‘Spider-Man 4’: Why do fans think Sam Raimi is swinging into action again?

Okay, now these multiverse rumors are starting to get out of control. Have you heard the one where Sam Raimi & Tobey Maguire reunite for a fourth Spider-Man movie? As in “a follow-up to their first three movies together, back in the 2000s”. Sure, logistically, it could happen: they’re both still alive and working. But is this just wishful thinking turned into news or is there really a Spider-Man 4 in the works?

Wishing & hoping

The thing about rumors is, of course, they aren’t official news. They’re unconfirmed whispers from anonymous sources. Sometimes they turn out to be a bust, and sometimes they turn out to be a major scoop. In the case of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4, the report comes courtesy of Giant Freaking Robot, a website that claims to have access to reliable industry insiders.

According to Giant Freaking Robot’s source, the driving force behind Spider-Man 4 is Sony. The studio is hoping to capitalize on the MCU’s multiverse exploits and Sam Raimi & Tobey Maguire’s participation in them. With Raimi directing Dr. Strange’s foray into “the multiverse of madness” and Maguire rumored to reprise his Spidey role for the MCU, the stage could be set for a Raimi/Maguire Spider-Man 4.

Adding more fuel to the Spider-Man 4 fire is the still unconfirmed rumor that Maguire’s MCU Spider-stint won’t be limited to Spider-Man: No Way Home. There’s been speculation of Maguire’s Spider-Man also popping up in Raimi’s Dr. Strange movie, reuniting the actor & director for the first time since 2007’s infamous Spider-Man 3. Could that rumored collaboration plan the seeds for a Spider-Man 4?

#RestoreTheRaimiVerse

It may sound crazy, but there’s a good chance many MCU fans haven’t even seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies. That trilogy took place two Spideys ago, after all. But there’s something to be said for Raimi’s take on Peter Parker adventures – a retro approach grounded on classic Spider-Man comics – and the alternative flavor it could provide to current MCU aficionados.

There’s also a sentimental reason for fans of the wallcrawler to get behind a Raimi/Maguire Spider-Man 4: the team’s last Spidey movie was kind of a lackluster ending to the trilogy (in all fairness, Spider-Man 3 wasn’t designed to be an ending to begin with). Last we saw Maguire’s Peter Parker, he was just starting to pick up the pieces of his broken life after the Venom symbiote had ruined it.

Would Spider-Man 4 bring back Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane? It’s hard to imagine a Raimi Spider-Man movie without either the character or the actress. J.K. Simmons is already back as Jonah Jameson in the MCU, so it’s likely he’d jump back on the RaimiVerse if he was asked. How about Elizabeth Brant’s Betty Brant? Or Joe Manganiello’s Flash Thompson? Are we getting ahead of ourselves here?

Meanwhile, in the MCU

Sony, Sam Raimi, and Tobey Maguire could call a press conference exclusively to deny all these Spider-Man 4 rumors and it would do nothing to convince us they might not be true. Poor Tom Holland actually told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he wasn’t aware of Maguire or Andrew Garfield reprising their Spider-roles in No Way Home . . . and we still think it’s happening anyway.

So here’s the unfulfilling truth: we know very little for sure when it comes to the future of Spider-Man in the MCU or in Sony’s alternate Spider-verse. What we know is this: Sam Raimi is a hundred percent directing a Dr. Strange movie that deals with Marvel’s multiverse – whatever that may end up being.

We also know Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse was a massive hit with audiences & critics. And, very recently, we saw Marvel fans lose their minds over the possibility of the Quicksilver from Sony’s X-Men movies crossing over to the MCU thanks to WandaVision – even if it all just amounted to a boner joke. The point is: people seem ready for alternate realities in their comic book movies.

—

What do you think of these Spider-Man 4 rumors? Would you like Sam Raimi & Tobey Maguire to have a chance to give a more dignified ending to their Spidey story? Or would you rather Sony focused on moving the franchise forward, with other directors & actors? Let us know in the comments!