Spider-Man: No Way Home told an epic story, bringing to an end the first MCU Spider-Man trilogy while setting up the massive Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness story that hits theaters this week. The film also prepared us for the Spider-Man 4 reboot that will probably give us an entirely different version of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. And if the newest report is accurate, Zendaya’s MJ will be back for Spider-Man 4. So will Jon Watts, who directed the first three parts. Beware, some No Way Home and MCU spoilers might follow below.
Marvel already confirmed Spider-Man 4
No Way Home practically took everything away from Peter Parker, resetting his Spider-Man for new adventures, leaving fans to speculate on what follows next. But what they won’t have to worry about is the character’s future in the MCU. Spider-Man 4 is happening. Said so Kevin Feige himself just a few days after the No Way Home premiere in December:
Amy [Pascal] and I and Disney and Sony are talking about — yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home. That will not be occurring this time.
It’s during the same interview that Feige teased that Tom Holland will show up “sometime,” without revealing when. The Marvel president also teased that Zendaya will be back for more MCU action without committing to anything.
Before that, Pascal made comments that indicated another MCU-based Spider-Man was in the works. Similarly, Sony’s Tom Rothman confirmed that Tom Holland’s Spidey will appear in a yet-to-be-named MCU crossover. Thus, he confirmed older rumors that Marvel will use the character in two separate Phase 4 adventures following the new Disney-Sony agreement.
Will Zendaya be back?
The newest Spider-Man 4 development comes at an unusual time. Sony and Marvel have nothing new to announce. And the latter is focused on making the most of this massive week. Moon Knight concludes on May 4th, and Doctor Strange 2 opens two days later.
But a report from Deadline detailed developments related to another beloved Marvel property. Fantastic Four lost Jon Watts, a move that both Feige and the director confirmed.
We learned that Watts would helm the Fantastic Four reboots in mid-December 2020. We assumed Watts would move to the project once worked on his third MCU Spider-Man movie finished. All the while, Marvel never offered fans any other Fantastic Four developments. Even now, we don’t know who will replace him.
How is this all related to Spider-Man 4 and Zendaya? Well, both Marvel and Watts expressed a desire to work together again in the future when commenting on the Fantastic Four split.
With that in mind, Deadline dropped this Spider-Man 4 gem:
Sony and its Spider-Man producers have made it clear they expect to reunite Watts with Holland and Zendaya to continue the series. Watts hasn’t officially dropped out of that franchise, but if it were to happen, it does sound like it would be down the road.
This is far from a firm confirmation that Zendaya will return in Spider-Man 4. And it’s too early for such commitments from actors or studios. But Marvel fans are certainly eager to find out where the Peter-MJ story moves beyond the heartbreaking No Way Home finales. And Zendaya’s MJ certainly has a lot more to offer to the MCU beyond the love story.
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