There are a couple of upcoming Spider-Man movies on the way, including Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day next year and the animated trilogy ender Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2027. However, there are also some high hopes for new movies starring Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man or Andrew Garfield, especially after some recently trending conversations.
Released between 2001-2007, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man received a full trilogy of films, serving as the first major blockbuster Webslinger ahead of Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker, who received two movies between 2012-2014 before Sony and Marvel Studios came together to bring Spider-Man into the MCU with Tom Holland, the current cinematic Spider-Man.
Following 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought all three Spider-Men together, discussions and desire for a Spider-Man 4 for Maguire and/or an Amazing Spider-Man 3 for Garfield have been consistent. While it would naturally be incredible to have both, it’s worth breaking down which previous Spider-Man actor Sony should bring back for a new sequel over the other (or at least first).
New Conversations Are Happening About Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4
Following the theatrical re-release of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy from director Sam Raimi, The Batman screenwriter Mattson Tomlin reiterated his desire to write a potential Spider-Man 4. Not long after Tomlin’s comments confirming he’s been trying to get in contact with Raimi, Kirsten Dunst also weighed in, confirming she’d also love to return for a potential sequel.
This ties with previous comments made earlier this year about Tomlin’s interest in crafting a Spider-Man 4 story where Maguire’s Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson attempt to navigate and balance not only their marriage with Peter’s responsibility as Spider-Man, but also parenthood.
This would certainly redeem the original Spider-Man 4 that had been in development and was meant to be released in 2011, but was ultimately cancelled by Sony in favor of rebooting the franchise with Garfield’s movies.
Likewise, No Way Home did a good job teasing the life of Maguire’s Peter Parker back in his own reality, confirming that he and Mary Jane did indeed repair and fix their relationship, as was set up at the end of 2007’s Spider-Man 3.
Overall, the idea of an older Spider-Man trying to be a good hero, husband, and father would be fascinating. A movie like that could easily introduce May Parker, Peter’s daughter with Mary Jane in the comics, inheriting her father’s powers and ultimately becoming Spider-Girl.
Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man 3 Also Has Great Potential
As exciting as a Spider-Man 4 would be with Tobey Maguire, the potential for an Amazing Spider-Man 3 with Andrew Garfield is just as great.
The ending of 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 saw Garfield’s Peter Parker struggling with the tragic loss of Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy. Left to mourn with a glimmer of hope by the movie’s end, an Amazing Spider-Man 3 was in development, along with a spin-off movie setting up the classic team of villains known as the Sinister Six.
Neither of those movies came to fruition following Sony and Marvel Studios’ deal to reboot the franchise within the MCU with actor Tom Holland. Without question, Holland’s Peter Parker is great, and his role as the MCU’s Spider-Man alongside so many other Marvel heroes is always incredible to see.
Even so, it did mean that Garfield’s Spider-Man is still the one cinematic Spider-Man of the three to not get a full trilogy. As teased in No Way Home, Garfield’s Peter Parker admitted that while he tried to be a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, he eventually stopped pulling his punches and got rageful, becoming bitter after losing Gwen.
The clear implication is that Garfield’s Peter had largely worked through this darkness by the time of No Way Home. Many have cited this period as the perfect premise for an Amazing Spider-Man 3, showing Garfield’s Peter working through that darkness with the movie ending’s featuring a magical portal to set up his No Way Home appearance.
Conversely, a sequel set after No Way Home could be just as good, as the main thing fans are desperate for is ultimately some kind of closure and/or satisfying resolution (which Garfield’s Spider-Man very much deserves).
Ultimately, Garfield Feels More Exciting For Sony’s Spider-Man Future
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 would undoubtedly come with some heavy nostalgia backing it up. After all, Maguire’s Spider-Man was one of the first true blockbuster superheroes during millennials’ most formative years, and a sequel released close to 20 years after the last movie would definitely generate high interest and excitement, especially after Maguire’s incredibly well-received appearance in No Way Home.
Ultimately, I do think an Amazing Spider-Man 3 could arguably provide a more dynamic story, while also feeling more deserved. Not only was Andrew Garfield’s No Way Home appearance just as exciting and adored, but he’s certainly more of a high-profile actor since playing Peter Parker over 10 years ago.
This would be a great chance to redeem what people didn’t like about The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s plot and villains, allowing this Spider-Man (who was very much loved) to finally get a full trilogy with a much stronger story.
Ideally, it would be great for Maguire to have a dynamic legacy send-off film while Garfield gets some redemption with a third movie to close his trilogy…but If I could only choose one, I’m going with The Amazing Spider-Man 3, though who knows what Sony might have in store beyond the MCU’s Spider-Man and Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Regardless of what happens in the way of potential sequels for Maguire and/or Garfield, the potential consolation prize is the high chance of seeing one (or likely both) Spider-Men in the next two Avengers movies, concluding the MCU’s Multiverse Saga with all kinds of heroes from multiple realities.
Spider-Man
- Created By
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Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
- First Appearance
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Amazing Fantasy
- Alias
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Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
- Race
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Human
- Franchise
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Marvel, Spider-Man
