Summary

• Spider-Man 4 is possible and needs to happen for Tobey Maguire's Marvel hero to get the closure he deserves.
• Deadpool & Wolverine hinted at a resurgence of old Marvel heroes, proving the power of nostalgia in the MCU and the catharsis of seeing characters get the endings they deserve years later.
• Tobey Maguire's return in No Way Home was great, but fans still crave a proper Spider-Man 4 for his character.

Deadpool & Wolverine has convinced me that Deadpool & Wolverine's many Easter eggs. Nevertheless, the movie still managed to reawaken my desire to see Tobey Maguire back in the red and blue suit - but in a much more central role.

Tobey Magire's Spider-Man movies were among the first highly successful superhero cinematic franchises, alongside the X-Men and Blade. The trilogy was so successful that Spider-Man 4 was tantalizingly close to materializing, only for it to fall apart in early development. As a result, the ending of Spider-Man 3, which stopped short of confirming what would happen with Peter and MJ, has left me hankering for closure - and Marvel Studios confirmed that it can deliver thanks to how it handled a certain crowd in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine Showed How Marvel Heroes Can Get The Endings They Deserve

The Resistance Found Worthy Closure

One of Channing Tatum's Gambit, whose involvement instead alluded to a solo movie that never got off the ground. The majority of these resistance were therefore keen to go out with a bang and draw a line beneath their erstwhile franchises within Deadpool's movie.

Johnny Storm's unceremonious death at the hands of Cassandra Nova was arguably less than he deserved, but he'll likely be ed for his post-credits diatribe more.

Suffice it to say, Deadpool & Wolverine delivered as the group successfully teamed up in an epic brawl that allowed Deadpool and Wolverine to leap into their own final act. Despite Deadpool possibly reviving these franchises with a quick word to Hunter B-15 at the end of the film, the characters were afforded the chance to get their last words in during a heroic denouement - giving rise to the now-legendary "There's only one Blade, and there's only ever gonna be one Blade." Tragically, Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker wasn't afforded the same level of closure.

Tobey Maguire's Return In No Way Home Was Great, But I Want A Proper Spider-Man 4

Spider-Man 4 Can Give Peter-Two The Closure He Deserves

Spider-Man: No Way Home was the first MCU movie to capitalize on the potential of the multiverse, earning nearly $2 billion and becoming the MCU's third-highest-grossing movie for its efforts. Bringing back the two previous live-action Peter Parkers was a stroke of genius that has helped cement the notion that nostalgia wins big in the modern MCU. Not only was Deadpool & Wolverine the next MCU installment to continue capitalizing on that trend, but it would offer a more poignant moment of closure for the nostalgic characters it included.

Maguire's Peter Parker - or "Peter-Two" - was hardly afforded the same opportunity. Spider-Man: No Way Home revealed that Peter-Two had worked out his tumultuous relationship with Mary-Jane, still blames himself for Uncle Ben's death, and had spent the intervening years thinking about how he could have cured his universe's Green Goblin. He is presented as an older brother figure to the younger two Peter Parker variants, whose wisdom and experience come in useful when mentoring Tom Holland's Peter-One.

Andrew Garfield's Peter-Three was arguably afforded the closure that Peter-Two was deprived of in the tearful scene that saw him rescue the MCU's MJ.

Yet these comments aren't exactly the resolution that Maguire deserves. Andrew Garfield's Peter-Three was arguably afforded the closure that Peter-Two was deprived of in the tearful scene that saw him rescue the MCU's MJ. He wasn't even given the chance to fully flaunt his maturity, as the climactic final sequence saw the younger Peter-One assume the leadership role. Spider-Man 3 was a continuation of Peter Parker's struggles as he wrestled with his darker side, and while ridding himself of the symbiote and losing his best friend were significant milestones, his relationship with MJ deserves more than a line of dialogue.

What Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 4 Could Be About

Sony And Marvel May Need To Pivot From The Original Plan

Spider-Man 4 would be a culmination of Peter Parker's tumultuous journey into adulthood. The final moments of Spider-Man 3 gave him no time to grieve Harry Osborn's death, nor reveal whether or how he and MJ reconciled. Given Tobey Maguire's age and the presence of so many other Spider-Man characters in circulation, Spider-Man 4 would be the swansong that Maguire's rendition deserves - not quite as dark as Logan, but still striking the same poignant tone nonetheless as he decides how to spend the remainder of his adult life.

Original story details for the canceled Spider-Man 4 included three villains that have now already been depicted in live-action within The Amazing Spider-Man and the MCU. These included Vulture, Lizard, and Mysterio, which would have made Spider-Man 4 another multi-villain movie. With that in mind, a modern Spider-Man 4 might wish to deviate from the original plan and depict a more cerebral take on Maguire's final outing as Spider-Man as the MCU handles the spectacles.

This could see him follow a similar route to Peter B. Parker in Sony's Spider-Verse franchise. The older variant took on the role of mentor for Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse before becoming a doting father in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Now that Peter has already been depicted as a mentor figure in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it is easy to see him getting a taste for the role, while closure can be given to his relationship with MJ by having him retire from hero-ing to start a family.

Other Ways The MCU Could Give Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man A Proper Ending

Another Cameo-Filled Movie Is En Route

While comments made by Raimi, Maguire, and MJ's Kirsten Dunst are a positive sign for a swansong movie, I know the perfect alternative if Sony decides to steer clear. The Multiverse Saga still has one glaring installment that could allow Maguire's Peter Parker to return - namely, Avengers: Secret Wars. While this would ittedly occur alongside a cavalcade of other cameos comprising Marvel heroes from across the franchise's history, I think the MCU should still capitalize on the moment to give Peter-Two a send-off akin to the resistance in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Sony still holds the distribution rights to Spider-Man, and will likely do so for as long as the character is as profitable as he is.

This could also be the MCU's last chance to work its magic on Maguire's Peter Parker. Given Tom Holland's Spider-Man will no doubt play a central role in this movie, the MCU could capitalize on Spider-Man's involvement by featuring Maguire once more. With Avengers: Secret Wars drawing a line beneath the Multiverse Saga, featuring multiversal variants in the future of the MCU won't wash as well. To be perfectly honest, though, I'd still hold out hope for Spider-Man 4 after multiversal shenanigans come to an end.

MCU Movies

• Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  February 14, 2025

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  May 2, 2025

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  July 25, 2025

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• Blade (2025)

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• Avengers: Doomsday

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  December 17, 2027

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse