How will Spider-Man 4 reinvent The MCU’s webslinger?

By Anthony Orlando Published March 13, 2025

Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of 2026’s most highly anticipated blockbusters. Spider-Man: No Way Home set a high bar for the titular hero back in 2021, making fans wonder how Marvel Studios will follow this movie and whether or not it will succeed in theaters.

Though the wait has been long and confusing, Marvel Studios has finally found director Jon Watts’s replacement in Destin Daniel Cretton, and filming for Spider-Man 4 is set to commence in the summer of 2025. With so much hype built around this fourth solo film, one can only imagine how the story could change the MCU’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Since Spider-Man 4 is scheduled to premiere a couple of months after Avengers: Doomsday, it is possible that the latter’s story will lead into the web-slinger’s next adventure. If so, Spider-Man 4 may show Peter Parker taking a leading role in the war against Doctor Doom. No Way Home showed him beginning to work as a team leader, fighting alongside his two variants from across the Multiverse to save his world from destruction. His fourth film could show him following in Iron Man’s footsteps and leading the new Avengers against Doom or whatever threat they have to face.

Destin Daniel Cretton made quite an impression with his superhero martial arts film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. At one point, he was even supposed to direct the fifth Avengers movie, showing how much faith Marvel Studios has in his skills and judgment as a filmmaker. Though Jon Watts did extraordinarily well with his Spider-Man films, Cretton could present a new look to the franchise with Spider-Man 4 that could further set it apart from the rest of the MCU.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy continues to stand out today thanks to the director’s unique and dynamic visual style. Cretton could bring his own distinctive style to create a unique cinematic experience for audiences. The eye-catching visuals and blinding choreography presented in Shang-Chi hint at the kind of film Cretton will create for Spidey’s next solo outing.

Spider-Man: No Way Home showed Peter entering darker regions than before, as he lost his Aunt May and nearly killed the Green Goblin in a vengeful rage. Since Peter now lives alone in a world that no longer remembers his civilian identity, he could have to face even more inner demons as an isolated vigilante. This approach could help distinguish the hero’s next adventure from the more lighthearted films in the MCU. It could also make for a refreshing change of pace as audiences continue to suffer superhero fatigue after Marvel’s latest projects.

Since Peter decided not to tell MJ about their past together at the end of No Way Home, they may remain apart in the hero’s next film. Zendaya is set to reprise her role as MJ in Spider-Man 4, but it is unclear what her role and relationship with Peter will be like in the movie. While Peter and MJ were a terrific couple, and Holland and Zendaya have incredible chemistry together, having them reconnect so soon after No Way Home may cheapen the sacrifice Peter made to protect MJ from his life as Spider-Man.

However, there is still a chance that Petter will find love in his new life, possibly one who is more equipped to live in his world as a superhero. Peter has had many romantic interests in the comics, so there are multiple routes that his love life will take. While Gwen Stacy is a likely candidate, fans have been pining for Peter to finally have a relationship with Felicia Hardy/Black Cat on the big screen, which could allow Marvel to do something different with Spider-Man for his next movie.

Just as Peter may find a new love interest, the hero may also find a new group of friends to support him. Since Ned and all his other classmates have forgotten who Peter is, the latter may start fresh and find new pals as he fights crime or continues his studies. Peter was studying to receive his GED at the end of No Way Home, so this may lead to him attending Empire State University and making new friends like in the comics.

For a while, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe seemed to be building up to Tom Hardy’s Venom joining Tom Holland’s Spider-Man on the big screen, along with the other members of the former’s rogues’ gallery. However, a slew of critical and commercial failures seem to have crushed Sony’s plans, especially now that the Venom trilogy has concluded. There was a lot that Sony could’ve done by having Spider-Man encounter characters like Venom, Morbius, Knull, and Kraven the Hunter.

However, parallel universes still leave that opportunity on the table. Since Spider-Man 4 seems like it will be another Multiverse film, Marvel could finally pay off all that buildup and have Peter encounter Venom and multiple other characters from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.