Spider-Man 2 May Be Swapping The Avengers For SHIELD

UPDATE: Nick Fury and Maria Hill are confirmed for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

There's growing evidence that Peter Parker is working for a resurgent S.H.I.E.L.D. in Spider-Man: Far From Home (but not the Avengers). The movie will start "minutes after" Avengers 4, and according to Marvel producer Kevin Feige it will see Spider-Man introduce viewers to "the next incarnation of the MCU."

The key difference between Tom Holland's Spider-Man and previous cinematic versions is that he's set in the MCU. As a result, Marvel is carefully stressing the significance of the Spider-Man movies to the wider shared universe, and indeed of the MCU itself to the Spider-Man films. That's why this latest Spider-Man was introduced in Captain America: Civil War; it's why the character dynamic between Spider-Man and Iron Man was central to Spider-Man: Homecoming; and it's why the wall-crawler played such a major role in Avengers: Infinity War.

Given that's the case, one of the most exciting questions is exactly how Spider-Man: Far From Home will relate to the redefined MCU. It's already been confirmed that the film will feature another major MCU cameo, as significant as Iron Man's in Spider-Man: Homecoming. And the evidence is building that the cameo may well be Nick Fury - with Spider-Man working for, or at least with, a resurgent S.H.I.E.L.D.

This Page: What We Know About Spider-Man 2's MCU Cameo
Next Page: The Evidence For Nick Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D. Is Involved

The Avengers May Not Be Around

The Avengers were essentially disbanded as a result of 2016's Captain America: Civil War. The team initially fractured over the Sokovia Accords, with hero pitted against hero in the fan-favorite airport battle. But by the end of the film, the division was rather more personal than philosophical: Tony Stark was left furious with Steve Rogers, angry that Cap had hidden the identity of his parents' assassin from him; Rogers ditched his Captain America identity, and - along with Black Widow and Falcon - became a globe-trotting vigilante, hunted by the law even as he worked to save the world.

Tony Stark attempted to reform the Avengers, even considering making Spider-Man a member of the team at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. But, as we saw in the Avengers: Infinity War Prelude comic, those plans came to naught. Even Vision ultimately ditched Iron Man, choosing to turn off his transponder in the hope of retiring as a superhero in order to be with Scarlet Witch. In Stark's view, the Avengers Initiative had fallen apart.

Promotional art for Avengers 4 does seem to imply that the surviving heroes will team together as the Avengers again; certainly, Steve Rogers has gone back to his "Captain America" identity, so his team is presumably no longer on the run. But a lot of key contracts are due to end with Avengers 4, meaning the core team will probably be greatly diminished as actors leave the MCU. There's currently no evidence that the survivors of Avengers 4 will choose to formally set up the team again at all. And that raises some very interesting questions for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Who Spider-Man: Far From Home's MCU Cameo Won't Be

Iron Man Spider-Man Doctor Strange Infinity War

This next Spider-Man movie will be very different to any we've seen before. It's not based in New York at all; Peter Parker will apparently be on summer vacation in Europe, along with some of his schoolfriends. Filming has already started in London, but will also head to other European locations. Presumably, that means Mysterio's operation crosses country borders and Spider-Man will have to tangle with his enemy in a number of different countries. That opens up plenty of options for a hero, likewise, although some can easily be ruled out.

Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is off the table as his Spider-Man: Homecoming cameo has repeatedly cited as a one-off. One popular theory was that the cameo could be Doctor Strange, using portals to transport the wall-crawler across Europe. Cumberbatch enjoys working with Holland, and the idea of having Spider-Man team up with a real sorcerer against the fake wizard Mysterio was an entertaining one, but Kevin Feige debunked this theory directly.

Page 2 of 2: The Evidence Nick Fury Could Be Involved

Marvel Comics - Phil Coulson Maria Hill Nick Fury

The Evidence Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders Could Be Involved

Step forward Samuel L. Jackson, who confirmed his presence for a Marvel production in the UK when he posted on Instagram at the beginning of July; the actor shared an image suggesting his character, Nick Fury, is back working for S.H.I.E.L.D. in a new movie. The image was geo-tagged to Watford, England, less than half an hour away from where Spider-Man: Far From Home is shooting. On its own, it didn't mean much; it's entirely possible Marvel took advantage of his proximity to film additional photography for Avengers 4.

More recently, though, Numan Acar has offered another piece of evidence. Acar recently joined the cast of Spider-Man: Far From Home as a character referred to as "Dimitri" (possibly the Chameleon). He confirmed this with a celebratory post on Instagram, one with a large number of tags. These included general references such as #film, along with variations of #spiderman. Crucially, though, Acar tagged a number of actors already known to be in the movie, including Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal. However, he also tagged #samueljackson, #cobiesmulders, #nickfury, and #mariahill. The actor swiftly deleted the post, but not before it was spotted by MCUExchange.

It's slight and far from confirmation, but at the moment the best suggestion is that Nick Fury and Maria Hill are set to appear in Spider-Man: Far From Home, with Fury serving as that major MCU cameo. But what could their role be?

Nick Fury and A Resurgent S.H.I.E.L.D.

Avengers: Infinity War's post-credits scene finally revealed what Fury and Hill have been doing since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. The two spies seem to have become field operatives in an organization remarkably similar to S.H.I.E.L.D.; Not only has this agency scooped up ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, it's also monitoring alien attacks on New York and has satellites watching former S.H.I.E.L.D. hotspots like Wakanda. It's possible this is an entirely new group, but if so it's simply picked up where S.H.I.E.L.D. left off. It's worth noting that Fury doesn't appear to be in charge of this new initiative; he and Hill referred to reporting in to "Control."

The primary purpose of the post-credits scene was to set up Captain Marvel's return to Earth, with Fury sending out a cosmic Mayday to summon Marvel's strongest hero yet. But this could double as setup for Fury and Hill's future as well, establishing them as active again (albeit hampered by Thanos' snap).

If Fury and Hill are indeed in Spider-Man: Far From Home, then it stands to reason they're still acting as field agents for this new group. Presumably, they would ally with Spider-Man against Mysterio, possibly even providing the funds that would allow Peter to travel across Europe.

The Comic Book (and Animated) Precedent

There is a definite precedent for a strong working relationship between Fury and Spider-Man. In the comics, Peter's parents were members of S.H.I.E.L.D., something that became a crucial plot point in Marvel's Ultimate Universe, a relaunch in the early 2000s that has served as a major source of inspiration for Marvel Studios. In that universe, Fury had cared deeply about the Parkers and was devastated by their deaths, subsequently keeping a careful eye on their son, Peter. He was thrilled when he realized the teenager had become a superhero, believing Spider-Man could be the greatest hero of them all, even grooming him as a future Ultimate (that universe's equivalent of the Avengers). The relationship between Spider-Man and Fury naturally had its highs and lows - Fury is a secretive man, and he never quite revealed just how much he cared about Peter - but, over time, the two became more than just mentor and student; they became friends.

This idea has been reproduced in a number of Marvel's animated series, most notably the current Spider-Man show. And that's actually a crucial point: Spider-Man: Homecoming drew inspiration from the animated shows as much as from the original comics. Even the film's title was lifted from an animated episode. So it wouldn't be a surprise for Marvel to look to the animated series for ideas.

The evidence is certainly building that Peter Parker has some connection to Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home, possibly working with his S.H.I.E.L.D.-equivalent organization. With filming now underway and Avengers: Infinity War making clear the MCU isn't done with Sameul L. Jackson just yet, more will surely be revealed soon.