Whenever Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men return in the MCU, their next movie appearance could fill in a surprising void established by their Spider-Man: No Way Home backstory. After Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending sent Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men back to their respective universes, it seems like Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is truly alone on Earth-616. However, both multiversal Spider-Men are likely to return sooner rather than later, as the Multiverse Saga is heading to an end in Phase 6, and the only way they could reunite with the MCU’s Prime Spider-Man is through multiversal means.

At this point, ,little is known about the MCU’s upcoming Spider-Man 4 but considering how the Phase 6 movie could be the last chance for Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men to return, it could offer a blend of street-level conflict for Holland’s Spider-Man and some multiversal spectacle that ties directly into the Multiverse Saga’s overarching story. Whatever Spider-Man 4 looks like, it’s bound to be different from all three previous MCU Spider-Man movies. Therefore, Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men could come back with some updates from their own timelines.

Maguire And Garfield’s Lack Of Spider-Man Supervillain Experience In No Way Home Was Disappointing

Spider-Man: No Way Home Suggested Maguire And Garfield’s Spider-Men Haven’t Fought Any New Supervillains

Spider-Man: No Way Home takes place in December 2024, and both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men look like they have aged a proportional amount since their last movie appearance. During Spider-Man: No Way Home, the two multiversal Spider-Men exchanged anecdotes from their other battles. Maguire’s Spider-Man mentioned Venom and Harry Osborn a.k.a. New Goblin, and Garfield’s Spider-Man mentioned Rhino and alluded to his own version of Harry Osborn through Gwen Stacy’s death. However, they didn’t mention any new antagonist, which suggests that Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 marked the last time they faced any big-name Marvel villain.

Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man didn’t say anything about Curt Connors’ Lizard form in Spider-Man: No Way Home despite seeing his own universe’s Curt Connors as a mentor figure.

Considering how seasoned Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man seems to be, and how brutal Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man suggests he became after Gwen Stacy’s death, it’s rather disappointing that they haven’t met any other supervillain worth mentioning. Spider-Man: No Way Home could have taken inspiration from Sam Raimi’s canceled plans for Spider-Man 4 and Sony’s canceled plans for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and its Sinister Six spinoff, dropping a hint to “Peter 1″‘s deadly fight with the Vulture in Sam Raimi’s universe and “Peter 3″‘s battles against other villains like Kraven.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Set Up Bigger Battles For Maguire And Garfield’s Spider-Men

The Multiversal Spider-Men’s New Supervillain Battles May Happen After No Way Home

Custom image by Ana Nieves

Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men arrive to help Tom Holland’s Peter Parker overcome Aunt May’s death. However, Holland’s Peter Parker also helps both Spider-Men heal their own emotional wounds. Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker shows subtle signs of fatigue, and his comments about his injured back and his relationship with MJ suggest he believes himself to be past his prime. Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker has come to terms with Gwen Stacy’s death, but he also believes himself not to be as “amazing” as his fellow Spider-Men. By the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men have renovated their will to keep fighting.

Although neither of the alternate-universe Spider-Men appear to have fought any major Marvel villain since their last on-screen movie appearance, their first multiversal adventure alongside Tom Holland’s Spidey may have inspired them to take on bigger battles. Whenever they return in the MCU, both Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men could already have faced their own versions of famous Spider-Man villains. Shocker, Stilt-Man, Alistair Smythe, and Black Cat are only some of the previously referenced enemies they could face in their respective universes.

The MCU’s Multiversal Spider-Men Have The Perfect Excuse To Fight Big-Name Marvel Supervillains Off-Screen

All Live-Action Spider-Men’s Villain Gallery May Have Received A Sudden Expansion

The reason why Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men didn’t mention any new villain in Spider-Man: No Way Home may be that Sony didn’t want to namedrop any character that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could eventually use. This is the same reason why Tom Holland’s Spider-Man hasn’t been able to fight an MCU variant of Kraven the Hunter, Morbius, or Venom. Now that Sony has put Sony’s Spider-Man Universe on indefinite pause, many Spider-Man friends and foes may have become available — both for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU and for the alternate-universe Spider-Men off-screen.

Once Garfield and Maguire’s Spider-Men return, they could reveal to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker that they have faced their own version of villains like Kraven, Carnage, Morbius, Chameleon, the Lizard, and other classic Spider-Man enemies since the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man could understand Holland’s Peter Parker a little better after fighting John Malkovich’s bloodthisrty Vulture and Bruce Campbell’s Mysterio off-screen, and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man could fulfill his dream of fighting an alien by meeting his timeline’s own Venom.