One MCU Theory About Spider-Man 4 Is Popular With Marvel Fans - But Is It Possible?

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" ends with the world forgetting about Peter Parker (Tom Holland). He's on his own, with no Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), no Avengers or subsequent high-end tech, and no friends. After several Multiversal shenanigans, it seems as though Marvel Studios and Sony want to get Spider-Man back to basics. However, one theory makes a compelling case that Sony will want to dip back into the Multiverse well sooner rather than later.

Redditor u/knightnight2008 brings up some valid points on how Sony could keep things Multiversal by first bringing back Michael Keaton's Vulture. "[B]ut what if he's not the only one to do so? What if the Sony sinister six that was being set up in the Morbius post-credit scenes will instead continue in Spider-Man 4?" There is indeed a rumor that Vulture could return in Holland's fourth Spidey flick. There are also unsubstantiated reports Sony wants Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to reprise their roles in yet another movie. All of this should be taken with a mountain of salt, as nothing's been confirmed. Considering there's already been one "Spider-Man" film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that delved into the Multiverse, it's certainly possible another could occur.

Other Redditors don't mind the idea of Vulture returning (the less said about his "Morbius" post-credits scene, the better), but many hold out hope they keep things grounded with the next "Spider-Man" movie. Of course, as Hollywood has shown repeatedly, when something works well, they'll try to replicate that success into oblivion.

As critically acclaimed as Holland's tenure has been as Peter Parker, his onscreen adventures seem to serve the greater MCU legacy first. Aside from 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming," fans have not really gotten a low-level Spidey story that takes place solely in New York City. Throughout the character's history, readers have resonated with the fact that he's just a guy struggling to pay rent and go to school, and the ending of "No Way Home" seems to be setting up that chapter. However, the MCU will likely go all in on the Multiverse as it barrels toward "Avengers: Secret Wars," so perhaps another Multiversal story would somehow tie Spider-Man into that movie. But is it all too much at the same time?

There's another cinematic "Spider-Man" franchise with the "Spider-Verse" movies, headed by Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Plus, Sony's Marvel movies have dabbled with the Multiverse, like the aforementioned "Morbius" scene and Venom (Tom Hardy) briefly getting pulled out of his reality. "Spider-Man 4" could be an opportunity to set back the clock in a way. It can serve as a way to get the character back to basics without feeling the need to tie into many other superheroes.

The Redditor's theory about "Spider-Man 4" being another cameo-fest is definitely plausible. Sony could bring Hardy's Venom and other characters from their universe into "Spider-Man 4," maybe necessitating the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's variants to assist Holland's Spidey. One rumor states how Marvel Studios and Sony are fighting about this precise thing, with the former wanting a grounded story and the latter hoping for more Multiverse. Through all this, there could be a way for both parties to be happy.

One of the Redditors in the thread, u/hkm1990, actually offers a pretty good idea for what "Spider-Man 4" could be about if the film strays away from the Multiverse: "I'm personally hoping it is Kingpin hiring a team of assassins to kill or capture Spider-Man and Daredevil with some being forced to work for Kingpin and I'm hoping the team consists of Scorpion, Prowler, Vulture and Shocker." Making Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) the big bad while having some superpowered muscle would be a neat way to go, especially bringing Scorpion (Michael Mando) back into the mix after he was introduced in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and hasn't been seen since.

Plus, a storyline like this would offer plenty of enticing cameos to get people into seats. Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Kingpin will be front and center for "Daredevil: Born Again," so that series could even set up plot elements that are picked up on the feature side of things. It's not a Multiverse story, but it would set it apart from other "Spider-Man" films that have come before.

If those rumors about Marvel Studios and Sony clashing are true, everyone could be happy in this scenario. Marvel gets a more grounded story, while Sony gets plenty of cameos from several well-respected villains. Regardless, Spider-Man is arguably the most popular comic book character around, even with superhero fatigue setting in. Fans will probably show up for "Spider-Man 4" no matter what the story is, so all parties involved should simply make sure it's good.