One of the most exciting things I witnessed during the months that preceded the Spider-Man: No Way Home release was Andrew Garfield’s repeated denials that he’d reprise his role as Peter Parker. He kept at it even after set photos and videos showed him and Tobey Maguire sharing scenes in Spider-Man outfits.
These amazing cameos were massively profitable for Sony and Marvel, even though they leaked time and time again. No Way Home made nearly $2 billion at the box office during its theatrical run. Fans flocked to theaters despite knowing these big spoilers.
With Spider-Man 4 on the horizon, we’re seeing the same dance again. Andrew Garfield has started denying involvement in the movie. This time around, I kind of hope he’s telling the truth. After all, no one wants to see Sony and Marvel continue to bang the same old drum.
That said, I do see one way Garfield could return in Spider-Man 4. The same goes for Maguire. Before I tell you what it is, you should know that spoilers might follow.
Sony hasn’t even announced the Spider-Man 4 release date, but we’ve heard plenty of rumors already. Apparently, Sony wanted (or wants) Spider-Man 4 to be as big as No Way Home. We’ve also heard that the studio wants it to be another multiverse movie so we can get Garfield and Maguire back.
Marvel, meanwhile, wants a more grounded story for Spider-Man 4, which is a soft reboot for the character. I’m a fan of this concept, considering that Spider-Man 4 is only one small piece of the larger Multiverse Saga puzzle.
It seems certain that Garfield and Maguire will return as Spider-Man variants in Avengers: Secret Wars. Sony, Marvel, and the fans all want that. But bringing Garfield and Maguire in Spider-Man 4 might be too soon. It would dilute the value of these cameos.
Bringing them back again also might ruin the story. What are the chances that these three Spider-Man variants meet again so soon? None of them really knows how to operate multiverse travel. How would they even find each other?
While we’re two years from the expected Spider-Man 4 release date, Andrew Garfield is already fielding questions about a potential return to one of his most famous roles. He gave IndieWire a clear denial, which sounds familiar. We saw him do it repeatedly three years ago before the No Way Home premiere. Here’s what he said:
I mean, like the internet is a big place. I think there’s a lot of people who will just say anything to get clicks. So you might have been duped, I’m afraid.
Of the three Spider-Men in No Way Home, I thought Garfield stole the show, and I’m excited to his Spidey again in the MCU. But I really hope his denial is 99% true this time. I hope Sony and Marvel will keep the Garfield and Maguire surprises for Secret Wars, even though it might not exactly meet Sony’s needs.
I said 99% true because there is a way to bring Garfield and Maguire to Spider-Man 4 without turning them into big plot elements.
Spider-Man 4 could be a down-to-earth Spidey adventure where Tom Holland readjusts to saving this neighborhood in the wake of No Way Home. But he could also learn about the dangers coming ahead from the multiverse. He might want to reconnect to Garfield and Maguire for help since they’re the only people in the multiverse who know who he is.
Holland might develop his own multiverse travel tech and try to find Garfield and Maguire. These two Spider-Man variants might have similar thoughts in their universes. There’s also the TVA that manages the multiverse, so they could always recruit these particular Spidey versions for the fight against Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.).
We could see a teaser for a reunion in the Spider-Man 4 credits scenes, which would imply that Garfield and Maguire will appear again in the MCU alongside Holland’s Spider-Man. Garfield and Maguire would either have very brief cameos in the scene or not appear at all.
All of this is speculation at this point. Sony and Marvel haven’t even announced the Spider-Man 4 release date at this point. Don’t be surprised to see more denials from Garfield in the meantime.
