Spider-Man 4: every rumor so far (including villains, cameos, and production dates)

It's been a few crazy months to be a Spider-Man fan. Multiple rumors have made their way online about the wall crawler's next big screen adventure, and they all seem to have a ground-breaking piece of information. It can be a bit too overwhelming to keep up with everything that's been going on, so we made a list to break down everything that's been said and hinted about Spider-Man 4.

There was a shift from a street-level movie with Daredevil to a multiversal adventure

It feels like ages since it was reported that Spider-Man 4 was going to be a street-level movie, but that used to be the most likely scenario at some point. Insider Alex Perez, from The Cosmic Circus, has revealed the wall-crawler's upcoming adventure was supposed to feature The Kingpin, Daredevil, and a few other "low-level" Spider-Man villains such as Scorpion, Hammer Head, and Mister Negative. All while telling a grounded story - which was perfect after the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, there was a great shift in plans.

While Marvel still intends for Matt Murdock and Peter Parker to team up, that will likely happen in a completely different project. Perhaps Daredevil: Born Again could make that idea a reality since it's hinted to adapt the Devil's Reign comic book arc in which the Kingpin hunts all of New York's vigilantes. As for Spider-Man 4, audiences are likely to get a rather symbiote storyline instead (but more on that later).

Destin Daniel Cretton will come into frame as the new director

After helming an entire trilogy of Spider-Man movies, it came as quite a shock that director Jon Watts confirmed he won't return for the fourth installment in the franchise. Ever since that moment, many names have surfaced as possible replacements, including the likes of Marvel veteran Sam Raimi, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein. However, it wasn't until early September that a semi-concrete pick was finally revealed.

Destin Daniel Cretton is in early talks to direct Spider-Man 4. If that name rings a bell, it's because he was in charge of bringing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to life. His amazing stunt work and stunning visuals make it an ideal candidate for any superhero movie, let alone one featuring the wall-crawler. So while nothing is 100% confirmed yet, the future is looking bright for our friendly neighborhood hero.

Knull and Tom Hardy's Venom could be the antagonists, along with many symbiotes

Venom: The Last Dance may be the end of the Lethal Protector's saga on the big screen, but that shouldn't stop it from setting up many storylines for future projects. After all, the movie is confirmed to feature the big-screen debut of Knull, a major Marvel supervillain who is too powerful to be a one-and-done. Fortunately, it's been heavily rumored the King in Black will be back for Spider-Man 4 as the main antagonist.

Additionally, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock could also return in the wall-crawler's next "stand-alone" adventure. Alex Perez, from The Cosmic Circus, reported Venom and Spidey could face off at the beginning of the movie, only for them to eventually team up to defeat a greater evil. Fans have been asking for the two beloved characters to cross paths for quite some time now. Whether we like it or not, they are so closely related in comic book pages that it feels weird to see them in separate, unrelated franchises on the big screen. Fortunately, that could change soon enough in a big way.

As if Knull wasn't a menace big enough, he's reported to be accompanied by many more symbiotes (much like in comic book pages). At this point, it's become a common practice for big superhero movies to feature a third act where the good guys face an army of CGI goons in an explosive set piece. Well, it appears Spider-Man 4 might be joining that list soon.

Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Robert Downey Jr. will reportedly return

Spider-Man: No Way Home did the impossible and reunited three variants of Peter Parker in the same live-action project. Fans jumped out of their seats in excitement at the sight of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Tom Holland's latest movie. Now, it seems our favorite trio of heroes (aside from Iron Man, Cap, and Thor) will be back once again on the big screen.

Alex Perez, from The Cosmic Circus, recently revealed there's "a very strong possibility" Andrew and Tobey could be back in Spider-Man 4 with an "extended role". Just think about all the possibilities if Destin Daniel Cretton does indeed sing to direct. Maybe we could have a proper (and beautifully choreographed) swinging scene between the three Spider-Men across New York's skyline. Furthermore, the action set pieces between all three heroes and Venom against hundreds of symbiotes would be nothing short of amazing.

But as exciting as it is knowing all these characters could share the screen at the same time, there's also another big comeback reportedly happening in Spider-Man 4. Robert Downey Jr. will be back in the MCU, except this time as the evil Doctor Doom instead of the heroic Iron Man. Insider MyTimeToShineHello has revealed the supervillain will have a role in Spidey's upcoming movie. While it will likely be a simple cameo, we can't wait to see how Tom Holland's Peter reacts to seeing Victor Von Doom share the same face as his former mentor.

Tom Holland will finally wear the black suit

With all the symbiote disclosure, audiences are eager to learn if Tom Holland's Spider-Man will finally get to wear the black suit on the big screen. Fortunately, not only it's reported that will be the case, but he'll keep it for "the next few years" and a "couple" of films as well. Peter is arguably at the lowest point in his life now that the whole world has forgotten about his identity and Aunt May died. So it would be interesting to see what kind of effects the symbiote could have on him going forward. It could make for a pretty interesting character arc if done correctly, and it's the perfect time for the MCU to do the costume justice with a great-looking design.

The memory-erasing spell will reportedly be undone

Spider-Man: No Way Home had what can only be described as a perfect ending. After the whole world forgets his existence, Peter Parker is no more. However, the friendly neighborhood hero lives on. Fans were eager to learn how would Marvel and Sony reinvent the character now that they had somewhat of a "blank canvas". But lo and behold, that beloved storyline will reportedly be undone.

It's unclear how people will remember who Peter Parker is. Furthermore, this opens a whole new can of worms. Are they also going to recall that he's Spider-Man? If so, then any new supervillain would know to target those closest to him like his friend. If not, are Ned Leeds and M.J. not going to be able to remember any of the events where Peter suited up and saved the day? Either way, it seems the movie has a lot of explaining to do.

Production could start in May 2025

Last, but not least, it's been reported by reliable insider Daniel Richtman that Spider-Man 4 will start production on May 25th in the UK (which is a very interesting location for a Spidey project) and it will wrap around October. Furthermore, it's been also revealed that Tom Holland will record his scenes for Avengers: Doomsday even before that. As for the release date, multiple rumors seem to indicate the wall-crawler movie could premiere either in February or July 2026. It's still a long way off, but let's hope we learn more official information about it the closer we get.

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