Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.

The perfect storyline for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Spider-Man 4 might have already been set up by Daredevil: Born Again, and it might not be an MCU adaptation of the iconic Devil’s Reign event, as many expect. Destin Daniel Cretton was recently revealed to be directing Spider-Man 4, and the first in a new trilogy featuring Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is scheduled to release on July 31, 2026. Premiering only two months after Avengers: Doomsday, it seems Spider-Man 4 might explore a self-contained story for the wall-crawler, similar to Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Marvel Studios might have already been setting up a strong storyline for Spider-Man 4 thanks to Wilson Fisk being elected as Mayor of New York City in Daredevil: Born Again. However, while it would be great to see Marvel Comics’ Devil’s Reign adapted for the live-action MCU, there might be another storyline being set up in Born Again that would make even more sense for Spider-Man 4. This could team-up Peter Parker with some of the MCU’s strongest street-level heroes, and perhaps help to re-establish Spider-Man as a central hero in Marvel Studios’ ever-growing franchise.

Marvel’s Devil’s Reign Is A Great Story For The MCU, But Not For Spider-Man 4

Daredevil: Born Again Has Been Setting Up The MCU’s Devil’s Reign

Marvel Comics’ Devil’s Reign event from 2021 saw Mayor Wilson Fisk outlaw vigilantism in New York City, which has started to happen in the MCU’s Daredevil: Born Again series. Fisk’s entire Mayoral campaign was based on the idea that New York’s superheroes are actually nuisances and dangerous, and his successful election suggests others feel the same. He has now created the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, comprising corrupt NYPD officers, and this organization is set to expand in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, so it could also roll over into the plot of Spider-Man 4​​​​​​​.

While Devil’s Reign has clearly been set up for the MCU, this mᴀssive Marvel Comics event is surely too big just to be explored in one feature film. This means Spider-Man 4 might be better off foregoing it altogether, allowing Daredevil: Born Again and other street-level projects to delve deeper into Devil’s Reign, while Spider-Man 4 could feature another Marvel Comics story focused on Wilson Fisk’s influence as Mayor of New York. It’s not only Devil’s Reign that has been set up in Born Again, as an adaptation of 2023’s Gang War​​​​​​​ storyline has also been teased.

Daredevil: Born Again Has Perfectly Set Up Marvel’s Gang War For Spider-Man 4

Gang War Would Make A Much Better Storyline For 2026’s Spider-Man 4

One of the most interesting side-plots featured in Daredevil: Born Again has been the power struggle between the crime families and gangs of New York, given Wilson Fisk’s retirement as Kingpin and Vanessa’s loss of control following Fisk’s return. This is quickly devolving into what Buck Cashman described in Born Again episode 3, as a “gang war,” which brings into focus the 2023-24 Marvel Comics storyline of the same name. Born Again’s warring factions and the overwhelming anti-vigilante rhetoric make Gang War the perfect event to adapt for 2026’s upcoming Spider-Man 4​​​​​​​.

In Marvel Comics, the Gang War event saw Peter Parker’s Spider-Man fighting to stop warring crime families from wreaking havoc across all of New York City. In the midst of this challenge, Spider-Man also deals with the anti-vigilante laws put in place by Mayor Wilson Fisk, and both of these major Gang War elements have already been established in Daredevil: Born Again. This would bring Spider-Man back to the MCU as a street-level hero following his multiversal adventure in 2021’s No Way Home, and allow Spider-Man 4 to act as a palate-cleanser following Avengers: Doomsday​​​​​​​.

Spider-Man Can Team Up With Some Exciting MCU Heroes In The MCU’s Gang War Adaptation

Many Street-Level Heroes Could Make Cameo Appearances In Spider-Man 4

Spider-Man was not acting alone during Marvel Comics’ Gang War, as he teamed up with many New York-based street-level heroes to stop the city’s crime families warring in the wake of Tombstone’s death. It’s possible that Spider-Man 4 could be to Avengers: Doomsday what Ant-Man and the Wasp was to Avengers: Infinity War, taking place simultaneously. This could explain why several prominent street-level heroes were not included in Marvel Studios’ recent cast announcement for Doomsday​​​​​​​, including Tom Holland himself, as they’ll be preoccupied dealing with the small-scale Gang War story in Spider-Man 4​​​​​​​.

This could mean that Spider-Man may be primed to team up with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, Finn Jones’ Iron Fist, Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Alaqua Cox’s Echo and many more in Spider-Man 4. This could make Spider-Man 4 a Captain America: Civil War-esque crossover movie, perhaps even forming a new team of Defenders in the MCU. This would be game-changing for the MCU and for Peter Parker’s future, and could make Spider-Man 4​​​​​​​ Tom Holland’s biggest but most intimate adventure yet.

How Could Spider-Man 4’s Gang War Change The MCU?

Peter Parker’s Spider-Man Can Become A Well-Rounded Hero Again During A Gang War Adaptation

Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker is completely alone in the MCU, with nobody remembering who he is or that he is the man beneath Spider-Man’s mask. He elected not to even remind Ned and MJ about their former friendship, so he will need new allies and a new supporting cast in Spider-Man 4. Adapting Gang War would create a fantastic opportunity to make this happen, as Spider-Man could team up with many of New York’s other formidable street-level heroes, reintroducing him to the world and setting him up for a brighter future.

It would also be a good choice for Marvel Studios to present a smaller-scale story in Spider-Man 4 rather than exploring the multiverse again, despite the movie releasing towards the end of the Multiverse Saga. No Way Home featured characters from across the multiverse and Avengers: Doomsday will explore the concept head-on, so Spider-Man 4 could instead be a good palate-cleanser and an ending to this chapter of ground-level tales. Gang War marked the end of Kingpin’s anti-vigilante laws in Marvel Comics, so could do the same in the MCU, making Spider-Man 4 the perfect place to adapt this event.

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