Spider-Man: No Way Home brought Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's respective versions (well, Variants) of Peter Parker into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There, they teamed up with Tom Holland's wonderous web-slinger for a battle against villains from their worlds.
It was amazing, and fans have since been incredibly vocal on social media about wanting to see more of these Spider-Men. Subsequently, the rumour mill has started churning, suggesting that they will be back sooner rather than later, but no one quite seems to know when and where it will happen.
That got us thinking, and we've now come up with the most likely possibilities. We're not just listing a bunch of future movie titles, though, as we have some ideas for how their returns could play out and the sort of impact that might have on Spider-Man's big screen future across multiple realities.
To take a look at what we came up with, simply click on the "Next" button below to find out more!
6. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The easiest and most logical place to bring Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Men back would be in one of the two upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movies. With both heroes now familiar with the concept of a Multiverse, Miles Morales swinging into their world wouldn't exactly be a shock.
We'd probably use only one of them here, saving a team-up between the animated Miles and three live-action Peters for a future chapter in this Oscar-winning franchise. That would be huge, especially with Tom Holland involved, but further establishing the place of these other Spider-Men in the "Spider-Verse" could leave the door ajar for a whole host of spectacular future stories.
Who should it be? We're gonna go with Garfield as there's somewhere a little more fitting for Maguire's Spidey to show up in the not too distant future...
5. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sounds like a movie that's crammed full of cameos and surprises, and if Marvel Studios misses this chance to reunite Sam Raimi and Maguire, we might never forgive them. Even if it's just a single scene, Strange bumping into this Spidey after their brief meeting at the Statue of Liberty would be so much fun for fans.
We're getting into the realm of fan-fiction here, but this is how we would do it: as Strange hops between realities, he'd land in Peter Parker's home, seeing Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson patching the hero up after the Green Goblin stabbed him. After Strange makes his exit, it's then we would meet their daughter (a Spider-Girl tease of some sort would be welcomed).
Some might describe this as a waste, preferring Maguire's web-slinger to have a larger role. As you'll see later in this feature, we have a much better idea of what that could be saved for.
4. Sony's Spider-Man Universe
We suspected that Spider-Man: No Way Home might end with Holland's Peter Parker somehow able to swing between two worlds, finally giving Sony the chance to use him in their movies.
Instead, it appears Spidey will remain firmly entrenched in the MCU. That's been welcomed by fans, but an argument could be made that "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" still needs a Spider-Man! It wouldn't be hard to make Garfield's Spidey part of the world inhabited by Venom, and the response to his return proves fans would pay to see Eddie Brock cross paths with this Peter Parker.
Perhaps he was sent back to the wrong world by Doctor Strange's spell? That's certainly possible given the complexities of the Multiverse, and could be what brings Garfield's amazing web-slinger back to the MCU one day as he looks for a way home. Alternatively, we're fine with a little retconning.
3. Spider-Man 4
Spider-Man 3 didn't live up to fan expectations after the stellar second instalment, but a fourth chapter was in the works for some time before Sony eventually decided to reboot the franchise. Sam Raimi's enthusiasm was dampened after having Venom forced on him by Avi Arad, so he seemingly left the wall-crawler behind with no regrets. The question is, would he now return?
Raimi, a big fan of Doctor Strange as well as Spider-Man, makes his MCU debut this May. Providing that was a good experience, the time might be right for Sony to convince him to make the Spider-Man 4 he always wanted. It wouldn't necessarily have to be that same story (involving The Vulture, Black Cat, and "Vulturess") and arguably shouldn't be.
Instead, assuming it's of interest to the filmmaker, we could perhaps pick up with this older Peter Parker as he trains his daughter to be Spider-Girl. She could even star in her own franchise from there, giving Sony another profitable IP that's directly tied to Spider-Man instead of just his villains.
2. The Amazing Spider-Man 3
Another possibility for Sony is that they return to The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. Once upon a time, there were big plans for this world with at least two solo outings confirmed along with Sinister Six.
Garfield's recent comments point to him being game for a comeback, and we'd bargain on him having more interest in returning as the leading man of his own movie than Maguire probably does. We'd be happy enough with Marc Webb returning, but make no mistake about it; the ridiculous story ideas for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 should be scrapped for a completely fresh start.
Instead of raising the dead and focusing on Norman Osborn's decapitated head, Sony would be better off picking up where Spider-Man: No Way Home left off. With his spirit restored, Peter's attempts to move past grief and be a Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man again has the makings of a compelling story...especially if Peter sets out to finally find his own "MJ" on his world.
1. Secret Wars
It's only really in recent years that the concept of "Secret Wars" has become tied to the Multiverse. The original story just saw The Beyonder pull a selection of Marvel's greatest heroes and villains to Battleworld where they subsequently went to war. However, for the MCU's version of the story, it really goes without saying that we'd like to see familiar faces from countless franchises.
With that approach, Holland's Peter could be reunited with a couple of old friends for a supporting role that would no doubt lead to a lot of memorable moments in a movie sure to be full of them.
Heck, Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Men could even receive their own leading roles, interacting with everyone from Wolverine to The Hulk and Blade. The mind boggles at just how spectacular a concept this could be, and with rumours swirling this will happen, we're already getting excited.