Across the Spider-Verse is, understandably, the talk of the town right now, and the Spider-Man movie everybody wants to see. And the consensus seems to be that it’s a great sequel, but it has many MCU fans even more desperate for news about Spider-Man 4. After all, there’s a big writers’ strike happening right now, and we have no idea how long it’ll last.
But there’s no shortage of Spider-Man 4 rumors, and the latest one teases a big cameo for the sequel. I’m already excited about it, but I’m also somewhat confused. I will explain after I give you the regular warning: Massive spoilers might follow.
Sony’s sprawling Spider-Man universe
With Across the Spider-Verse out in theaters, producers have been making sure we know that Spider-Man 4 is indeed happening. Furthermore, Sony confirmed two additional standalone projects for the future. Spider-Woman and Miles Morales are getting standalone movies. The former will be animated, while the latter is a live-action movie.
Sony producer Amy Pascal confirmed these additions to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe without providing any details. The projects join existing SSU titles that are in the works: Venom 3, Kraven the Hunter, El Muerto, and Madame Web.
How is all of this related to Spider-Man 4? Remember that Sony isn’t just trying to make its own Spider-Man-centric universe. It’s also desperate to tie it to the MCU, which remains the main attraction when it comes to comic book movies.
Remember that Sony made sure the Tom Holland cameo in Venom 2 leaked well before the film’s release. And then it added that completely bonkers cameo at the end of Morbius.
What I’m getting at is that some of these pictures will be tied to the MCU including Spider-Man 4, and all the Spider-Man sequels Sony and Marvel might make together.
What about Spider-Verse 2?
One surprising exception to this rule seems to be Spider-Verse 2. The Spider-Verse movies are well above all the SSU films Sony made in recent years. Yet they’re not part of the SSU or MCU. The official line is that the Miles Morales multiverse in the animated movies differs from MCU’s multiverse. The latter contains the SSU, of course.
Then again, tying the Spider-Verse 2 to the MCU multiverse seems problematic, considering Sony’s choices for the animated multiverse. I explained several times why that is, and that’s where the new Spider-Man 4 cameo rumor comes in.
Miles Morales to appear in Spider-Man 4
Just as Amy Pascal mentioned a standalone live-action Miles Morales project this week, Twitter user Marvel Updates said that Miles Morales would make its debut in Spider-Man 4.
Previous rumors said that Miles Morales could appear in the MCU down the road. It’s still an unresolved cliffhanger from the first Tom Holland movie. The actor himself said after No Way Home that he’d be ready to pass on the Spider-Man baton to others, citing specifically the arrival of Miles Morales.
That wasn’t confirmation that Sony would bring the character to the MCU. But an MCU crossover seems inevitable, given what happened with Venom and Morbius. That’s exciting.
The confusing part continues to be the way Sony handled the multiverse in Spider-Verse 2. The sequel will further build up the arc of the animated Miles Morales character. It would be amazing if this Miles would join the MCU and SSU in a live-action format.
But since the multiverses are separate, Sony can’t just pull this Miles to the MCU. We’ll get a brand new Miles Morales. That’s exciting, too, of course.
Then again, this is the studio that greenlit the logic-defying Morbius credits scene. It can choose to do whatever it feels like, hoping fans won’t care as much. The little details matter, however. It’s what makes (or made?) the MCU exciting.
Hopefully, Marvel will steer the ship in the right direction, and Miles Morales’ arrival in Spider-Man 4 will make sense. I am assuming, of course, that the Spider-Man 4 rumor is accurate.
