20 years ago a small Marvel movie cameo was missed by most people that the MCU’s Spider-Man 4 could finally pay off in a satisfying way.

Spider-Man 4 is Marvel’s chance to pull off a failed cameo attempt that is 20 years in the making. Though details about Spider-Man 4 are still scarce, rumors suggest that Marvel is gearing up for a street-level tale at its center. If true, this marries well with the fact that many more New York-based heroes have recently been the center of attention in the MCU, including the heroes that comprise the Defenders, and the iconic Spider-Man villain Kingpin himself.

Matt Murdock and Peter Parker have already interacted in Spider-Man: No Way Home, so it stands to reason that Peter would recall Murdock should he need to enlist his services again. Meanwhile, with the “Defenders Saga” being recently confirmed as MCU canon, it is difficult to believe that any misdeeds carried out by Kingpin or another New York-based villain would go unnoticed by other New York vigilantes like Luke Cage or Punisher. An appearance by Punisher, in particular, would be a satisfying way to call back to his obscure cameo in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man 2 Has A Punisher Cameo… Sort Of

Back in 2004, Punisher already featured in the background of a Spider-Man 2 scene. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment came as Kirsten Dunst’s Mary-Jane Watson ran through the streets of New York to Peter Parker’s apartment, passing by a man wearing a distinctive outfit. His appearance was suspiciously similar to that of Thomas Jane’s Punisher, who starred in his eponymous movie in the same year. As it turns out, that was the intention, as confirmed by the DVD commentary throughout the scene.

The Punisher marked the second time Frank Castle made his way to the big screen, though it failed to elicit any more positive reviews than his 1989 cinematic debut. This didn’t stop the filmmakers from attempting a sequel, which was canceled and replaced by a reboot in the form of 2008’s Punisher: War Zone. This bombed spectacularly and became the lowest-grossing Marvel movie in history (at the time), though enthusiasm for Frank Castle was reinvigorated by Jon Bernthal’s tenure in the Defenders Saga. This makes it the perfect time for Punisher to reemerge and do justice to the character

Why Spider-Man 4 Is The Perfect Time For A Spidey-Punisher Crossover

The appetite for Spider-Man4 to return to the titular hero’s street-level roots is huge, and all the necessary parameters are in place to facilitate it. Marvel has recently focused heavily on more grounded heroes, as the introduction of street-level characters like Kate Bishop and She-Hulk redirects the narrative from its previous preoccupation with all things cosmic. If Spider-Man 4 continues that trend and pivots away from his multiversal exploits, then there is no better time for the Punisher to join him.

There is already a Marvel Comics precedent for Punisher and Spider-Man to cross paths, which has happened in numerous issues of their respective comics.

The team-up would also make for an interesting dynamic. While his Avengers colleagues are relatively trigger-happy when it comes to whaling on enemies, Spidey remains one of the few heroes who balk at the idea of killing adversaries. Punisher is very much on the opposite end of that scale and would provide a significant moral foil for Peter to overcome during the course of Spider-Man 4. Jon Bernthal is already confirmed to appear alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in Daredevil: Born Again, but whether this story bleeds into Spider-Man’s next outing remains to be seen.