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Is it really time for “Bully Holland”?
Credit: Marvel Studios
Related: ‘Karate Kid’ Icons Will Join Disney’s Next ‘Spider-Man’ Project
The tale of young Peter Parker, nerdy kid from Queens, and the motto known the world over, “With great power comes great responsibility,” has endured for generations. Numerous actors have portrayed the iconic character of New York City’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man through various Marvel television and cinematic interpretations. These portrayals draw inspiration from the rich legacy of Marvel Comics, created by the legendary Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios
The journey started with Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy from 2002 to 2007. Andrew Garfield then assumed the role in The Amazing Spider-Man series, beginning in 2012 and continuing with its sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).
The most recent portrayal of Peter Parker is by Tom Holland, who debuted in The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with Captain America: Civil War in 2016, followed by his solo debut movie in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Following the events of MCU’s Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and the reality-bending spell cast by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has deliberately retreated from the public eye.
What is next for Spider-Man after Holland’s hiatus? All indications point to a soft reboot of Peter Parker’s story in the forthcoming Spider-Man 4. This new film is anticipated to shift away from the school-age Spider-Man narrative featured in the “Home” trilogy of MCU films.
Disney however, looks set to reprise a particular story from Sony’s first film exploration of Spider-Man in the upcoming Spider-Man 4.
Related: Multiple MCU Recastings Possibly Underway as New Saga Looms: Report
The plot of Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man 3 (2007) by director Sam Raimi may be familiar to fans of the film franchise from the 2000s.
Continuing from Spider-Man 2 (2004), Sam Raimi’s campy-weird Spider-Man 3 (2007) saw Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) facing new challenges as he balances his life as Spider-Man and his relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).
Credit: Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Enter the “Venom” alien symbiote that enhances his powers but also amplifies his darker qualities. Meanwhile, Harry Osborn (James Franco) seeks revenge against Peter, believing him to be responsible for his father Green Goblin/Norman Osborn’s (Willem Dafoe) death, becoming the New Goblin.
Peter Parker also faced two new adversaries: Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), the shape-shifting Sandman, and Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), a rival photographer at the Daily Bugle who eventually bonds with the symbiote to become Venom. As these villains converge, Peter must confront his own inner demons and find a way to stop them while holding on to the things and people he loves.
Credit: Sony Pictures
Now, a report from industry and Marvel insider Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) indicates that Disney intends to retread this general plotline in Spider-Man 4. Presumably, events of the fourth Holland Spider-Man movie will begin with the inclusion of the Venom symbiote teased at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, moving over from the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) originally belonging to that variant of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy).
Marvel Film News shares Richtman’s original subscriber-exclusive report on X/Twitter, indicating that The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are (finally) closing in on a director for Spider-Man 4 — and that the Venom symbiote will feature in the film. In fact, Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance (2024) trailer released earlier this year is reportedly a “misdirection”.
Considering previous rumors (and comments from the man himself) that Sam Raimi was considering a return to Spider-Man and a possible stint directing the Avengers franchise, a firm Marvel Cinematic Universe-based retread of Spider-Man 3‘s core concepts surrounding Venom and Peter Parker might be imminent:
Marvel Studios/Sony are ‘very close’ to hiring a director for ‘SPIDER-MAN 4’
The plan is for the symbiote to appear in the film
The ‘VENOM: THE LAST DANCE’ trailer likely showed a misdirection
(@DanielRPK)
Marvel Studios/Sony are ‘very close’ to hiring a director for ‘SPIDER-MAN 4’
The plan is for the symbiote to appear in the film
The ‘VENOM: THE LAST DANCE’ trailer likely showed a misdirection
(@DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/hlvuXylZ7s
— MarvelFilmNews (@MarvelNewsFilms) June 24, 2024
Instead of the Green Goblin (or New Goblin), however, it’s highly possible that the already-teased transformation of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker “guy in the chair” Ned Leeds will become Marvel comic book baddie the Hobgoblin, thus completing the Spider-Man franchise storyline cycle, and introducing key elements and character arcs from Spider-Man films and comic books of days past.
If fan rumors hold true, the Holland-Parker edition of “Gwen Stacy” — a “romantic rival” of sorts to MJ (Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson, or Zendaya’s Michelle Jones) — may come in the form of Black Cat/Felicia Hardy straight from the Marvel Comics world.
Do you think Disney’s addition of Venom to the MCU is a good idea? Are you going to see Spider-Man 4? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
“}]] Disney’s Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures may be keen to revisit a past iteration of the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise, reports now say. Read More