Spider-Man: No Way Home concluded what proved to be a pretty amazing trilogy for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Peter Parker. Now, Jon Watts is gearing up to move on to the Fantastic Four franchise, while Tom Holland has been vocal about wanting to take a break from the wall-crawler.
Another movie is in the works, though, and all signs point to Spider-Man 4 being the first chapter of another trilogy for this iconic hero. While there are plenty of characters and storylines we hope to see adapted in those movies, that's not what we're taking a look at here today.
Instead, we break down some of the key creative decisions we hope are made in the upcoming fourth installment in order to set the stage for a truly spectacular run of movies. Marvel Studios has done a lot of good with this character, but these changes could be what elevates the franchise to the same level as the astonishing final scene with the MCU's Peter in the classic red and blue.
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7. Let Peter Parker Grow Up
Taking Peter back to high school definitely made sense (introducing him as an adult would have been problematic for a number of reasons) but it's now time for the wall-crawler to grow up.
He's only ever managed to get as far as college on the big screen, and that appears to be the plan as we head into Spider-Man 4. However, if Holland really is taking a short break from the role, why not bring the character more in line with his comic book counterpart the next time we see him?
The actor is 25 and could easily play his own age when we see him next. That would mean skipping college, but a time jump gives Marvel Studios the chance to tell a lot of different stories...like him being a high school teacher who crosses paths with young Miles Morales, for example! If nothing else, we'd like to see Peter at the end of his time in college in Spider-Man 4.
6. It's Spider-Sense, Not A "Peter Tingle"
The MCU's Spider-Man clearly has Spider-Sense, but even Spider-Man: No Way Home failed to properly explore this ability after the previous movie showed how crucial it can be to the hero.
It's about time Marvel clarifies whether he has a proper Spider-Sense or if it's a reduced version that isn't quite the same as the early warning system we all know from the source material. Perhaps the concern is that it will make things too easy for Peter, but as his powers develop, so too should this particular power. We're not suggesting the screen flash each time danger approaches, but how amazing would it be to see a visual acknowledgement of his Spider-Sense in live-action?
Used the right way, Spider-Sense can enhance Spidey's battles and help drive home what a unique character the web-slinger really is. In other words, it's time to move past the "Peter Tingle."
5. Better Explore Spider-Man's Supporting Cast
The world has forgotten Peter Parker, so it looks like we're now moving on from that high school setting. With that should come a fresh supporting cast, including characters who are part of the NYPD.
The likes of Jean DeWolff, Yuri Watanabe, or Carlie Cooper showing up would help shake Spidey's status quo up in a meaningful way. With Spider-Man: No Way Home, the stage has been set for the public to view the web-slinger as a menace, and that relationship with the police could and should be explored in ways that better establish the wall-crawler as a street-level superhero.
It's not just the police, either; we love MJ, but it might be time for Peter and Spidey to move on. The most logical choices there, of course, are Gwen Stacy or, more excitingly, Felicia Hardy/Black Cat!
4. Do The Black Costume Right
Unfortunately, Spider-Man and Venom never ended up crossing paths in No Way Home. Despite a vocal interest from fans in seeing Tom Holland share the screen with Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock, the latter was confined to a post-credits scene and returned to his own world without ever getting to meet the MCU's webbed wonder.
He did, however, leave a piece of his symbiote behind, which potentially sets the stage for Peter Parker to get his black costume. We're not sure how it would get from Mexico to New York City, but unless this post-credits scene was thrown in at Sony's behest to set the stage for a crossover that will never happen on Marvel Studios' watch, there had to be a reason for it.
It would be a departure from the comic books, but Peter could, for example, be exposed to the alien suit while studying it in a laboratory he's working in. With his newfound costume and enhanced abilities, we could watch as Spidey heads down a darker route before finally realizing he needs to seek out his old friends and restore some of the light in his life. The suit could even return to plague him throughout the trilogy with a new host like Mac Gargan instead of Eddie.
3. Explore The Origin Story
Like Batman, Spider-Man's origin story is so familiar, it really doesn't need to be retold. However, it's about time we not only learn more about Peter's relationship with his Uncle Ben, but also the spider that bit him. Was it radioactive or genetically altered by a company like Oscorp or Alchemax?
For that matter, could Stark Industries have had something to do with it? Whatever the answer might be, Marvel really doesn't need to keep dancing around all of this because while it may not be relevant to the stories they're telling today, it is important if we're going to learn more about Peter as a person. Spider-Man: No Way Home got that "Great Power" line in, but further diminished Ben's importance in the process (not that we're faulting that amazing moment with Aunt May).
If we're going to meet characters like Miles Morales, Ezekiel, and Silk - three exciting possibilities for this next trilogy - then now could be the perfect time to, if nothing else, address that spider bite.
2. Take Us To The Daily Bugle
The Amazing Spider-Man movies danced around The Daily Bugle, but the MCU finally embraced J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home, albeit not in the way most fans expected.
The newspaper becoming TheDailyBugle.net makes sense these days, especially as a teenager selling photos to a major newspaper is a little hard to buy into now. Regardless, it's been established that Jonah has a grudge against the Friendly Neighbourhood superhero and we expect that to intensify heading into Spider-Man 4 and the wall-crawler's next trilogy of movies.
What would be fun is having Peter - who Jonah no longer remembers - working at TheDailyBugle.net, either capturing footage of Spidey for the site or working on the technical side of things to help get himself through college. Having to put up with Jonah would be a great example of that classic "Parker Luck," while this could even tie into the wider story if Scorpion or the Spider-Slayers show up.
1. Set The Stage For The Sinister Six
It's honestly a little hard to understand why Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures didn't use Spider-Man: No Way Home as an excuse to have the three Spider-Men square off against the Sinister Six. Instead, there were five villains, though they weren't a team and one of them, Doctor Octopus, had even regained his senses and become a good guy by the time the final battle rolled around.
We can only assume the plan is to bring this group together down the line, and where better to make that happen than Spider-Man 4? We already know of at least a few villains who could return, but this new trilogy could start the process of a team of Spidey's greatest foes coming together to take him out once and for all.
Mysterio, The Vulture, Scorpion, Kraven the Hunter, Chameleon, and the Hobgoblin sounds like a pretty formidable roster to us, and a mix of new villains from the next trilogy combined with the return of those from the previous one could quite easily result in Peter facing his greatest challenge yet. Heck, if he gets a little backup from Miles Morales and Black Cat, that has all the makings of an epic clash we'll happily pay good money to see.