Over the last few weeks, the internet has been buzzing with rumors about a possible fourth Spider-Man movie beginning production in early 2025, with Tom Holland and Zendaya both confirmed to be returning, as well as Destin Daniel Cretton, director of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” taking the reins from Jon Watts. Simultaneously, there are more rumors that this movie will be yet another multiversal focused film for Marvel Studios, leaving fans both curious, excited and frustrated all at the same time.
A reason for the frustration is that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” arguably set up Holland’s Spider-Man for a perfect street-level fourth movie, focusing on his position of now being completely alone in the world. And with the inclusion of Daredevil in “No Way Home,” many fans anticipated his return with the webslinger in the franchise’s fourth installment, with both heroes fighting crime lord Kingpin.
There is no denying that multiverse-focused films have brought Marvel Studies large profits–with “Deadpool and Wolverine” breaking a billion dollars and becoming the highest grossing rated R film in history, and “No Way Home” crossing a billion as well–but there is no denying that Marvel has been on a standstill with the multiverse concept. They used it in “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” as well as “Antman: Quantamania,” and have focused their shows on it too, like “WandaVision,” “Loki” and “What If…?” with mixed reviews.
This concept of a multiverse has been all over film and tv media in companies beyond the MCU as well. DC Studios utilized it in “The Flash.” “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”–while simultaneously sweeping the Oscars–was focused on this concept as well, and Sony has utilized this in their animated “Spiderverse” films. The multiverse has dominated the box office, as well as our TV screens, for years now, beginning even with shows of the early 2000’s like “Doctor Who and Star Trek.”
While many audiences loved, and still love these shows and movies, the confused and slightly negative reaction to Spider-Man 4 possibly being once again focused on the multiverse shows audiences are becoming bored of this concept. With how nuanced, confusing and downright contradictory it can be, it is no wonder audiences are thirsty for more grounded, street-level heroes again. They want their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man after years of Peter Parker saving thousands of universes.
This leaves Marvel Studios with an important choice: stick with the multiverse model, almost guaranteeing a profit, or take a creative risk with a street-level, crime-fighting Spider-Man, not necessarily guaranteeing billions of dollars, but almost certainly warranting a breath of fresh air for their audience, leading to a more fulfilling and worthwhile story in the long run.
