Spider-Man Will Cross Paths With An Unlikely MCU Anti-Hero, Reports Say

Back in 2012, audiences witnessed the first iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover thanks to the release of The Avengers. In the same year, we also watched Andrew Garfield portray the role of Spider-Man in his own isolated world where he couldn't interact with any other Marvel heroes. It's hard to deny that, back then, we were eager to see how the wall-crawler would react to meeting people such as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Superhero fans wanted to live in an era where Peter Parker could share the screen with these other iconic characters and have no shortage of shocking team-ups. Now fast-forward 13 years later, and some people are pleading for the untitled Spider-Man 4 to be a stand-alone and grounded movie that doesn't rely on crossovers.

Oh, how the times have changed.

But even then, there's no stopping the MCU—especially now that Deadpool & Wolverine has taken the world by storm and proved audiences love a good pairing. In fact, Sony and Marvel reportedly want the upcoming Spider-Man 4 to recreate some of that magic by allowing Tom Hardy's Venom to side with Tom Holland's Peter Parker. But just in case that wasn't enough, it appears the web-slinger will meet even more unlikely anti-heroes down the line as indicated by a new report.

The Punisher and Spider-Man will reportedly cross paths

According to insider Marvel Update on X (formerly Twitter), Peter Parker and Frank Castle will interact at some point after the release of Spider-Man 4. While it may seem like a weird mix at first, it makes complete sense when you think about it. After all, we've also heard rumors that Daredevil: Born Again will set up the events of Spider-Man 5—a movie where the wall-crawler and The Man Without Fear could join forces to bring down the Kingpin once and for all. And wouldn't you know it, but early reports also claim that Daredevil's upcoming series in Disney+ will be a loose adaptation of the Devil's Reign comic book storyline.

Devil's Reign sees Wilson Fisk take advantage of his position as the Mayor of New York to outlaw all superheroes and vigilantes in the city. Such an act forces Iron Man, Captain America, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Ben Reilly's Spider-Man, and more to join forces. So perhaps the Kingpin will create and approve that same law near the end of Daredevil: Born Again, encouraging Matt Murdock, Peter Parker, and even Frank Castle to come together as well to face this new threat. But even when that sounds like a promising storyline, perhaps there's a simpler answer as to why these characters would cross paths.

It's important to remember the Multiverse Saga is coming to an end, and we should expect many unlikely crossovers to happen now more than ever. Avengers: Secret Wars will be the cherry on top, and it could also be the perfect place for every single Marvel hero in existence across realities to assemble. That means audiences could watch Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Wesley Snipes' Blade, Jon Bernthal's Punisher, and—of course—Tom Holland's Peter Parker team up in a fight against Doom's army.

Who knows? Maybe even both storylines come true. There's a perfect world in which Spidey meets Punisher in Avengers: Secret Wars only for the two to team up once again to fight the Kingpin of crime once the multiverse is no more. But whatever the case; it's hard to deny watching Peter's reaction to Frank's more unorthodox tactics when dealing with the bad guys will be entertaining to see. Maybe they could argue over their ideologies much like Matt and Frank did in the second season of Netflix's Daredevil. And if you've heard that latter conversation unfold, then you know how amazing and deep it really is. So fingers crossed something similar happens once Spider-Man enters the picture.

Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on May 7, 2027.