It has been a long road of rumors and supposed behind-the-scenes scuffles between studios when it comes down to the next Spider-Man movie being created. As one of the few remaining characters that is shared between two studios, Spider-Man’s second trilogy has seemingly been set off with a rocky start, as Sony and Marvel had two different visions for the movie. Marvel supposedly wanted to take Spider-Man back to his roots, returning him to more of the friendly neighborhood kind of superhero, while Sony wanted to once again go Multiversal with him after the success of No Way Home. Yet up until this point, fans seemingly made it quite clear they wanted their favorite web-slinger to be grounded and the new news that the movie is rumored to now be going Multiversal once again is sparking conversations among fans, who aren’t looking for yet another one of these types of movies.

Let’s start by hitting the most important reason why fans don’t want another Multiversal film: there are already so many of them. While yes, Marvel is amid their Multiverse Saga, it seems Marvel themselves aren’t always able to keep the laws of the Multiverse straight, driving fans crazy as different writers and directors make stories with their own takes on how this large plot point should work. Additionally, using the Multiverse as a common plot device, while using it differently in almost all recent projects and not having clear rules is leading to audience fatigue over the Multiverse itself. As for the news regarding Spider-Man 4, it’s not entirely shocking this news is coming as one of the largest Multiverse projects, Deadpool and Wolverine, just smashed the box offices, yet recency bias in play, other Multiverse projects have not hit that same mark (I’m looking at you, MoM). Just because one movie has been successful by using the Multiverse, doesn’t mean other projects have seen this happen and fans are struggling to keep up, even as this Saga barrels towards the largest Multiversal event: Secret Wars.

And while Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the movies that performed quite well while using the Multiverse to drive the plot, it’s already been done and fans seem to agree that you don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken, and to leave NWH and the Multiverse alone. The nostalgia of NWH, which played primarily off of bringing in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Mans from the past, worked for that movie specifically, it made sense. The fans loved it and had been begging for it for a long time. Deadpool and Wolverine also successfully played off the nostalgia and cameos, but it isn’t what fans always want, and only works in certain circumstances. In this case, would another Multiversal plot that may or may not include the other Spider-Men again really add anything to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man story? The answer is that it’s quite unlikely, as the stakes couldn’t be higher than they were in NWH and the outcome showed Peter moving in a new life direction because of it.

Lastly, let’s not forget that while we as fans have gotten wrapped into the Multiverse and crossovers that go beyond Earth, Spider-Man himself is still a ground-level hero. Sure, he has crazy adventures in the comics and the current MCU Peter has been to space, but at the end of the day, he is most well-known for protecting the city of New York. The ending of NWH perfectly sets up this version of Spider-Man to do that, with him moving to Manhattan and being forced to leave his whole life behind. The rest of Tom Holland’s trilogy worked because it was fairly grounded and he was a kid learning to be a superhero. Now, as an adult, he could face bigger and more iconic foes, while also being independent, instead of connected so heavily to Iron Man. The fear of another Multiversal plot is that the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man many know and love will be lost completely if the hero is not set back to his roots and what genuinely drives him, which the fans are craving to have (aka fans want to see him take on Kingpin already, like come on).

Of course, it can’t be completely written off that a Multiversal project here could still work. While it may not be ideal for this character to face another round of Multiversal foes, Sony has created a web of villains in their Sonyverse independent movies, such as Venom, Kraven the Hunter, and Morbius. They also created another Spider-people team with Madame Web and her Spider-Women. This being said the only logical way to connect everything here to Tom’s Spider-Man would be a Multiversal film that brings them all together. It would finally give purpose to the Sonyverse live-action movies that have been coming out since 2018 while answering if/how they would ever connect to Spider-Man. Additionally, it could expand Spider-Man’s future stories in this way, for instance having Venom and the symbiote possibly playing a role in a future appearance.

While there is still hope a Multiversal story for Spider-Man could work, fans have seemingly already made it quite clear why they don’t think it will. Now, it comes down to whether they will listen to fans and pivot away from this idea or follow what looks to be a more money-grabbing perspective with yet another Multiversal film for Spider-Man 4. It’s time for the studios to ask: Is a Multiverse plot truly what we need in the next Spider-Man film, or is it time for something different?

Image: “Spider-Man”, Michael Patterson, Bam Smack Pow

Once again Marvel has given me post-movie depression.

I truly cannot wrap my mind around the fact it was been a few days since I have seen Now Way Home the second time in theaters. It honestly is the biggest movie since Endgame and I think it might have even exceeded some of the expectations that Endgame had. But for the full reactions and what we think is to come in the future for the MCU Peter Parker, listen to the podcast below or click the button to find your preferred listening platform.

I think the biggest thing to talk about with this film right from the start is the appearance of the three Spider-Mans. Personally, I am an Andrew fan and always have been (although I love all of them), so I flipped the most when seeing him. Something I have been seeing various fans point out on social media is how much Marvel listened to the fans. Andrew came in as Spider-Man and wore his suit the entire movie because many fans see him as the best Spider-Man. Tobey on the other hand is typically considered the best Peter Parker, so Ned brought him in as Peter. And of course, then Tom is considered the best of both. This movie had me crying just from the pure art it was of seeing all three Spider-Mans swinging and fighting together. And I swear they were so natural together on screen it’s like they knew each other forever. Which I guess they did since they are all Peter Parker.

Breaking this down even more, let’s talk about Andrew’s Peter Parker. For one, this movie proved to many that this man can do a lot, especially with a great script, which was an issue with TASM films. But it also really tugged at all of our hearts to see him talk about Gwen. It makes me beyond upset that Covid ripped us of a partial reunion, as Emma Stone was supposed to make a cameo appearance herself. Yet even past that, Andrew finally got his redemption in the form of catching MJ. Something I pointed out in the podcast is that Andrew and Tom’s Peters are now equal, as Tom would have lost his girl had Andrew not been there. Of course, he loses his girl for different reasons later on, but that’s not the point. Either way, Andrew is hilarious and carried a lot of moments in this film, which has led a lot of fans to call for his reinstatement as Spider-Man, possibly in the Venomverse? Rumors have been circulating and I think it would be amazing to finally give this man his third movie and show all the fans what he meant when he said he stopped pulling his punches.

As for Tobey, this man still can’t win. I think every fan who rewatched his movies recently came to the conclusion that Mary Jane was for the streets and Tobey’s Peter is still complicated with her. Poor dude is like forty. Either way, this man is the OG and it was amazing to see him be back in his suit (which personally is my favorite suit). There have also been rumors that Sony would like to see all three Spider-Mans back together in future works, and I have to say I could really go for a few Multiverse movies with all three suited back up.

Something I want to address is the ending of NWH. Personally, I think it was perfect. I liked Ned and MJ, but I grew up on Spider-Man and know his characters more than anyone. I love Harry, Mary Jane, and Gwen, along with other characters like Eddie. Finding a way to have Peter move away from what we always knew, including away from the shadow of Tony Stark, is what finding Spider-Man is. I have enjoyed Tom’s Peter, but I do feel he was too far away from what Spider-Man was. Now that we see how much this trilogy was put towards an origin, it feels that we are now moving towards seeing some of the more usual Spider-Man storylines and scenes, even down to swinging through the streets of New York. As much as I will miss MJ and especially Ned, this ending was a great way for both characters to not be killed off and also move Peter into his college trilogy. Not to mention with the symbiote being left behind, we now have an opening for Tom to wear the Venom suit or to have a different Eddie Brock enter the storyline.

I want to quickly talk about Ned, as I said something relating to him in the predictions episode that I would like to address now. I believe Ned will become the Hob Goblin and the ending of NWH helped to set this up. We see Ned have the ability to do magic and now he has no clue who Peter is. I don’t think for a second we would have seen our fun-loving Ned Leeds become Hob Goblin, but now nothing is holding him back from going the wrong way. Since we haven’t yet seen Hob Goblin, I think it is a great contender for a foe in the college trilogy. It would also hit harder if Peter saw Hob Goblin, as we know his personal connection and anger towards the Green Goblin, not to mention if it was Ned that would just be a double hit. It would be a reminder of his Aunt’s death and the life he had to leave behind. It is also possible Ned may eventually remember what happened and feels betrayed that Peter did not befriend him again or make him remember. It would be a great origin story for a take on the Hob Goblin.

This movie has opened so much up and there is simply not enough time to write absolutely everything that has happened or may be coming. Keep an eye out for some upcoming podcast episodes that reflect more on Spider-Man: No Way Home, including one that will discuss the second end credit scene, aka the first look at Multiverse of Madness. I hope everyone loved this film as much as we did. As a reminder, NWH has officially wrapped up the 2021 Marvel movie season and with it I can say that Marvel literally just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Spider-Man: No Way Home, Divij Sonak, Appocalypse