After watchingYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manseason 1, I am worried that a mistake has been made concerning Tom Holland’sSpider-Man 4.Theending ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manproved the show to be one of the MCU’s biggest surprises in recent years. Admittedly, I was never overly excited about the concept of a series set separate from the main MCU continuity. Still,YourFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s exciting Easter eggs, its fantastic cast, its new take on characters, and the overall sense of Spider-Man goodness changed my mind very quickly.
WithYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manseason 2already confirmed to be in development, audiences who feel the same way as I do will not have to wait much longer to see how the show continues. Above all else, this makes the future of the iconic Web-Slinger all the more exciting, withupcomingSpider-Manmovies and showscoming in abundance. One such movie is Tom Holland’sSpider-Man 4in the MCU, and while I still cannot wait for the next installment of the series,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manraised some concerns that a crucial mistake has been made during the former’s production.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Is Perfectly Street-Level, Unlike The MCU’s Version
MCU Spider-Man Has Been Much More Integral To Universe-Altering Projects
Firstly, it is worth exploring a major difference betweenYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manand the MCU’sSpider-Mantrilogy that has caused me to worry a mistake has been made withSpider-Man 4. The difference in question is the street-level tone ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manand the lack thereof in Tom Holland’sSpider-Manmovies. Of the three MCU films, onlySpider-Man: Homecominghas a sense of street-level Spider-Man, but this was nestled between big event movies likeCaptain America: Civil WarandAvengers: Infinity War,essentially omitting Spider-Man as astreet-level MCU hero.
This made it feel like the MCU’s Spider-Man being a street-level hero was not necessarily the norm, especially withAvengers: Infinity Warsomewhat reversing Peter’s decision to stay closer to the ground as a, well, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man fromSpider-Man: Homecoming.The big event movies then saw Peter be involved in the universal stakes of the fight against Thanos, beforeSpider-Man: Far From Homeushered in a change of location and multiversal aspects. Then there wasSpider-Man: No Way Home,which, as fantastic as it was, told a multiversal story with little to no street-level elements.
Marvel’s Newest Spider-Man Release Has The Street-Level Stories I’ve Been Dreaming Of Seeing In The MCU For 8 Years
Spider-Man’s newest 2025 story effectively brings street-level adventures back into the MCU 8 years after Spider-Man: Homecoming’s movie debut.
WithYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,the opposite has been proven to be true. While the story’s premise is inherently multiversal given that it takes place in a different timeline, Peter’s journey itself avoids these elements. The story focuses intently on Peter’s journey as Spider-Man, his friends, relationships, and several of his iconic comic book villains, all while keeping him a grounded hero in a world of major players like Captain America, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange.Much more than Holland’s MCU stories,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manunderstands what it means to be street-leveland is all the better for it.
The MCU’s Spider-Man 4 Is Reportedly Going To Be Another Multiversal Adventure
Holland’s Spider-Man Future Seems Committed To Big Stories
Herein lies my worry about Tom Holland’sSpider-Man 4story in the MCU. The story and tone ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manas a small-scale Spider-Man adventure has only reinforced how much I want to see Holland’s version of the hero utilized similarly. Holland is a fantastic Spider-Man, and while I do like his trilogy a lot, I cannot deny that I have a desire to see him taking on crime bosses like the Kingpin or going up against some of his iconic rogues, like Scorpion or the MCU’s versions of Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin.
Based on what has been reported aboutSpider-Man 4, however, it seems that I will not be getting my wish anytime soon. Early reports indicated that Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios opted for another multiversal story for the film. Admittedly, this certainly makes sense given the almost $2 billion haul ofSpider-Man: No Way Home.
Sony Pictures reportedly wanted Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to return once more and, while this is still conjecture, all signs point to another multiversal storyline.
Another element that supports these reports is the release slate ofupcoming MCU movies.Spider-Man 4is currently scheduled for release on June 23, 2025, nestled betweenAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.Therefore, the film will likely be tied to the overarching Multiverse Saga and remove the possibility of more street-level aspects.
I’m Disappointed Spider-Man 4 Likely Won’t Be A Street-Level Story (Especially After Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man)
Although the concept of another multiversalSpider-Manmovie still excites me regardingSpider-Man 4, I cannot deny thatYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas increased my worries that opting for a multiversal story for the former is a mistake. A lot of street-level elements of the latter prove that this tone is where Spider-Man shines, from his interactions with other heroes like Daredevil to his battles with crime bosses and the overall grounded, relatable stories that Peter Parker excels in. From a pure storytelling standpoint, a lot of these elements are simply not possible in large, multiversal stories.
This is not to say that multiversalSpider-Manmovies cannot get the character right, however, and I still have complete faith in Marvel to tell an intriguing Peter Parker tale. That said, I still long for a smaller-scale sect of the MCU to be carved out for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.While this is still possible beyondSpider-Man 4,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas only made me worry that we will not get a street-level vibe for Holland’s iteration of the Web-Slinger sooner rather than later.
