Andrew Garfield will reportedly return as Spider-Man for Marvel Studios and Sony's Spider-Man 3, reprising his role from the Amazing Spider-Man films. Garfield's tenure as Spidey ended when Sony decided to conclude his franchise after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. That paved the way for Tom Holland to be introduced as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Holland made his MCU debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and has since appeared in two Avengers films in addition to his two solo features, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Last summer, Marvel and Sony struck a deal for Holland's Spider-Man to return in another solo film and team-up.

The as-yet-untitled Spider-Man 3 is currently filming and details about the film's cast indicate it will play with the multiverse. Previously, it was reported that Benedict Cumberbatch will appear as Doctor Strange, a master of the mystic arts whose next film includes "multiverse" in the title (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Further, Jamie Foxx is returning as Electro, the villain from Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Today it was reported that Alfred Molina will return as Doctor Octopus after playing the villain in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. Now, even more new info is revealed as two past Spider-Man actors are reportedly returning to share the screen with Holland's web-slinger.

As part of Collider's report on Molina's return, the publication indicated Garfield will return for the MCU's Spider-Man 3. Also, Collider's Jeff Sneider reports that he expects Emma Stone to return as Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, but does not indicate whether talks have happened or a deal has been struck. Further, Sneider reports that Tobey Maguire is in talks to return for Spider-Man 3, with Kirsten Dunst purportedly already set to come back as Mary Jane Watson.

Peter and Gwen talking by the lockers in The Amazing Spider-Man

Previously, Sony denied reports that Garfield and Maguire would return for Spider-Man 3. However, with the inclusion of villains from their franchises, it makes sense for Holland's Peter Parker to run across the superheroes who battled Molina's Doc Ock and Foxx's Electro. But it's unclear as of yet how big Garfield or Maguire's roles are in Spider-Man 3. It's possible Holland - and perhaps Doctor Strange - jumps from one universe to another, running into Garfield, Stone's Gwen and Foxx's Electro in one, and Maguire, Dunst's MJ and Molina's Doc Ock in another. Or there could be some kind of team-up of the three Spider-Man actors, along the lines of Sony's 2018 animated feature Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse.

Although the prospect of seeing Holland, Garfield and Maguire's Spider-Man characters unite on screen - and Stone's character potentially become Spider-Gwen - is exciting, it's not yet known how exactly it'll play out. After past superhero movies - including Spider-Man movies in Sony's past franchises - have suffered from being overstuffed, some may be concerned by the sheer number of characters reported to appear in Spider-Man 3. Marvel Studios has demonstrated an ability to be able to balance incorporating many characters in a film, as seen with their team-ups, but even the MCU has had its criticisms in that regard. For now, it remains to be seen how it all comes together and how Garfield and Stone's Amazing Spider-Man characters may fit into the MCU's Spider-Man 3.

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Source: Collider