We’re soon going to learn the official plans for Spider-Man 4 now that Sony and Marvel seem to be moving forward. If Destin Daniel Cretton will indeed step up to direct the next Peter Parker adventure in the MCU, then Sony and Marvel will soon announce the Spider-Man 4 release date.
Even if Cretton doesn’t helm the project, the two studios will have to pick someone so the film can make its tentative summer 2026 premiere date. Leaks say that Spider-Man 4 will hit theaters between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Even without the leaks, we still need to see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker rejoin the Avengers after Endgame so they can take on Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) in Secret Wars. Spider-Man 4 has to be released before Avengers 6 comes out.
While we’re getting closer to Sony and Marvel announcing the Spider-Man 4 release date, we’re also getting more rumors about the story.
An insider said a few days ago that Spider-Man 4 will not be a multiverse story, without providing any real details. After the success of No Way Home, some fans are already wondering whether the next movie will also feature the multiverse heavily. A different trusted leaker has plot details about Spider-Man 4, including the potential villain. This is where I tell you that big spoilers might follow below.
Remember Venom?
Before we get to the Spider-Man 4 spoilers, I’ll remind you of two Venom: Let There Be Carnage and No Way Home credits scenes that left a loose end that needs solving.
Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and Venom made it to the MCU when Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) performed the first spell early in No Way Home. Strange then fixed things by sending everyone back and making the Earth-616 reality forget about Peter Parker. That’s what the Venom 2 and No Way Home credits scenes are all about.
However, a piece of Venom got left behind. It’s how we get Venom in the MCU’s main reality. After No Way Home, I always assumed we’d see Venom and Spider-Man interact, but it wasn’t clear how long it would take.
If The Cosmic Circus‘s Alex Perez is correct, then Spider-Man 4 might be a multiverse movie featuring Tom Hardy’s Venom. But Venom wouldn’t be the main villain of Spider-Man 4.
The original plan for Spider-Man 4
The Marvel insider reiterated some of the Spider-Man 4 plot rumors we’ve heard of in the past few months. Initially, Marvel wanted a street-level story for Spider-Man 4. Spidey and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) would team up to take on Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio). The popular Marvel villain would become the mayor of New York in Daredevil.
Perez says that multiple villains from the Spider-Man lore were considered for the movie. Maggia, Mister Negative, Spencer Smythe, MacDonald “Mac” Gargan as Scorpion, and Aaron Davis as Prowler were all considered.
Marvel still wants to tell this story, but it might have to wait a while. Instead, Spider-Man 4 might get a different plot, one that features the multiverse more prominently.
Perez learned that Spider-Man and Venom might have to partner up in Spider-Man 4. Setting it all up is Venom: The Last Dance.
Sony has just released the final Venom 3 trailer, which premieres on October 25th. I haven’t been a fan of the Venom stories, though I liked what Tom Hardy did with the roles. And I’m sort of interested to see what happens in the final part of the trilogy. It sure looks like Eddie and Venom will have a bigger threat to face than ever before.
The multiverse plot
The Venom 3 trailer reveals the villain’s name is Knoll. A quick look at the movie’s IMDB page tells me that Rhys Ifans has to play Knull. It’s not confirmed, and we don’t see the villain’s face in the clip, but it has to be him.
Perez says the plan was always to have Knull appear in other adventures beyond Venom 3. If his information is accurate, Spider-Man 4 might be where we see Knull again. Eddie might cross into the MCU by the end of Venom 3. It’s unclear how, but recent reshoots for the movie might have been needed for this aspect of the plot.
Knull is the creator of Venom. That’s why he’s coming to Earth in Venom 3. Knull wants to get a hold of its creation. He might want to destroy that reality as well. But Knull might also be aware that a part of Venom exists in a different reality, all thanks to Strange’s spells. What I’m getting at is there is a way to make Spider-Man 4 a story about Spider-Man and Venom fighting together against a multiversal threat.
That’s not entirely good news. I’d prefer a street-level story for Spider-Man 4 rather than another multiverse plot.
However, if Marvel plans to kill the multiverse after Secret Wars, we need to have this Spider-Man-Venom team up now. It’ll be too late to have a fight against Knoll after Secret Wars. Also, since Venom is in the MCU already, it could always stay here after Secret Wars regardless of what happens in Venom 3 and Spider-Man 4. Sony and Marvel could figure out some other common threat for the two of them to face together.
None of this is confirmed, of course. However, Venom 3 premieres soon. If Sony placed MCU hooks in the movie, maybe via a credits scene, we’d know it’s all about the Spider-Man 4 plot.
