Why Spider-Man's Success Could Be Bad For The MCU

Spider-Man: No Way Home has opened the doors for many new upcoming Spider-Man movies both inside and outside of the MCU, but its success could mean unexpected challenges for the MCU. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down theaters for months in 2020, cinemas have had to limp back into something resembling normalcy. 2021 saw numerous movies begin to do strong business in theaters again, such as A Quiet Place 2 and F9, but nothing compared to the historic success of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

No Way Home opens Marvel's Multiverse with numerous villains from other villains pouring in after a spell gone wrong by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). The spell also brings over two other Spider-Men, played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, and with Tom Holland's Spidey, the three set about de-powering the villains in order to send everyone home. By the end of No Way Home, Holland's Spider-Man faces a new challenge in a world where the memory of Peter Parker has been wiped out. This sets up the MCU's Spider-Man 4, but that's far from the only Spider-Man project in the works.

By way of employing the Multiverse as a core concept of its story, No Way Home leaves the door open for both Maguire and Garfield's individual Spider-Man series to also be revived. There's already considerable indication that No Way Home is just the beginning of each suiting up again, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Sony also has numerous other webslinger-related projects in the works, and the quantity of these along with the general adoration of Spider-Man could make the wall-crawler into an actual MCU competitor.

Spider-Man Has Multiple (Non-MCU) Movies In The Works

When Tom Holland's Spider-Man made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, his big-screen future seemed set in stone as a member of the Avengers. 2018 saw the first real indicators that the Spider-Man franchise wasn't necessarily tethered to the MCU with the success of the Tom Hardy-led Venom. Just two months later, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse reasserted that point with the big-screen debut of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and a subsequent Oscar win for Best Animated Feature. With the temporary falling out between Sony and Marvel in 2019, it became clear that Spider-Man was far from an MCU exclusive character, with Spider-Man solo movies still made under the Sony banner and his presence in the MCU happening at Sony's discretion.

When No Way Home became the theatrical mega-hit of 2021, chatter immediately began to arise of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men continuing in their respective Spider-Man franchises. Maguire and Garfield's web-slinging days continuing increasingly seems all but inevitable. Meanwhile, Into the Spider-Verse has two sequels on the way, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (to be released in two parts). At the same time, Hardy's Venom seems likely to cross paths with one of the three Peter Parkers, with Garfield's, in particular, seeming like a potential candidate. On top of this, Sony has also announced a Madame Web movie with Dakota Johnson attached to the title role, which could serve as a point of unity between the different Spider-Men. Testimony to how fast things can change in the film industry, Spider-Man's entry into the MCU was swift from a logistical standpoint. However, the Spider-Verse Sony once chased after is finally coming together right at the peak of Spidey's MCU tenure.

Spider-Man Is Still A Key Player In The MCU

Peter Parker looking sad in Spider-Man No Way Home

Though Spider-Man is growing into a bigger cash cow than ever for Sony, it's not like he's bowing out of the MCU either. For his part, Tom Holland has given at times coy responses about whether he'll return after No Way Home. At the same time, he's also spoken of where he'd like to see his Peter Parker go, proposing a mentorship role to Miles Morales and a team-up with Charlie Cox's Daredevil. Both are distinct possibilities, with Spider-Man: Homecoming featuring an appearance by Miles' Uncle Aaron Davis (Donald Glover), along with Matt Murdock's No Way Home cameo.

No Way Home's ending, showing Holland's Peter having to start his life over in a world that's forgotten him, clearly points to at least one more adventure in the MCU with his Spider-Man. Holland has also begun building a non-Spider-Man career, with his most recent release the video game movie Uncharted. Holland's comments on feeling like he'll have overstayed his welcome if he's still Spider-Man past 30 could suggest that he's begun exercising some leverage for what he'd like to see in his next swing as Spider-Man. In any case, after his arc leading up to No Way Home, Spider-Man has arguably become the franchise's heir to Tony Stark based on the film's success, so it's quite likely that the MCU has more Spider-Man stories to tell.

Could Sony's Spider-Verse Be As Big As The MCU?

With the Multiverse being the new superhero movie trend, studios have more freedom than ever to tell parallel stories with multiple versions of one character. The MCU will continue doing just that with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Spider-Man is a different situation for them. While the MCU has one Peter Parker, his presence is still a provisional co-licensing agreement with Sony. The very same studio has the benefit of two Peter Parkers brought out of retirement, which by itself is huge for them.

The rest of Sony's Spider-Man toolbox has grown quite impressive, with an active Venom ready to meet Spidey, multiple Spidey villain projects like Morbius and Kraven the Hunter, the Madame Web movie, and the animated Spider-Verse films. With Spider-Man being such a popular character in the abstract, Sony has the potential to build a Spider-Verse that could grow into a real juggernaut on the strength of Spider-Man alone. Though Spidey's not leaving the MCU for Sony any time soon, as could've happened in the Sony-Marvel breakup, after No Way Home, Sony no longer needs him to. With the reception of No Way Home and the enthusiasm for Maguire and Garfield's returns, it's entirely possible that Sony's Spider-Verse could indeed reach MCU-levels of popularity.

Sony's growing Spider-Verse isn't going to bring about the downfall of the MCU. Holland remains very well-liked as the MCU's Spidey, and No Way Home nicely sets up Peter Parker's next story with Zendaya's MJ and other characters as a must-see alongside the rest of the franchise. Still, the irony can't be lost that Sony's plans for Spider-Man and other connected characters could turn their Spider-Man-based franchise into an MCU challenger. After Spider-Man: No Way Home swung open as many doors as it did, all bets are truly off for both the MCU and Sony's Spider-Verse.

Next: Garfield's Wrong About Being Too Old For Spider-Man: His Age Makes It Better