Spider-Man 4 is on the wishlist for many Marvel fans, but it still hasn’t been officially confirmed despite the mega success of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Before No Way Home‘s release, long-time Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal did say a new trilogy was in the works. However, she backtracked on that at the premiere in December 2021 to say it was essentially just a wish.

Shortly afterwards, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed that a new movie is in development, but development doesn’t equal confirmation. Sony certainly seem keen to make it happen though.

“We hope to get working on the next Spider-Man movie,” said Sony boss Tom Rothman in May 2022, adding that they want it to be with “that whole group” meaning Tom Holland, Zendaya and co.

The possibilities for that new movie are endless as No Way Home wipes the slate clean for whatever Spidey does next. While that’s exciting for the future, it does also mean that this could well be the end.

“There definitely was a sense for me, as an actor, that this was the last time that I could potentially don the suit, so a lot of that emotion came from the act of saying goodbye, which is one of the biggest themes throughout this film,” Holland explained.

Let’s hope that’s not the case though and that we’ll see Tom Holland as Spider-Man again in the MCU. With that in mind, here’s what we know so far about Spider-Man 4.

Spider-Man 4 potential release date: When will Spider-Man 4 be out in cinemas?

As mentioned above, Spider-Man 4 hasn’t been officially confirmed, so we don’t have a release date as of yet.

To date, there have been two years between each Spider-Man movie in the MCU, which would suggest a 2023 release for Spider-Man 4. Given that the movie still hasn’t been officially confirmed though, a release next year seems highly unlikely.

Sony reportedly want Jon Watts back as director, but he’s currently taking a superhero break after exiting Fantastic Four.

At this stage, it’s hard to gauge when we could expect to see the next Spidey outing. If it’s going to bring back Holland, you’d expect it to be not too long of a wait. However, if there’s going to be a new Spider-Man, the wait might be longer.

Spider-Man 4 cast: Will Tom Holland return as Spider-Man?

Tom Holland has been a bit cagey on his future as Peter Parker, wanting to keep the focus on the third movie instead.

Initially, he was quoted as saying: “Maybe it is time for me to move on. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life,” and added: “If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.”

However, he then clarified those quotes, saying: “I don’t know what the future of Spider-Man looks like.

“I don’t know whether I’m going to be a part of it. Spider-Man will always live on in me and I know that [producer] Amy [Pascal] and the studio are keen to figure out what the next chapter of Spider-Man looks like.

“If that happens to be with me, then that’s very exciting but, you know, if it’s time for me to walk away then I’ll do so proudly.”

There’s always the possibility that Holland could move into more of a mentor role for a new Spider-Man (Miles Morales, perhaps), but there are no teasers for that in No Way Home so we can only speculate for now.

We’d imagine that Zendaya and Jacob Batalon would return as MJ and Ned, respectively. However, there’s some major revelations in the new movie that could impact on that though.

In order to stop the multiverse breaking open, Peter gets Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to carry out the spell that will make the entire world forget he is Spider-Man – which includes MJ and Ned.

In a tearful goodbye to them, he promises them that he’ll search them out and make them remember him. A few weeks later, Peter goes to tell MJ the truth when Ned arrives at the diner she works at.

He’s about to tell the truth to both of them, but when he spots a plaster on MJ’s head from the movie’s final battle, Peter remembers that his friends would be in danger if they knew. He decides not to tell them and leaves the diner.

That could mean MJ and Ned won’t be in a potential fourth movie, although we’re just speculating for now. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) doesn’t know Peter now either, but he does know Spider-Man so he could be back again.

One person who definitely won’t be in it is Marisa Tomei, as Aunt May is tragically killed by the Green Goblin. The multiverse does offer the possibility of an alternate Aunt May (like the alternate Spider-Men), but we feel this won’t be done.

It’s also unlikely that Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire would return, again, to their roles, given that their brief but meaningful appearance in No Way Home is rectified as the plot reseals the multiverse up.

However, they do now have official MCU names as “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” (Maguire) and “The Amazing Spider-Man” (Garfield), so who’s to say they couldn’t swing by the MCU again?

Garfield would certainly be up for another team-up movie as long as the story called for it: “It would have to be something very unique, very special and serving to an audience and in service of the character.”

Could we see Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in the fourth movie? He does appear in the credits scene, but is taken back to his own universe. (More on him later.)

Spider-Man 4 plot: Does No Way Home set up Spider-Man 4?

Short answer: not really. The climax effectively wraps up the trilogy and sets a blank slate for the future.

As mentioned above, the movie ends with nobody knowing that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, including MJ and Ned. Peter is still doing his Spidey business in the world though, so it’s not like he’s retired.

What it means is that a potential fourth movie can do whatever it likes, whether that’s having Peter train up a new Spider-Man, a standalone adventure where he faces a new villain or something else entirely.

“At the end of the movie we just made, you see Spider-Man make a momentous decision, one that you’ve never seen him make before. It’s a sacrifice. And that gives us a lot to work with for the next film,” Pascal teased to The New York Times.

One potential option is to deliver a long-awaited battle between Spider-Man and Venom on the big screen. As we saw in the Venom 2 credits scene, Eddie Brock and Venom are transported to the MCU.

It’s because of the botched spell that Doctor Strange casts, but he rectifies it at the end which means Eddie and Venom are taken back to their universe. A piece of the Venom symbiote is left behind though, so it could take over somebody in the MCU.

We’d be surprised if the MCU set up its own Venom though as Tom Hardy is so popular with fans. So we imagine if the face-off is going to happen, they’ll manufacture a way for either Spidey to cross into Venom’s universe or vice-versa.

No Way Home also makes a fun nod to Ned’s villainous turn as Hobgoblin in the comics. We think it’s unlikely we’ll see it play out on screen, but stranger things have happened in the MCU.

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