As much as the MCU fanbase wants Kevin Feige and his team to take control of the failing Multiverse Saga, some of them also want Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 to maintain a safe distance from the concept of the Multiverse. It means that the time has come to bestow a streel-level and more grounded treatment to the webslinger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tom Holland officially joined the MCU through Captain America: Civil War (2016). Apart from this one, the actor has portrayed the beloved Marvel superhero in five MCU films, including his own Spider-Man trilogy. And we have yet to witness the character in a street-level story in the MCU.
When it comes to who’s the better Spider-Man: Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, or Tobey Maguire? Most of the superhero fans go with either Garfield or Maguire. This is mainly because the characterisations of these guys’ Spider-Men had a street-level feel. They looked more grounded, dramatic, and serious to many compared to Holland’s portrayal of Spidey.
One of the biggest criticisms Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has endured is that he depended way too heavily on his mentors. Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man (Tony Stark) aided him with all his bits of advice, gadgets, technologies, and suits while he lived. This scenario made many think that the MCU’s Peter Parker looked more like a sidekick of Tony Stark instead of being his own thing. After Iron Man’s ultimate sacrifice in Endgame (2019), we witnessed Spider-Man’s growth in terms of internal strength, resistance, and maturity in Far From Home (2019) and No Way Home (2021). Still, he looked for mentors to guide him in both films. In the first film, we had Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck (Mysterio). And the latter had Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange.
This is why Spider-Man 4 needs to have a street-level story. Another multiversal adventure could reduce the emotional impact of No Way Home. During the film’s final moments, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker moves to New York to start a new life. It is a fantastic opportunity for Marvel to leverage this scenario. This will not only improve Spider-Man’s characterisation in the MCU but will also open the doors for new Spider-Man villains. In addition to new villains, we could even get other prominent comic book characters like Gwen Stacy or Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 4. Who knows? Stay tuned for more updates.