Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige comments on whether Spider-Man 3 is bringing back Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (starring Maguire) helped to usher in an era of big screen comic book adaptations almost two decades ago. Creative differences between Raimi and the studio impeded a fourth film, prompting Sony to reboot the franchise with Garfield in 2012. Following Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony worked out a deal with Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man (Tom Holland) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Quentin Beck AKA Mysterio fabled the Multiverse in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The idea of parallel universes has also permeated Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame; the latter introducing time travel and the creation of multiple timelines. In the wake of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Phase 4 projects like WandaVision, Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the untitled Spider-Man sequel are poised to explore this further. The latter will feature Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), as well as two actors from Sony’s previous franchises; Jamie Foxx has been confirmed as Electro (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius (Spider-Man 2). Other reports point to the return of cast members like Garfield and Maguire’s heroes.

In an interview with ComicBook, Feige addressed growing speculation surrounding the upcoming Spider-Man film. Similar to what Sony and other parties involved have said, Feige neither confirmed nor denied recent casting rumors. Instead, he merely says that some of what he has read online might be true:

"I've read some things. I'm not sure I've read all things. The fun thing about online speculation when it comes to our stuff is how sometimes it couldn't be more off the mark and sometimes it's shockingly close, and that's held true for the last few years. But saying which is which would take all the fun out of everything."

As someone who’s been involved with Marvel long before the MCU’s conception, Feige’s comments are predictably tactful. However, given Marvel Studio’s proclivity for critical and commercial acclaim, it’s unlikely speculation is completely off the mark. While casting reports surrounding Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen and Kristen Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson could be a stretch, it’s fair to assume Foxx and Molina’s involvement was announced to hype the return of their respective web slingers. It’s important to note both Foxx and Molina’s characters met their demise in Sony’s films. Foxx has teased that he’ll be playing a different Electro than the one from Webb’s film and Molina could be playing an MCU take on Doctor Octopus.

In Spider-Man: Far From Home’s mid-credits, Peter Parker and MJ (Zendaya) react to a news broadcast in which Mysterio outs Spider-Man’s identity and implicates him as a murderer; prompting J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) to show up and utter “menace.” That said, Simmons isn’t playing the same Jameson that berates Maguire in Raimi’s trilogy. This cameo supports the theory that actors will be playing different iterations of their Sony characters in Spider-Man 3. Regardless, If Garfield and Maguire do swing into frame, they’ll probably do so as mentors to Holland’s Spider-Man. By keeping this under wraps, Feige only increases anticipation for a rewarding homage to past franchises and a huge step forward for the MCU.

More: Spider-Man 3: Are Garfield And Maguire Playing Their Original Spideys?

Source: ComicBook.com