates and both why and how they'll fit into things. Don't expect to see the names you're expecting either as we think Marvel is going to head in a slightly more original direction than expected...
8. Winter Soldier
Bucky was one of just a handful of heroes Spider-Man crossed paths with in Captain America: Civil War and while they didn't exactly have much time to develop a rapport beyond Peter Parker liking The Winter Solider's metal arm, it still feels like there's potential for these two heroes to embark on a pretty interesting team-up.
This version of the wall-crawler has been a sidekick of sorts to Iron Man, while Bucky obviously spent years fighting alongside Captain America. Both stepping out of the shadows of their mentors has a lot of dramatic potential and the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel might just be the best place to further develop Bucky ahead of him taking over the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers!
7. Daredevil
I 100% realise that this is wishful thinking, especially as both Kevin Feige and Jon Watts have recently outright stated that there are no plans to bring The Defenders to the big screen, but it wasn't all that long ago we never thought Spider-Man would swing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Spidey and Daredevil are one of the best odd couples in comic book history and a team-up between the two would be a smart move.
After all, The Man Without Fear's Netflix series is incredibly popular and it's hard to imagine Sony turning down the chance to promote their Spider-Man to as wide an audience as possible and there are bound to be a lot of Netflix viewers who might be tempted to check out this sequel if Daredevil is in it even if they aren't fans of Spidey or Marvel movies.
6. Thor
This would be an unusual sort of team-up, but after going down the somewhat predictable route of pairing Peter Parker up with Iron Man, that may not actually be a bad thing. Spider-Man and Thor have crossed paths a number of times over the years and while it would probably be best to have the God of Thunder's role limited to a cameo, there are a number of ways this could work.
You obviously wouldn't want Thor on hand to wipe out the likes of Scorpion or Kraven with Mjolnir, but Peter hanging out with a God would certainly shake up his status quo and make this sequel unique. Thor could even take over as a mentor of sorts due to Iron Man being busy elsewhere and we all know that Chris Hemsworth has great comedic timing so that weird dynamic could be hilarious!
5. Doctor Strange
Back when JMS was writing Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker and Doctor Strange developed a very interesting relationship. That was mostly down to the scribe exploring the mystical side of the wall-crawler's abilities, something it would actually be a lot of fun to see this reboot do now that we know Spider-Man: Homecoming is going down the technological route with The Vulture.
Morlun is a villain I would personally love to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Peter swinging over to the Sanctum Sanctorum for assistance would be a good way to build on the relationship between the two, make Stephen an even bigger and more popular part of the MCU, and delve into a side of Spider-Man's powers that previous movies have failed to address.
4. Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is set to be released before the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel and with Carol Danvers set to factor into Avengers: Infinity War in some way, it's feasible that these two will cross paths before 2019. While we're obviously not going to see the romantic side of their relationship that the comic books have so frequently hinted at, exploring their dynamic would be far from a bad thing.
A lot of friction exists between the two and if Marvel hopes to make Captain Marvel a big fish in the MCU pond, throwing her into a movie with Spider-Man is far from the worst idea in the world. Perhaps she'll have been assigned as Peter's new mentor figure by Tony, something sure to rub both her and Spidey up the wrong way as they're made to prove themselves as Avengers side by side.
3. Ant-Man
Spider-Man took Giant-Man down in style in Captain America: Civil War, so you'd best believe there's some unfinished business between these two heroes. Scott Lang is a down to Earth sort of crimefighter in the same vein as Peter Parker and while Ant-Man and The Wasp looks set to take him into the Quantum Realm, the pint-sized hero crossing paths with the wall-crawler still makes sense.
Perhaps Cassie Lang could be enrolled at Peter's high school; that would require her being aged up a little, but it would be fun to see some tension between the two as they're forced to team up to battle a foe threatening both of their loved ones. Throw in the fact that Paul Rudd is hilarious and we could be looking a partnership here which works on just about every level.
2. Star-Lord
I had to throw at least one wild card in here who isn't Daredevil and Star-Lord was one of the first to come to mind. Sure, the likes of Black Widow or even The Hulk are probably more likely candidates, but one of the faces of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise entering Spidey's world is a prospect it's hard not to get excited about.
It's been said that Tom Holland's Spider-Man WILL exist in the world inhabited by Venom, so Peter Quill - who may stick around on Earth for a while following the events of Avengers: Infinity War - showing up to provide some intel on the symbiote could work. That's assuming Marvel can find a non-convoluted explanation for his presence, of course, but there are definitely ways to take Spidey cosmic without compromising the essence of the character.
1. Captain America
This may be an obvious choice, but it's also arguably the best. The few moments of screentime shared by Spider-Man and Captain America in Captain America: Civil War was extraordinary and left us all desperate for more. Chances are we'll get that in Avengers: Infinity War, but Steve Rogers making his presence felt in Peter Parker's world is a must.
It will ultimately boil down to whether or not Chris Evans decides to stick around the MCU once his contractual obligations are fulfilled but seeing Spidey and Cap teaming up to battle someone like Mysterio or Chameleon would be a lot of fun. Spidey is also in desperate need of a better role model and the Star Spangled Avenger could be a good pick to help teach him how to best fight and utilise his physical prowess.
Which of these heroes would you most like to see join the wall-crawler in Marvel and Sony's Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel? Let us know that in the comments section down below.