Andrew Garfield’s prospective return for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 must-see him veer away from a possible Sinister Six face-off, due to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The sheer success of the latter in re-introducing Garfield’s iteration of the character has truly opened the door for his return to Sony’s TASM franchise. Although not official as of yet, Sony could well be keen to conclude its trilogy.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s ending saw the tease of a Sony Sinister Six-style team-up, with plans for the third and final TASM film pitting Garfield’s web-slinger against a multitude of new faces, amongst some familiar ones. Off the back of a disappointing sequel on all fronts, said plans never came into fruition and were placed on the back burner. In recent years, Sony has instead opted to expand its villain coterie through the release of Venom and Morbius sparking Sinister Six plans once again, but this time on a larger scale.
While Sony’s original intentions were clear to see, following through is now a bad idea due to both Garfield’s acting prestige and the personal growth of his iteration of Peter Parker/Spider-Man following No Way Home’s events. Garfield was a household name regardless at the height of TASM’s relevancy, but the actor has gone from strength to strength since his leave of absence from the Sony Spider-Man franchise. He’s become one of the leading men within Hollywood, garnering Academy Award acclaim, as well as attaining mass admiration for being one of the good guys on and off the screen. In a post-No Way Home landscape, repeating a similar villain team-up plot with characters as poorly-received as Jared Leto's Morbius is unlikely to tempt Garfield into a return. If Sony wants to realize its ambition of completing the trilogy, a new approach is needed, which means abandoning its original plans.
Garfield’s No Way Home role has only enhanced his reputation, with the actor seamlessly fitting into the MCU. Sony would have undoubtedly paid attention to Garfield’s performance and should abandon its complex Sinister Six plans to accommodate the actor, at the risk of losing him. As such an established performer, Garfield would be well within his right to turn down Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3’s Sinister Six proposal due to the disastrous Morbius and lukewarm critical reception of Venom and its sequel. This isn’t to say that Garfield would conclusively reject the chance, but attaching himself to a falling star, like Morbius, may not prove particularly tempting.
Were Sony to abandon its Sinister Six plans, it would not only help the studio attract Garfield, but also incorporate his Spider-Man's arc. The concluding events of TASM 2 saw Garfield’s web-slinger broken and alone, with his vulnerabilities exposed for all to see following Gwen’s death. No Way Home addresses this continuation for Garfield’s Spider-Man, stating that her death forever loomed over him, haunting his every thought and step. Garfield’s Spider-Man admits that he stopped pulling his punches and became “rageful” and “bitter”. These admissions would likely stick with Garfield’s iteration should he return for TASM 3, however, they would not define him following his No Way Home redemption. These proceedings would have a sizable impact on Garfield’s Spider-Man through saving Zendaya’s MJ and finding seemingly long-lost brothers within Holland and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men.
If the events of No Way Home can be fully factored into TASM3, Garfield’s Spider-Man would, in turn, not be the exact same violent and troubled figure that he was before. These events from No Way Home shaping Garfield’s character would allow for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 to become a more character-driven and intimate story. Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man completing his arc within an enclosed environment would make for a more satisfying conclusion for Garfield, his character, and audiences, instead of a mere cash-grab from Sony to thrust his Spider-Man into an inevitably jumbled and chaotic Sinister Six movie. Garfield's announced break from acting gives Sony plenty of time to figure out how best to bring him back and conclude Garfield’s story to his satisfaction. If The Amazing Spider-Man 3 is to have any future, the studio must not waste the opportunity.