Following multiple rumors that Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 is happening with Sam Raimi, the Marvel director breaks his silence and responds.

Spider-Man trilogy director Sam Raimi comments on whether he is actually making Spider-Man 4 with Marvel actor Tobey Maguire. After Spider-Man: No Way Home saw the return of Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Peter Parker, Marvel audiences have been clamoring to see their canceled sequels be revived, especially Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 movie. With the Spider-Verse concept being more popular than ever, the door is wide open for Sony to revisit any of their live-action Spider-Man universes at this point.

After more than a year of rumors floating around that Spider-Man 4 is in the works with Maguire and Raimi, the director was asked by CBR directly if the rumors are true. However, it seems they aren’t. According to Raimi, he hasn’t heard anything about Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 getting resurrected, while praising seeing him be part of the Spider-Man: No Way Home cast, as he shared the following:

Well, I haven’t heard about that yet, I did read that, but, I’m actually not working on it yet . I mean, Marvel and Columbia [are] so successful with their current Spider-Man and the track there and I don’t know that they’re going to go back to me and say ‘We could also tell that story!’ I’m not sure. But I love all the new Spider-Man movies. I loved Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was really, super powerful seeing Tobey [Maguire] again in it. I haven’t talked to Tobey about it, but maybe Marvel has, or Columbia Pictures. But, I just worked with Marvel on a movie called Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So, I’m on great terms with them. I’m sure I would hear about it if it was in the works. I think so. I don’t know.

How Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man Can & Should Return To The MCU

Since Spider-Man 4 Doesn’t Appear To Be Happening, He Could Return In Other Ways

While Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 with Maguire may not happen at this point, there are other ways for his version of Peter Parker to swing his way back into the MCU. Even though the MCU is scaling back in 2024 with their release schedule, Deadpool & Wolverine would be a major way for Maguire’s Spider-Man to reenter the franchise. With Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson seemingly exploring other Marvel properties that are not tied to the MCU, it would be fun to see Maguire’s Spider-Man somehow show up.

With The Multiverse Saga still moving forward, Maguire’s Spider-Man would be a natural fit for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. Given how the entire multiverse will be at risk, the next Avengers movies would be the organic time for Maguire to suit up as Spider-Man again and join forces with other Marvel heroes. This way, it would theoretically be an opportunity for Maguire’s Spider-Man to cross paths with other Marvel movie characters from the 2000s era.

Given how beloved Maguire’s incarnation of Spider-Man is to this day, it would be shocking if Sony and Marvel didn’t find more than one way to bring him back. It makes sense why they may not consider doing Spider-Man 4 with Maguire and Raimi, especially as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 is in development, but that shouldn’t prevent the MCU from featuring his Peter Parker again in some capacity. For now, while Spider-Man 4 is not on the table, the Marvel audience will hopefully see Maguire back as the Marvel icon in the near future.

Everything We Know About Sam Raimi’s Cancelled Spider-Man 4

Spider-Man Would’ve Faced Vulture Years Before Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man 4, initially slated for May 2011, was going to attempt to lean back into what made the franchise as popular as it was in the 2000s. One of the elements that would have finally been embraced from the original trilogy in Spider-Man 4 was Dylan Baker’s Lizard, as Dr. Curt Connors was planned to appear. Instead, the Lizard arc got its cinematic debut in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, with Rhys Ifans playing the villain opposite Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker.

While Michael Keaton got to play Adrian Toomes in the MCU through Spider-Man: Homecoming, Raimi almost beat Marvel Studios to the punch when it came to bringing the Vulture to the big screen. John Malkovich was initially set to be the first actor to play Vulture in live-action, as he was being eyed to serve as the main antagonist in Spider-Man 4. Throughout the years, various pieces of Spider-Man 4 concept art and glimpses of Raimi’s vision for Vulture have emerged online, but specific plot details have remained under wraps for nearly 15 years.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 Potential Cast List

Tobey Maguire
Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Kirsten Dunst
Mary Jane Watson

J.K. Simmons
J. Jonah Jameson

Bryce Dallas Howard
Gwen Stacy

John Malkovich
Adrian Toomes/Vulture

Dylan Baker
Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard

Anne Hathaway
Felicia Hardy/Black Cat

Elizabeth Banks
Betty Brant

Bill Nunn
Robbie Robertson

James Cromwell
George Stacy

Bruce Campbell
Quentin Beck/Mysterio

Before landing the role of Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway had been eyed to play Felicia Hardy aka the Black Cat in Spider-Man 4. Given her many allegiances in the comics, it’s unclear if she would have been an ally, foe, or both to Spider-Man. The cast would have also included Maguire, Kristen Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson, J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson, and, reportedly, Bryce Dallas Howard’s Gwen Stacey, along with other supporting characters from the original trilogy before Spider-Man 4 was ultimately cancelled.