Spider-Man 4 had a release date, but problems behind the scenes meant it never hit that May 2011 slot. Sony Pictures instead went back to the drawing board, relaunching the web-slinger in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. However, that was short-lived and not what many fans had hoped for.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both got to return as their respective Peter Parker Variants, and that's led to a resurgence of interest in Spider-Man 4 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3. We're not convinced either movie will happen, but during an interview with Rolling Stone, Sam Raimi revealed what it would take to bring him back for another round with Spidey.
"If there was a great story there, I think it’d be...my love for the characters hasn’t diminished one iota," the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director said. "It would be the same things that would stop me now that stopped me then: 'Does Tobey want to do it? Is there an emotional arc for him? Is there a great conflict for this character? And is there a worthy villain that fits into the theme of the piece?' There’s a lot of questions that would have to be answered."
"If those could be answered, then I’d love to," Raimi added before expressing his love for Stan Lee's comic books and how there was always a romantic element to the hero's adventures.
We can't help but think the filmmaker would be down to exploring Peter and Mary Jane's married life, especially if there's a child involved who has similar powers to her father. Throw in the fact that the world may now have a very much alive and recovered Norman Osborn and Otto Octavius, and it would certainly be fun to pick up with this Spider-Man Variant in his own movie somewhere down the line.
Do you think Spider-Man 4 will ever become a reality? If so, who should the villain be?