Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene promised us a clash between Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and Tom Holland's Peter Parker, only for that to come to nothing when Spider-Man: No Way Home rolled around.
In that movie's stinger, Eddie and Venom - who never left Mexico - were sent back to their reality, but only after leaving a piece of the Symbiote behind.
Venom: The Last Dance's trailer seemed to suggest the moment is being retconned, though we know many of you argued that the scene in question likely takes place back on Eddie's Earth (with that piece of the Symbiote playing a key role elsewhere in the threequel).
As for what all this may mean for Spider-Man 4, scooper Daniel Richtman believes the Venom: The Last Dance trailer was likely a misdirect and, as of now, the plan is for the Venom Symbiote to appear in the movie.
Given what Peter went through the last time we saw him, now does seem like the right time to pair him up with an alien which will see him embrace his darker side. And for Disney, the studio that owns the wall-crawler's merchandise rights, it's a good excuse to put Spidey in yet another new suit.
Richtman later adds that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are now "very close" to hiring a Spider-Man 4 director, hopefully meaning production will begin on this long-awaited movie before the year is over.
Alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya is expected to reprise her role as MJ in Spider-Man 4. Sydney Sweeny is rumoured to be playing Black Cat, and it's been widely reported - but not confirmed - that Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Paul Rudd will appear as Daredevil, The Kingpin, and Ant-Man.
As for who could direct Spider-Man 4, plenty of names are floating around online. Among them are Justin Lin (Fast & Furious), Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and, most recently, Ms. Marvel's Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire helmer Adam Wingard.
In terms of plot details, those are few and far between; the latest rumour to have surfaced suggests the plan is to pit Spidey against The Kingpin's goons, including Shocker and The Scorpion. It seems the idea is that the latter will acquire the Venom symbiote introduced in Spider-Man: No Way Home, only for Peter Parker to eventually don the alien suit heading into the next Avengers movies.
Spider-Man 4 doesn't currently have a confirmed release date.