Spider-Man 3 Theory: Tobey Maguire's MCU Daughter Is Spider-Girl

Spider-Man: No Way Home could introduce a new hero into Marvel's Multiverse - Spider-Girl, the daughter of Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. However much Andrew Garfield may protest otherwise, the evidence is building that Spider-Man: No Way Home will be a Multiversal adventure featuring multiple incarnations of the wall-crawler.

That means anticipation is building for the prospect of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland coming face-to-face in a "Spider-Verse" style adventure. It makes sense to tell such a tale in Phase 4, which is clearly embracing the concept of the Multiverse, and Holland is confirmed to have the support of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange - the perfect guide when it comes to jumping between dimensions and timelines. Doctor Strange may not have the Time Stone anymore, but as one of its former bearers he understands the principles of time better than most.

But, while attention has been focused on the idea of all three Spider-Men working together, few have stopped to think about what could have happened in the meantime. It's possible the MCU will introduce some whole new Spider-characters in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Years Could Have Passed For Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man

Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man: No Way Home is expected to be set around Christmas 2024, with Tom Holland's version of Peter Parker dealing with the repercussions from his secret identity being revealed to the world. But that doesn't necessarily mean all the characters from alternate dimensions originate from the same year; in fact, Alfred Molina has suggested his Doctor Octopus is returning straight after his apparent "death" in Spider-Man 2, with Molina explaining Marvel will use their famous de-aging technology to make him look like he did in 2004. That means people aren't just jumping between parallel timelines, they're also traveling in time in a more conventional sense. This is important because it adds a new variable into the mix; we have no idea what's been going on for Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. He could jump into the MCU straight after Spider-Man 3, with Marvel using de-aging technology again, or he could be from years later.

The original Spider-Man trilogy were superhero romance films as much as anything else, with a focus on the relationship between Maguire's Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson. The on-and-off romance was bedeviled by the frustration caused by Peter's superhero alter-ego, but for all MJ protested she was through with love she and Peter were just meant to be. If years have gone by, it's safe to assume the two are still together, and that they've been trying to build their own Happily Ever After in spite of Peter's web-slinging. And that means the status quo could have changed a lot for the couple over the years - because they may well have had a child. Given up to 20 years could have passed in that timeline, said child could be in their mid-to-late teens.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Could Introduce Spider-Girl

There's actually nothing new to the idea of Spider-Man and Mary Jane having a child; it's happened twice in the comics, albeit in future timelines and (appropriately enough) an alternate universe. The most famous of these is May "Mayday" Parker, who grew up in a world where her father had retired as Spider-Man after suffering a grievous injury. Although Mayday's parents hoped she wouldn't inherit her father's powers, they were doomed to disappointment, with those powers triggering when she was around 15 years old. Peter and MJ initially attempted to discourage Mayday from becoming a superhero - they even burned her costume - but they couldn't stop her coming to realize that her powers came with responsibilities. Mayday was a tremendously popular character, sharing some of the attributes of both her parents - the beauty and social skills of her mother, and the inquisitive intelligence of her father. Unfortunately, she'd also inherited the "Parker Luck," because she soon found herself struggling to balance her superhero career and her private life - in a manner that her dad found all too familiar.

Another Spider-daughter was introduced in 2015's Renew Your Vows, a miniseries that revealed what would have happened if Peter Parker and Mary Jane never broke up in the main comic book timeline. Anna-May Parker grew up in a timeline where superpowers were sought after by a criminal called the Regent, and - as in Spider-Girl's timeline - her mother was initially dismayed when Anna-May developed her powers and suited up. The key difference, though, was that all three of the Parkers donned costumes and worked together to defeat the Regent, becoming a family of superheroes working together. Annie's powers are subtly different to Spider-Man's, in that she has a more highly-developed spider-sense that affords her a degree of precognition; she's tied to the Web of Life and Destiny, which she can manipulate in order to strengthen armor and ensure things play out how she wants. Where Mayday took the name Spider-Girl, the younger Anna-May calls herself "Spiderling."

Spider-Man: No Way Home Could Introduce Peter Parker's Daughter

We don't know how much time has passed for Maguire's Spider-Man, which means it would be easy for Marvel to give his character a daughter; indeed, enough years could have passed for Marvel to draw on Spiderling or Spider-Girl for inspiration, or potentially to merge the two. Such an approach would give Sony a new Spider-hero to work with in their own universes, especially if they chose to tie the hero in to the Web of Life and Destiny in some manner; this serves as the connective tissue binding the Multiverse together, holding the past, present, possible futures, and all other dimensions in place. What's more, it would be fascinating to see Tom Holland's younger Spider-Man interacting with not only other versions of himself - but also fellow teenage heroes possessed of similar powers.

The concept of legacy is clearly important to the MCU's Phase 4; Sam Wilson has suited up as the new Captain America, Kamala Khan is debuting as Ms. Marvel, there's a She-Hulk on the way, and Jane Foster is being transformed into the Mighty Thor. A Spider-Girl character would fit perfectly with this, helping bind the different themes - the Multiverse and the concept of legacy - together in a fascinating way. Hopefully, Marvel will make the most of this opportunity to expand the Spider-Man franchise.

More: MCU: Every Actor & Character Confirmed For Spider-Man: No Way Home