Spider-Man 4, which recently enlisted Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton to helm, is scheduled to begin filming next year, and while official plot details have yet to be disclosed, the rumors have really begun to pick up steam over the past few weeks.
This latest post from MTTSH claims that the movie will introduce two new villains, and Tom Holland's Friendly Neighbourhood Wall-Crawler will also have to contend with an old foe.
Possible spoilers ahead.
According to the reliable scooper, Michael Keaton will return as the Vulture. Fans wondered if they'd ever see Adrian Toomes again after his much-maligned cameo in Morbius' post-credits scene, but Keaton has expressed interest in revisiting the character.
Is there a chance Vulture could turn out to be an ally to Spider-Man following the events of Homecoming's stinger?
MTTSH also says that casting is underway for a new group of classmates for Peter, and once again mentions that a second female lead is being sought (there's a lot of speculation that this could be Black Cat).
Who could these new villains be? Another recent rumor claimed that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will appear, so he might count as one. We have also heard that the movie will introduce a bad guy who hasn't featured in any previous live-action Spider-Man movie.
Previous rumors have claimed that Sony's Tom Rothman and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige have had some disagreements when it comes to the story of Spider-Man 4, with the latter hoping to scale the Multiverse stuff back for a smaller adventure. Rothman, meanwhile, is said to want to capitalize on No Way Home's success by bringing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield back as their respective takes on Peter Parker.
More recently, we heard that both studios had settled on a mostly grounded story with some Multiversal elements, though the movie is still being described as an "Avengers-level event." There are also rumors that Spider-Man 4 will see Parker join forces with Venom to battle Knull, who will be introduced in Venom: The Last Dance.
Tom Holland will, of course, be back as the MCU's Spidey alongside Zendaya as MJ - though Deadline's report of Cretton taking the gig noted that their deals have yet to officially close.
Holland is believed to be "growing wary" of playing the iconic hero, so this could be his final solo outing as the wall-crawler - though he will almost certainly play a part in one or both of the upcoming Avengers films.
"We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be," the actor said in a recent interview. "But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in so many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing."
No Way Home scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are writing the script.