Courtesy of Marvel Studios
It’s been over a year since Spider-Man: No Way Home came out and broke so many records. The film got great reviews, and general audiences loved it. Everyone got to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return, along with most of their villains. The film also took Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in a new direction, as the film ended with Aunt May gone and everyone forgetting who Peter Parker was. Kevin Feige recently said Spider-Man's next adventure is currently being written. What direction do you take the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Spider-Man now? What villains should he face, and what heroes should team up with him? Here are some ideas that could be used in the next set of MCU Spider-Man films.
Show the Effects of the Spell
Doctor Strange made everyone forget who Peter Parker was, including his friends Ned and MJ. We saw at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home that Peter decided not to make his friends remember him. The next film should show how Peter’s life is because of these decisions. It should not start with Peter reuniting with his friends. It might be better to not even have them in the fourth film. If Ned and MJ do appear, establish a time gap. Marvel should have the next Spider-Man film take place three years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and the toll Peter’s decisions have taken on him. Rebuild those relationships instead of undoing the spell right away. Another idea Marvel should consider is to have Peter work for the Daily Bugle since he needs a job to afford his apartment. It would show how Peter is struggling and that he would even work for the site that once ruined his life to make a living.
A New Supporting Cast
With Peter deciding to let his friends go off to MIT without remembering him, another idea would be to give him a new supporting cast. Spider-Man has a lot of supporting characters around him. We’ve seen characters like Harry Osbourne and Gwen Stacy in the previous Spider-Man franchises. Perhaps now is the time to bring in the MCU versions of these characters. Spider-Man has other supporting characters that haven’t appeared in a film, such as Randy Robertson and Gloria Grant.
The next trilogy should introduce Miles Morales and his family. Miles should not get powers right away, but start setting him up to be the next Spider-Man or a partner to Peter Parker. It would be interesting to see Peter Parker as a mentor in the MCU after having many mentors in his previous films. Another character that should appear, at least in the fourth film, is Felicia Hardy, also known as the Black Cat. Felicia appeared in a minor role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but not as Black Cat. Black Cat is overdue to appear in a Spider-Man film. With MJ forgetting Peter and Peter embracing Spider-Man, Black Cat could be a potential love interest in the next film. Unlike Spider-Man's other love interests, Black Cat loves Spider-Man, but not Peter Parker.
Symbiote Arc Done Right
The mid-credit scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home showed Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in a bar, getting ready to find Spider-Man until Strange’s spell sent him back to his universe. A part of the Venom Symbiote remained in the MCU universe, possibly setting up Holland’s Spider-Man to get the black suit. After everything this version of the character has been through, Spider-Man getting the Symbiote could work. It’s true that we’ve already seen this in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, but it got a mixed response from critics and general audiences. They can also do Venom right this time and give a better Spider-Man versus Venom fight this time. The question for the MCU is do they create an MCU version of Eddie Brock that’s different from both Tom Hardy and Topher Grace’s takes on the character, or do they use someone else to be Venom, like in the comics? The MCU already introduced Marc Gargan, who gets the Symbiote later in the comics.
Villains That Haven’t Hit the Big Screen Yet
Spider-Man has a large gallery of villains, and many of them have yet to hit the big screen or at least live-action Spider-Man films. Villains such as Scorpion, Hobgoblin, and Kraven still haven’t appeared. Since Kraven is getting his movie later this year, it’s unlikely he’ll be in a Tom Holland Spider-Man film any time soon. Scorpion makes the most sense since Marc Gargan, who was already mentioned as a possible candidate for Venom, appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming and was last seen wanting revenge on Spider-Man. Scorpion’s creation in the comics and some other forms of Spider-Man media is tied to J. Jonah Jameson, who has a hatred for Spider-Man in the MCU. The setup for Scorpion has been in place since Spider-Man: Homecoming, so now is the time to bring Scorpion to the MCU.
Hobgoblin is another villain that should appear in a future film. Audiences already saw Tom Holland’s Spider-Man face Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin in the last film, so maybe it's time to show a different goblin. Hobgoblin is different from Green Goblin and had one of the biggest mystery arcs in Spider-Man comics, which was his identity. Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, is another villain that would be perfect for an upcoming MCU Spider-Man film. Vincent D’Onofrio returned as Fisk in Hawkeye and will appear in other MCU projects. While he is known for facing Daredevil most of the time, he is also a main Spider-Man villain. With Spider-Man looking to return to his more grounded roots, Kingpin, along with other crime lords such as Hammerhead and Silvermane, would be good candidates for villains.
Possible MCU Team-Ups
Spider-Man films will likely continue the trend of having other MCU characters appear. Two heroes that should appear if they continue this trend are Daredevil and Sam Wilson’s Captain America. Peter already met Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but he does not know that Murdock is Daredevil. Daredevil has teamed up with Spider-Man many times in the comics, is a vigilante in New York City, and both have Kingpin as a major antagonist in their comics and other forms of media. Assuming they have Kingpin in a future Spider-Man film and other crime bosses, Daredevil would make a lot of sense.
Sam Wilson as Captain America is the other MCU hero that would be interesting to see in an upcoming Spider-Man film. Both have a history from Captain America: Civil War when they faced each other. This was even without Wilson knowing who Spider-Man was. Assuming the rumors of Sam Wilson putting together a new Avengers team in Captain America: New World Order are true, it would be interesting to see him try to recruit Spider-Man, but Spider-Man rejects his offers. It would be the opposite of Spider-Man: Homecoming, where Peter wanted to be an Avenger despite Tony Stark for most of the film believing he wasn’t ready until the end of the film.
Overall, Spider-Man's future in the MCU can go in many different directions. The character has so many story arcs, supporting characters, and villains. Kevin Feige seems to have the next Spider-Man film a top priority for Marvel. It’s likely the next film will come out before Avengers: Kang Dynasty, but no release date has been given yet. Regardless of when the film comes out, Spider-Man fans can’t wait.
What would you like to see in a future MCU Spider-Man film? Let us know in the comments below.