Spider-Man 4 will reportedly be a team-up movie starring many shocking characters

It's no secret there's an absurd gap between Spider-Man: No Way Home and its upcoming follow-up. Almost five years will have gone by before audiences see Tom Holland wear the red and blue suit again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just for reference: that's the same time it took Sony to decide they were done with Sam Raimi's franchise and rebooted the whole thing with Andrew Garfield in the lead. It's been a long wait so far, and we still have a little over a year and a half to go by. Fortunately, we're at a point where reports about the highly-anticipated film are finally making their way online and helping paint a clearer picture of what surprises will be in store. You know, if we're going to keep waiting, it's only fair we get a taste of what's to come.

According to insider Alex Perez, via The Cosmic Circus, Spider-Man 4 will be a team-up movie. Sony and Marvel reportedly want to capitalize on the success of Deadpool & Wolverine and capture some of that same magic by using Disney and Sony's characters. Many names have been tossed around about potential partners of the wall-crawler, including the likes of Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Wanda Maximoff, and even Star-Lord. However, there are a few options more likely than the others, and they are ones that fans have been asking for quite some time now.

Venom and all three Spider-Men will reportedly team-up against Knull

According to the same report, Tom Hardy's Venom will share the screen with Tom Holland's Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man 4. Furthermore, Knull is likely to be the main villain after his introduction in Venom: The Last Dance. If you've read the King in Black comic book storyline or Donny Cates' Venom (2018), you know the King in Black is a formidable foe that easily overpowered multiple Marvel heroes once he arrived on Earth. So of course, the question has to be asked: Who else will join in the fight against the god of symbiotes?

It's being claimed Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man will appear in the movie as well, and that they'll have a "larger participation" this time around compared to their roles in No Way Home. So chances are they'll also face Knull along with Tom's Peter and Venom, but even then it seems like a little too few heroes will rise to the occasion if the symbiotic supervillain does arrive on Earth. Well, the movie will reportedly also make the live-action King in Black weaker than his comic book counterpart by explaining he isn't at his full power because he got out of Klyntar.

It's unfortunate to know we won't get to see Knull as vicious and intimidating as he was in comic book pages. However, he'll still be a threat big enough that will require the attention of four beloved big-screen characters who each have gone up against other formidable foes. So all things considered, it appears Spider-Man 4 will be another big multiversal event rather than the street-level adventure many were hoping for. But if you're one of those who just want to see the character taken back to his roots, then there is also good news for you.

It was reported the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again will set up the events of Spider-Man 5 where we'll see the wall-crawler and the Man Without Fear take down the Kingpin of crime. If that turns out to be the case, audiences would see a long-awaited team-up in the form of Venom and Spidey be followed by another long-awaited team-up between Daredevil and Spidey. While a part of me wishes we could simply see Tom Holland's Peter stand on his own without the need for other MCU heroes in what feels like ages, it's hard not to get excited when many exciting storylines could play out on the big screen. On the bright side, it's just a matter of waiting a bit longer before shooting for Spider-Man 4 begins and we get a really concrete idea of whether Knull and the Lethal Protector will have a role to play or not.

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