One theory suggests that the MCU's Spider-Man: Far From Home, which left Spider-Man's MCU fate unclear. Tom Holland's iteration of Peter Parker is currently in a very strange place in the MCU, after he and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) wiped everyone's memories of Parker at the end of the emotional Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Spider-Man: No Way Home told a story that had never been seen before, including the concept of the multiverse to bring back villains from previous Avengers: Endgame, and fighting multiversal threats with Doctor Strange in No Way Home. Unfortunately, this means that viewers have missed out on the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but Spider-Man 4 can turn this around.
Spider-Man’s New MCU Trilogy Will Be Lower-Stakes
After the epic adventures that Peter Parker has already had in the MCU, it's about time to see him operate as more of a street-level hero, which would be more in keeping with his Marvel Comics counterpart. The end of Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Parker settle into his own New York apartment, and design himself a new suit based on the costumes of his multiversal variants, setting him up to be a smaller-scale hero than what MCU viewers might be accustomed to. Spider-Man 4 will act as something of a reset for the MCU's Peter Parker since he now operates with anonymity.
Speculation is rising that the much-anticipated Miles Morales could debut in Spider-Man 4, with Peter Parker acting as the young hero's mentor. This would be the perfect way to lower the stakes of the Spider-Man adventure, and could provide the best payoff for teases throughout the first three Spider-Man films in the MCU, as Morales' uncle appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, portrayed by Donald Glover, and Garfield's Spider-Man and Electro (Jamie Foxx) pondered over a black Spider-Man existing somewhere in the multiverse during Spider-Man: No Way Home. A lower-stakes Spider-Man 4 would be very refreshing for the MCU, particularly surrounded by other grander projects in the Multiverse Saga.
Spider-Man 4 Can Bring MCU’s Street-Level Heroes Together
Now that Peter Parker is operating as a smaller-scale hero, it's likely that Spider-Man 4 will see Parker come together with the MCU's other street-level heroes. After previously starring in the Marvel Television series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. His prior appearance in a Spider-Man flick, although brief, suggests that Daredevil is the prime candidate to fight with Parker in Spider-Man 4, especially since the pair have teamed-up several times in Marvel Comics.
As well as Daredevil, the MCU's Phase 4 introduced several other street-level heroes who could make an appearance in future smaller-scale adventures in the MCU. Hailee Steinfeld portrayed Kate Bishop in next adventure for Spider-Man in the MCU.
Kingpin Can Finally Be A Spider-Man Villain In The MCU
Live-action Marvel viewers will be familiar with Kingpin as a regular adversary to Daredevil, as Vincent D'Onofrio portrayed the looming villain in Daredevil on Netflix. However, Wilson Fisk was introduced in Marvel Comics as an enemy to Spider-Man, debuting in 1967's The Amazing Spider-Man #50, and was even featured as a supervillain crime-boss in Sony's animated adventure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Hawkeye introduced a curiously stronger version of Kingpin into the MCU proper, who is set to make further appearances in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again as part of the MCU's Phase 5 on Disney+.
If Spider-Man 4 brings the MCU's street-level heroes together, Kingpin would make the perfect villain for the rag-tag team to go up against since he seems to have a sinister command over criminal activity in New York City, so would have many smaller-scale villains at his disposal. Vincent D'Onofrio's portrayal of Kingpin made for a fantastic adversary to Cox's Daredevil on Netflix, but Marvel Studios has the opportunity to develop the character even further, making him a threat to several heroes, rather than just the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Spider-Man 4 can mark the big-screen debut of Kingpin, setting him up to be a much bigger threat in the MCU.
Spider-Man Could Form The MCU’s Defenders
The rumor mill is spinning about what story Spider-Man 4 could follow after the catastrophic ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, but since the new Spider-Man adventure could bring the MCU's street-level heroes together, Spider-Man 4 could bring about the formation of the The Defenders, bringing the heroes together to fight Sigourney Weaver's villainous Alexandra and the Hand. While the Netflix series' were canceled in 2019, the debut of several street-level heroes in the MCU's Phase 4 could be hinting at a new team-up of the Defenders, potentially led by Spider-Man.
Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio have already made the move from Marvel Television to Marvel Studios, so it's possible that the other of the Defenders could follow suit, though it's likely that several of these characters will be recast. Jessica Jones, previously portrayed by Krysten Ritter, has been rumored to be making an appearance in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again, but there are nonetheless several other established heroes who could find themselves as part of The Defenders in the MCU's future. Peter Parker can bring these heroes together for the first time in Spider-Man 4, setting up a huge future for street-level heroes in the MCU.
