Sony revealed who could be the villain of Spider-Man 4 (and it's a big one)

Fans have patiently waited to get any official information about the wall-crawler's next adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, Spider-Man 4 has been at the center of debate as some reports claimed the movie would see Peter Parker and Daredevil team up against the Kingpin of Crime in an adaptation of the Devil's Regin comic book arc. Other rumors, on the other hand, have stated that such a storyline would be saved for Spider-Man 5 instead and that the next chapter in the franchise would be a multiversal adventure featuring Tom Hardy's Venom. Many questions were up in the air, and it seemed like we were a long way off from finally uncovering the truth. However, that day might've come earlier than anticipated thanks to an unlikely source: Sony themselves.

Sony hints Venom will appear in Spider-Man 4

Sony issued a press release sharing their excitement about the highly-anticipated Spider-Man 4. In it, many previously revealed details were reiterated, such as the movie's release date on Jul. 24, 2026, and the fact that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm the project. However, among all the known information, there's a very interesting statement that might reveal a big character will be taking part in the film. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it appears Venom could finally cross paths with Spider-Man:

“Tom Holland, who plays Peter, has already given his stamp of approval to the story! "This will be a real movie that fans can respect!" Is Tom Hardy, who plays Eddie in the "Venom" series, ready to take part?”

As if that wasn't enough, the press release ends with a quote from Tom Hardy who said "Venom's story is not over yet. He still has a lot to do". This checks out with multiple rumors we've recently heard about Spider-Man 4. First, it was reported the Venom symbiote didn't really die after the events of Venom: The Last Dance. Furthermore, it was rumored that Venom would show up as an antagonist at the beginning of Spider-Man 4, but he'd team up with the wall-crawler to face a bigger threat: Knull. Finally, we've heard about Peter Parker being nearly brutally killed in the movie, with the symbiote being the one to save him (perhaps creating a Codex in the process, which would explain the involvement of the King in Black).

It should be pretty clear by now. Spider-Man 4 will finally feature the face-off we've always wanted between Tom Holland's Peter and Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock. I think it's a good move to have one last multiversal adventure where unlikely heroes meet before Marvel takes the Spider-Man character back to its roots and sees him face the Kingpin of crime. However, there's one big question that needs to be answered beforehand, and that is: How will Venom and the wall-crawler meet if they live in two different universes?

Our take: Battleworld is the key to it all

The Avengers movies are known to shake up the MCU in big ways. The first one introduced a major threat in the form of Thanos, while also setting future storylines by giving Tony Stark PTSD attacks and having Loki be imprisoned on Asgard. Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced fan favorites such as Wanda Maximoff and Vision while making us witness the first "big death" of a character in Quicksilver. As for Infinity War and Endgame, they took many heroes permanently out of the picture, while also decimating half of the life in the universe for a long period. That's why Avengers: Doomsday will likely follow the same formula and feature the collapse of the multiverse.

For quite some time now, there have been reports that every project between Doomsday and Secret Wars will take place in Battleworld; an amalgamation of all the different Marvel realities (including Sony's Spider-Man Universe). If that ends up being the case, then Peter, Eddie Brock, and Knull would all live in the same world — making their interactions all the more likely. A symbiote storyline would fit very well for Peter who's at the lowest point in his life after losing May and being forgotten by everyone in the MCU. However, everyone outside his home reality should still remember who he is, and that includes Venom. It's tragic to think one of the only beings across the multiverse who knows Peter is also one of his greatest enemies, but that concept also makes for a very compelling script.

Spider-Man 4 will begin shooting in the summer of 2025, which means it's just a matter of time before casting news and set photos to paint a clearer picture of what awaits us in store. That being said, it seems pretty clear that the movie will indeed include Venom. With that in mind, I just have one petition: Please give him his white chest logo once and for all. Let him become who he was always meant to be. Is it too much to ask?

Spider-Man 4 will be released on on Jul. 24, 2026.