There are a lot of big superhero films coming our way this year, and 2022 is shaping up to be similarly exciting. However, it's hard to think of any movie as highly anticipated as Spider-Man 3.
Since the day Jamie Foxx was cast as Electro (a role he first played in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and shared a piece of fan-art with the villain battling three Spider-Men, the rumor mill has gone into overdrive. This is a film that's clearly going to be bigger than anyone ever expected.
There are some rumors which are bigger than others, however, and we've rounded them up here.
Chances are that not all of them will pan out, and some are easier to believe than others. What we can safely say is that if even only a handful of these pan out, Spider-Man 3 will be an even more ambitious film than even Avengers: Endgame...
10. Oscorp And S.W.O.R.D. Plans
A popular Spider-Man: Far From Home rumor alleged that the former Avengers Tower would be revealed as Oscorp, but that didn't happen. It now seems likely the one-time base of Earth's Mightiest Heroes will be where the Fantastic Four call home.
Regardless of who bought the building, it's been reported that Oscorp will finally be added to the MCU in Spider-Man 3.
No details beyond that have been revealed, but another bold claim in this same report noted that Marvel plans to make use of S.W.O.R.D. in the threequel as well.
Given the clandestine organization's role in WandaVision, this isn't surprising, and actually seems quite plausible. Remember, Spider-Man 3 ties into both that Disney+ series and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Peter Parker's involvement could be what leads to him crossings paths with S.W.O.R.D.
9. New Looks For Familiar Faces
A long list of characters have been rumored to make their return in Spider-Man 3, including two versions of Spider-Man - Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield - Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, Jamie Foxx's Electro, and more Golblins than you can shake a Pumpkin Bomb at.
Foxx has already confirmed he won't be blue this time around, and it was later reported that at least some of these characters will have new looks when they return to the screen.
This adds up, and might go some way in debunking theories that these actors are playing the same versions of the villains they did in the past (which doesn't make much sense when most are dead).
Marvel's talented concept artists have no doubt perfected these bad guys for the MCU if this is correct.
8. Spider-Man 4 Is In Development
A recent rumor shared on this very site indicated that work has already begun on a Spider-Man 4.
No further details beyond that have been revealed, but Jon Watts is unlikely to direct as Fantastic Four is next for him. Sony has stuck to putting out new Spider-Man films every two years, so it's hard to imagine them taking three or four of those off to accommodate Watts's MCU commitments.
If Tom Holland's Peter Parker is used in films like Spider-Woman and Venom 3 before then, it might make the wait a little more bearable for the studio, of course.
All we can really hope is that Sony continues working with Marvel Studios.
7. Tobey Maguire = Uncle Ben
The most ridiculous rumor in this feature comes to us from notoriously unreliable scooper "DanielRPK" (if you pay for his "scoops" on Patreon, please slap yourself).
It's a big one, though, because it's said that as well as enlisting Tobey Maguire to play Spider-Man again, he'll also be shown as Peter Parker's Uncle Ben in the MCU. It's hard to believe, but not completely impossible when you look at how The Flash TV series has used the same actor as multiple characters thanks to the DC Multiverse.
We're not betting on this happening, but it is about time we see something from the MCU's Uncle Ben.
He is, after all, a pivotal part of Peter's story in the comics, but has never received a proper mention in any of the films Tom Holland has played the web-slinger in.
6. Mysterio Returns To Haunt Spidey
In the Spider-Men comic, Mysterio was revealed to have found a way to travel between worlds. That meant he was able to battle Peter Parker on one Earth and Miles Morales on another.
Quentin Beck may have lied about being from elsewhere in the Multiverse in Spider-Man: Far From Home, bu-wait. Did he lie? He certainly seemed to know a lot about alternate realities, so we're left to wonder if he was playing the ultimate long con and never actually had an issue with Tony Stark.
After faking his demise to frame Peter and expose Spider-Man's secret identity, Beck might have a whole new plan in Spider-Man 3...one that involves creating an interdimensional Sinister Six.
His return has been teased in set photos revealing that some people "believe" in Mysterio.
5. Kraven's First Hunt
One of the earliest Spider-Man 3 rumors pointed to Peter Parker being hunted down, appropriately, by Kraven the Hunter.
It was reported that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures were on the lookout for a "Joel Kinnaman-type" to play the villain, though it seems more likely he was wanted for J.C. Chandor's Kraven the Hunter film.
In Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley's Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter defeated Kraven with one punch. That led to him altering his DNA in order to become powerful enough to battle Spidey, and it's that which could serve as a fitting premise for the solo outing in the works at Sony.
Without any of the enhancements we saw in Kraven's Last Hunt, Kraven is just a man, and it's always been hard to buy into him being able to battle a hero as powerful as Spider-Man. His failure here might lead to that, though.
4. Goblins, Goblins, And More Goblins
Sam Raimi used Spider-Man 2 and its sequel to tease Willem Dafoe's return as Green Goblin, but it seems Norman Osborn's resurrection could take place in this film instead.
Dane DeHaan is also expected to return as the Goblin he played in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, though we're struggling to understand why Marvel Studios would want to make that happen.This Goblin's desire to form the Sinister Six means his involvement would make sense for the story, but beyond that? Please, no.
Another weird rumor states that Jacob Batalon will get the chance to play Hobgoblin.
If you know your comics, you'll know that even Ned Leeds becoming Hobgoblin on another Earth doesn't make sense. Ned was framed as being this villain, but it was always Roderick Kingsley beneath the mask. Perhaps this is just Marvel toying around with the idea of the Multiverse?
3. Miles Morales
Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire sound like a lock for the threequel, while The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 3 alums Emma Stone and Kirsten Dunst are likely set to join them.
Will those be the only Spider-Men Tom Holland's Peter Parker meets?
Perhaps not. Miles Morales may have already been cast for this threequel. There's been speculation that one of the character's voice actors may have been asked to come on board, but not showing the diverse face beneath the mask would be a huge blunder, so we're hoping Marvel Studios might have found a talented unknown to bring Miles to live-action.
We're not banking on this happening, but boy would it be spectacular.
2. Spider-Slayers
J. Jonah Jameson was reintroduced at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and we'd like to see him take on a more active role in Spider-Man 3 than just being an online news reporter.
This rumor about the Spider-Slayers could be an indication that Jonah will play a part in bringing Peter Parker to justice, going so far as to enlist Spencer Smythe to create a robotic army for him.
There's every chance this could even tie into Scorpion's creation!
It may be a big, or small, part of this film, but the Spider-Slayers are long overdue a live-action debut, and this feels like the best possible time to introduce them.
1. Charlie Cox Has Finished Shooting
The latest rumor for Daredevil's involvement in Spider-Man 3 is that Charlie Cox has been on the set of the threequel and already finishing shooting his return as Matt Murdock.
There's still no word on whether Cox is going to suit up as the Man Without Fear, but there's been some chatter online that the plan is for the actor to play a totally new version of the hero (meaning the supporting cast from Netflix are unlikely to get the opportunity to return).
In recent interviews to promote WandaVision, Kevin Feige played coy when asked about Cox's return as Daredevil, and we can't help but thinking this is definitely happening.
It could be a surprise that's saved for the film itself, though!