When Sony Pictures decided to team-up with Marvel Studios to make Spider-Man spectacular again, it made perfect sense for Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man to factor into
Spider-Man: Homecoming in order to increase interest in the reboot. Well, it worked, and the sequel included another major MCU cameo, this time in the form of Nick Fury.
Moving forward, we can probably expect that to continue, and while Peter Parker being moved out of Iron Man's shadow likely means their roles won't be as prominent, it really isn't too soon to start thinking about who Spidey could work alongside next.
Spider-Man: Far From Home was, after all, a game-changer for the character, and with the hero branded a menace and his secret identity exposed to the world, it's clear that his next adventure on the big screen will be unlike anything we've seen before. So, who would be a good fit for that particular movie?
In this feature, we're taking a look at ten possibilities and exploring how and why they would be a good fit. To check out the article in its entirety, all you guys have to do is hit the "View List" button!
Valkyrie
Spider-Man's secret identity has been revealed to the world and he needs somewhere to hide out, so why not New Asgard? The presumably sovereign nation was set to make an appearance in
Spider-Man: Far From Home, so we know it's been on director Jon Watts' mind at some point in the past.
Valkyrie wouldn't necessarily have to get involved with whatever threat Peter Parker faces upon realising he needs to return home and face his responsibilities, but putting Tessa Thompson in the movie's marketing materials would be no bad thing. Bear in mind that Sony Pictures has a pre-existing relationship with the actress after
Men in Black International, too.
It would also be great fun to see how New Asgard is doing under Valkyrie's leadership!
Daredevil
Mysterio framed Spider-Man for his murder, and that means Peter Parker is a wanted man (for questioning, if nothing else). The Marvel Cinematic Universe has never really done secret identities, so this puts the hero in a very unique position and he's going to need some sort of legal help.
Enter, Matt Murdock.
Assuming Marvel Studios will legally be able to use the Man Without Fear by then, it makes perfect sense for Daredevil to finally make the leap to the big screen, especially after season three of his TV show managed to redeem the character. Even if he's only ever used in a supporting role on the big screen, this seems like the perfect place to reintroduce Charlie Cox's version of the hero.
Ant-Man And The Wasp
As of right now, we don't know if Marvel Studios has plans for an Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel, but another movie featuring the characters is bound to happen at some point. For now, though, what if they decide to give Spider-Man a helping hand? There's plenty of humour to be mined from putting Tom Holland and Paul Rudd on screen together, that's for sure.
Make Hope Van Dyne a mentor to Peter and this possible cameo is ripe for strong storytelling potential. Plus, if Sonny Burch's mysterious "benefactor" really was Norman Osborn, there's a very good reason to combine these franchises and set the stage for Dark Reign. Heck, how cool would it be to see a tiny Spider-Man swinging from ant to ant?
The Hulk
The Hulk is probably never going to get another solo movie, but that obviously doesn't stop him from popping up elsewhere (hence why we saw him in
Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017). Well, what about a team-up with the wall-crawler? These two have crossed paths many times in the comics, and Bruce Banner could be just the scientific mentor Peter needs after losing Tony Stark.
After all, it's hard to imagine he still has access to E.D.I.T.H. after being branded a criminal, and so the intelligent version of the Jade Giant helping the wall-crawler out with his predicament could be a lot of fun. Plus, it would give us chance to see how The Hulk is doing after he was so badly injured at the end of
Avengers: Endgame.
Doctor Strange
Spider-Man and Doctor Strange have a very unlikely friendship in the comic books, and it was during J. Michael Straczynski's run that they grew particularly close. We've obviously seen the heroes interact on screen in
Avengers: Infinity War, but an actual team-up would be even more satisfying.
Plus, we're sure you haven't forgotten how Strange helped to once again make Peter's secret identity secret in the source material! While it might be a tad too soon for that, it certainly wouldn't hurt for the wall-crawler to at least ask if there's a magical solution to his problem, and that would hopefully lead to the heroes being forced to work together to take on some sort of new threat.
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel briefly met Spider-Man in Avengers: Endgame, and while it definitely appears as if she's once again busy in outer space, she must now know a fair bit about the web-slinger - especially as Talos spent quite a bit of time with him. While the age difference rules out any possible comic book-style flirting, these two working together could still be awesome to see.
Carol Danvers is ridiculously powerful so it's no good having her fly in to take on someone like the Scorpion, but depending on what Marvel Studios does with her over the next few years, she could at least give Peter a pep talk and help him deal with what he's going through. From a marketing point of view, this is another cameo that would definitely be a smart move on Sony's part.
Ironheart
It's obviously important for the Spider-Man franchise to move away from Iron Man, but the wall-crawler's world does seem like the most logical place for Ironheart to be introduced. She could be a fellow high school student and someone Peter can finally trust to both take charge of E.D.I.T.H. and actually fill Tony Stark's shoes now that Spidey has been branded a menace.
This passing of the torch fully allows Peter to move out of Iron Man's shadow, introduces a new hero to the MCU, and gives Riri Williams an origin story that works on screen. There's a clear demand for Ironheart in a live-action setting, and this seems like the best place to make that happen.
Captain America
It's been widely reported that Captain America was set to make an appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but plans changed and it now seems like we'll have to wait until
Falcon & The Winter Soldier on Disney+ before getting to see Sam Wilson wield the shield and don the red, white, and blue.
Assuming that's happened by the time this sequel rolls around, who better than Captain America to track down Spider-Man and possibly even attempt to arrest him? This would be a classic hero vs. hero fight that culminates in a team-up when Sam realises that the world is actually wrong about Peter!
Deadpool
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has debunked claims that Deadpool is going to be introduced in the next
Spider-Man sequel, but would it really be such a bad thing for that to happen here?
This could serve as an easy way to re-introduce the Merc with the Mouth to moviegoers, while also giving Spidey someone to riff off. As team-ups go, it would be better off being brief, but posters teasing a meeting between Tom Holland's Peter Parker and Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson would definitely result in dollar signs appearing in the eyes of Sony Pictures studio execs.
Venom
Okay, so Venom isn't an MCU character but it certainly sounds like Sony would like him to be! This would require the character to be rebooted to some extent, but if the Lethal Protector were to arrive in New York City looking for the web-slinger, then a fun team-up could follow that finally sees Peter Parker don that powerful alien costume.
Marvel Studios could find a way to tie Venom into Oscorp (perhaps by making The Life Foundation a subsidiary of some sort) and there's no denying that Eddie Brock would be an awesome addition to the Sinister Six/Dark Avengers. This is probably unlikely in the grand scheme of things, but stranger things have happened.
Continue reading below to see where we think Spidey goes next in the MCU!
Spider-Man On The Run
The movie kicking off with Peter Parker on the run from the authorities definitely makes sense. and with the world still reeling from the Sokovia Accords and Thanos' attack, something tells me the likes of General Ross won't want to hear the web-slinger's explanation that Mysterio was a fraud.
After all, the evidence is stacked against him and even if he has managed to clear his name, the police probably won't trust the hero and he'll find himself being pursued by them constantly.
Throw in the fact that the media will also be in hot pursuit and there's no way Peter is going to be able to just return to high school and continue as normal. so having him go on the run and essentially be a criminal is an exciting and very different route to take Spider-Man down in future adventures.
J. Jonah Jameson's Vendetta
It would be a terrible shame for J.K. Simmons' return as J. Jonah Jameson to be a one off, so this new take on the character definitely needs to factor into the third movie in a big way.
Kevin Feige has said that this version of Jonah exists on the "fringe" of news media so him wanting to validate his claims about Spider-Man seems like an obvious route to head down, and he could decide to hire someone like the Scorpion to unmask the web-slinger or uses some Spider-Slayers!
Seeing Simmons' face on one of those robots would be awesome, and even if he doesn't directly factor into things, he should still be shown tearing into New York's "menace."
Kraven's Last First Hunt
Right now, Kraven the Hunter is the clear fan-favourite choice to battle Spider-Man in the next movie, and while it's been said that Sony Pictures is working on a solo movie that would somehow adapt "Kraven's Last Hunt," it seems highly unlikely that will happen due to the wall-crawler sticking around in the MCU for the foreseeable future.
Kraven the Hunter arriving in New York to track down the man who murdered Mysterio adds up, and elements of the classic story mentioned above could easily be adapted.
After all, the deluded Kraven could still try to replace Spider-Man and burying Peter alive would make for a great visual. I wouldn't want to see Kraven end his life by the time all is said and done as he would make a great addition to a certain sinister team, but the potential for an epic movie is still there.
Mysterio Lives!
Mysterio's plan may have failed, but he still had the last laugh because he outed Spider-Man's secret identity and made the world think that Peter Parker is a villain. It seems crazy that these two wouldn't cross paths again, and while it definitely appears as if Quentin Beck is dead, I'm not convinced.
We know that Kraven uses hallucinogenics on his foes, but how cool would it be for a mid-credits scene to reveal that Beck was pulling the strings and creating those so-called hallucinations?
Making Mysterio one of Spider-Man's main enemies and the possible leader of the Sinister Six instead of Doctor Octopus or the Green Goblin may seem controversial, but the groundwork for that has definitely been laid, and this would make for one heck of a jaw-dropping reveal.
Oscorp Wants Its "Experiment" Back
We still don't know who the new owner of Avengers Tower is but Marvel Studios is well aware that fans are hoping its Oscorp, and they do seem like the most likely possibility as of right now.
Yes, Norman Osborn has been seen on screen before, but there's a ton of potential for him in the MCU, especially if we get to see his Dark Reign and the formation of the Dark Avengers. Revealing that the spider that bit Peter came from Oscorp would finally address that big mystery, and Norman targeting Peter because he wants to run tests on his "experiment" seems like a Green Goblin thing to do!
Kevin Feige says that Marvel Studios doesn't really want to go down the route of villains who gained their powers in science experiments gone wrong, but we've seen enough bad guys with ties to Tony Stark and now that Norman knows who Spider-Man is, that would make it even easier for him to track the wall-crawler down (in his Goblin form if he's been experimenting on himself).
Spider-Man Meets Venom
There have been rumblings for a while now that Venom could be about to make the leap into the MCU, and while that's going to be hard to pull off, there's no better team than Kevin Feige and Jon Watts to find a way. There's definitely a desire among fans for this crossover to happen, and Spidey finally getting his hands on that alien suit would be something else.
With rumours swirling that this is going to happen, it's hard not to wonder whether there's not some smoke to this particular fire, but it all depends how
Venom 2 plays out next year.
Regardless, it's hard to say how someone like Venom could factor into a story about Spider-Man's identity being outed to the world, but if The Life Foundation is a subsidiary of Oscorp, this could all tie together in a satisfying way that makes fans happy.
Scorpion Strikes
Spider-Man: Homecoming devoted its mid-credits scene to teasing the Scorpion's arrival in the MCU and, well, he was nowhere to be seen in
Spider-Man: Far From Home!
That was a shame, but there could be a very good reason for that. In the comic books, J. Jonah Jameson is responsible for the villain's creation and if he wants to be credited as the one who stops the "menace" Spider-Man, then TheDailyBugle.net owner helping turn Mac Gargan into Scorpion obviously makes sense.
Michael Mando is a terrific actor, but
Spider-Man: Homecoming really didn't give him chance to shine. By having him suit up and run wild in this movie, he could have a lot of fun, and once again add another possible villain to the Sinister Six's roster!
Meet The Hobgoblin
If Oscorp is going to be introduced, then why not hold off on going down the Green Goblin route and bring us the Hobgoblin instead? Whether he's linked to Oscorp or not (he really should be), Spidey battling this villain would be something new and a lot of fun to see on screen.
Roderick Kingsley could try to frame Ned Leeds, or Marvel Studios could head down the Ultimate route by making Hobgoblin a monstrous Harry Osborn who has completely lost control.
There are a lot of different comic books that Jon Watts can turn to for inspiration and having Hobgoblin come before the Green Goblin really wouldn't be the end of the world (it's definitely better than what
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did by having Harry become a Goblin before his father!).
Spider-Man Vs. The Avengers
This could be a tough one, as it seems The Avengers have disassembled for the time being. However, if Marvel Studios reforms the team in the meantime, then they could definitely come after Spidey.
After all, he's currently in control of E.D.I.T.H. and if they buy into Mysterio's claims that he's lost control and wants to be the next Tony Stark, they'll want to talk to him and possibly take him down.
If Earth's Mightiest Heroes making a cameo is too ambitious, perhaps the lawyer Aunt May hires for Peter could be Matt Murdock, a character better known to comic book and Netflix fans as Daredevil.
The Sinister Six Assembles
Heading into
Spider-Man: Far From Home, rumours were swirling that the mid-credits scene would feature the big screen debut of the Sinister Six. Fans are desperate to see the wall-crawler face a team of his greatest foes, but it looks like Marvel Studios is choosing to take a slow burn approach.
Well, assuming that we get at least another two villains in this sequel, there's really no reason why we can't finally get a hint about the Six coming together to take Spider-Man down once and for all.
The Vulture surely wants revenge, while the aforementioned theory about Mysterio making his return also adds up. Whatever happens, we need to see Spidey taking on this team and while a third movie is a little too soon for this, it's about time the stage was set for it to finally happen.